Evander Holyfield has admitted he regrets taking on Riddick Bowe during his heavyweight career.
Holyfield had a legendary spell in the squared circle, winning the undisputed world titles at both cruiserweight and heavyweight in his career.
Holyfield had a stellar career at the very top of the sportGettyThe American fought the greatest fighters of his generation including Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson.
But one of his most notorious rivalries came against Bowe, a rugged and ruthless heavyweight who went on to earn his own huge list of accomplishments.
Bowe and Holyfield had already come across each other plenty of times in their careers, having sparred several times during their teenage years.
And it was the former who took victory in their maiden 1992 clash with Holyfield beaten by unanimous decision.
‘The Real Deal’ did manage to later get his revenge in their subsequent rematch, landing victory in a razor thin majority decision the following year.
But their duelling quickly became one of the most iconic trilogies of all-time, with the pair renewing battle again in 1995.
Unfortunately for Holyfield it was a more conclusive defeat for him as he was brutally stopped.
And in an honest account on their opposition, Holyfield has admitted he shouldn’t have ever touched gloves with ‘Big Daddy’.
He explained: “Riddick Bowe is the first person that I didn’t listen to what my mother told me.
“My mother told me not to become friends with people you’re going to compete with.
But Holyfield regrets ever stepping in the ring with three-time opponent BoweGetty Images - Getty“She said, ‘you’ll tell them too much. Riddick Bowe was that guy’.
“I started sparring with him at the age of 18 when he was getting ready to go to the Olympics. I became good friends with him.”
Holyfield sung the praise of friend and rival Bowe, naming him as the best opponent he faced.
Luckily for Holyfield, the defeats didn’t impact his career as he went on to leave a legacy as one of the greatest of all-time.
After his trilogy with Bowe came his two-fight series with Tyson which ended in much more joy.
He became world champion again in 1997 by beating Michael Moorer.
Bowe and Holyfield were friends turned rivals and the latter struggledAFP - GettyAnd his stint at the top continued, taking on the likes of Lewis, Hasim Rahman and Nikolai Valuev.
The great eventually retired after a long and glory-laden career in 2011, getting his fairytale farewell with a KO victory over Brian Nielsen.
But in 2021, a sad ending was drawn to his legacy as he was knocked out by Vitor Belfort in an exhibition, far beyond his prime.
To this day, Holyfield is still in mesmerising shape at the age of 62 and is fondly honoured by the boxing fraternity.
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