Evander Holyfield has shared the ring with several big men, but none of them matched the brawn of George Foreman.
‘The Real Deal’ was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2017, following a legendary career that included reigns as undisputed cruiserweight and heavyweight world champion.
Holyfield blasted away underrated Cuban Carlos de Leon in 1988 to unify all three major titles at 200lbs before moving up to boxing’s glamour division.
There, he achieved the same feat by knocking out Buster Douglas in 1990, fresh off the Ohio boxer’s upset of the decade win over Mike Tyson.
In the first defence of his undisputed heavyweight crown, he ran into a 42-year-old Foreman, who was riding a 24-fight winning streak following a remarkable return to boxing after a 10-year hiatus.
It marked the first title fight he had been involved with since his comeback, and ‘Big’ George left it all in the ring.
He may not have had the speed and dexterity of old, but Holyfield insists Foreman’s strength and power were still there.
“Out of all the people, I would say George Foreman was the strongest,” he told Ring Magazine during his ‘Best I Faced’ segment.
“And behind him, Lennox Lewis and Riddick Bowe.
“I could push anybody back, it wasn’t a problem.
“I couldn’t push George back. [Laughs.] You had to go around him.”
Of his power, Holyfield told DontaesBoxingNation: “The guy that hit me the hardest was George Foreman.
Foreman was known for his devastating power, and Holyfield can vouch for thatGetty Images - Getty“He hit me one time in the 11th round, and I came back to the corner and I said, ‘Did he knock all my teeth out?'”
Holyfield went on to win the barnburning bout via unanimous decision over 12 hard-fought rounds.
He defended his belts against Bert Cooper and Larry Holmes before Riddick Bowe snatched them away in 1992 to spark an iconic trilogy.
After regaining the WBA and IBF titles against Bowe and then losing them to Michael Moorer, Holyfield squared off against Mike Tyson for the WBA strap in 1996.
Holyfield stopped Tyson in the eleventh round of their inaugural encounter and got his hand raised via disqualification in their rematch when ‘Iron Mike’ stunned onlookers by biting a chunk out of Holyfield’s ear.
A follow-up win over Moorer in their much-anticipated sequel unified the IBF belt with the WBA title once more and subsequently led to a second crack at the undisputed crown with WBC champion Lennox Lewis in 1999.
Hoyfield insisted Formean was the strongest and hardest-hitting opponent he facedGETTYLewis held Holyfield to a draw in their first meeting before outpointing him in fight number two.
Remarkably, that isn’t where Holyfield’s title reigns ended as he went on to become the first, and to date only, four-time heavyweight world champion of all time by beating John Ruiz for the WBA strap in 2000 at 37 years old.
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