Background
Evander Holyfield was the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
He was a counter-puncher, quick and rhythmic, but unlike most counter-punchers, he loved a good war. Holyfield was never as dangerous as he was when he got hit with his opponent's best shot. George Foreman once said of Holyfield, "He likes to taste your power."
He won the title from James "Buster" Douglas, who was coming off of his massive upset knockout of the devastating and previously undefeated Mike Tyson. Holyfield knocked out the overweight and unfocused Douglas in three rounds.
The public found Holyfield undeserving of the title because instead of taking it from Iron Mike Tyson, he took it from Buster Douglas--a version of Douglas that was merely a caricature of the Douglas that beat Tyson.
The selection of his first few opponents didn't help. His first three title defenses were against the two old guys Larry Holmes and George Foreman and the once drug addict Bert Cooper, all of whom gave Holyfield a tough fight.
A heavyweight showdown against Mike Tyson was in the works, but Tyson wound up being hauled off to jail before it could happen.
So we have an under-appreciated heavyweight champion, coming up from a smaller weight class, who still has everything to prove. Enter Riddick Bowe.
Bowe was a Brownsville, Brooklyn native with an impressive KO record. In some ways, this reminded the public of Tyson. He was a genuine slugger, but also had a mean jab, which allowed him to box with his opposition when slugging wasn't ideal.
He had his fair share of criticism. Bowe had a reputation of being lazy, and some feared that his 31 wins going into the Holyfield fight were against nobody's.
After taking out the tough Pierre Coetzer, the WBA's number 1 ranked heavyweight contender, Bowe got a chance at Holyfield for the title.
The Fight
The two met up fight at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas on November 13, 1992. Holyfield (28-0) weighed in at 205 lbs., while Bowe (31-0) weighed in at 235 lbs.
The beginning rounds were very competitive. Holyfield took the first round, beating Bowe to the punch with power shots. In the second round, Bowe regrouped and began landing his big shots off of his stiff jab. He began getting under Holyfield's skin from that round forward, as he was landing first. Fans had never really seen Holyfield that frustrated in the ring before.
In round 7 or so, the fight was clearly in Bowe's hands, as he remained the busier fighter with heavier punches. It was certainly not one-sided though; Holyfield pressed on valiantly. Then came the historic 10th round.
In that round, Holyfield answered all his critics and proved his worth as a champion. Much like how Tyson had the standout characteristic of awesome knockout power, Holyfield established his standout characteristic of unbelievable heart.
Here's the rest of the fight:
Post-Fight
As Jim Lampley said, Holyfield gained more respect in his first loss than he ever did in his first 28 wins. He went on to have a legendary career, finally facing Tyson in 1996, when just about everybody thought he was washed up. Again, as with this fight, everybody was wrong.
As for Bowe, he too gained more respect in this fight. He certainly showed that he wasn't lazy and that he could stand in with the very best. He would go on to have two very crazy wins against Andrew Golota later in his career, in which the easily superior Golota lost because of his uncontrollable low blows.
Holyfield and Bowe had two more historic bouts, both of which could serve as their own posts. The trilogy would become one of the best in heavyweight boxing history, standing with Ali-Frazier. Round 10 of the first fight is considered one of the best of all time.
-JD
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