Holyfield-Tyson – Syndication Server

Who punched Evander Holyfield hardest? He says it wasn’t Mike Tyson

Evander Holyfield said that George Foreman and Riddick Bowe, not Mike Tyson, punched him hardest.

Evander Holyfield revealed the hardest puncher he ever faced. And it wasn’t Mike Tyson.

Holyfield said in a The 3 Point Conversion interview that George Foreman and three-time opponent Riddick Bowe landed punches that were more punishing than those of Iron Mike in their two fights.

Holyfield defeated 42-year-old Foreman by a unanimous decision in defense of his title in 1991. “The Real Deal” went 1-2 in a classic series with the prime and much bigger Bowe between 1992 and 1995.

Holyfield stopped Tyson to regain the heavyweight title in 1996 and won by disqualification in the rematch the following year after Tyson chewed off a portion of his ear.

“George Foreman hit me with the hardest punch,’ Holyfield said. “But Riddick Bowe hit me more than anybody with big shots. In not winning my first fight with Riddick Bowe, I was kind of inspired by the people saying, … ‘If you hit him (Holyfield), he’s not gonna stop coming.’

“I always remember that was inspiration that I could take something. Everyone was asking, ‘What’s gonna happen if he gets hit by some big guy?’”

He went on: “I guess the first heavyweight fight that was really kinda taxing was when I fought Michael Dokes. But after Michael Dokes, I kinda grew into how to hang with guys who are bigger and had a little bit more experience than I.

“… I remember at one point in time I thought I could never be hurt because it never happened to me. But the first time Bert Cooper caught me with a shot, they gave me my first eight count. Then I realized, ‘Wow.’ When he hit me I didn’t see the shot. All I remember is my legs rubber banding. … But I never got hurt again until I fought Riddick Bowe.

“The art of the game is you only get hit when you do something wrong. So even sometimes you may get by, you do something wrong and the guy didn’t swing, so you’re kinda thankful. Either you’re in a position to hit the guy or the guy is in a position to hit you.

“Either you hit the guy or you move. If you don’t hit the guy and you don’t move, chances are you’ll get blasted. If you miss the guy but you move, the guy tends to miss you.”

Tyson, 53, and Holyfield, 57, have announced their intentions to return to the ring for charity exhibitions. They reportedly are in talks to face one another a third time.

Evander Holyfield believes son Evan ‘can be better than me’

Evander Holyfield said 22-year-old son Evan Holyfield can have great success in boxing if he’s willing to put in the work.

Hall of Famer Evander Holyfield said he doesn’t expect 22-year-old son Evan to live up to his legacy but then set the bar high for the younger Holyfield, a promising middleweight.

“Yung Holy” is 4-0 (3 KOs) since turning pro in November.

“Evan does not have to live up to my legacy, he has to live up to his,” Evander Holyfield told BoxingScene. “That’s what I tell him. He can be better than me, but is he willing to pay the price?

“Evan is a very knowledgeable kid. He had choices to do a lot of things. I told him, ‘Boxing is not for everybody.’ He told me, ‘Dad, I love it.’ Boxing is a tough thing to love, and you have to put the time into it. You need a lot of confidence to step into the ring.”

Evan Holyfield reportedly has taken part in only four official amateur boxing matches but he was a Tae Kwon Do champion and, he claims, he has spent much of the past decade as a gym rat.

He has weighed between 154 and 157½ pounds for his four pro fights but, at 6-foot-2, he could end up at 168 or heavier. His father, who is 6-2½, won the light heavyweight bronze medal in the 1984 Olympics and fought as a cruiserweight and heavyweight as a pro. He has talked about returning to boxing for charitable exhibitions at 57, possibly against former rival Mike Tyson.

The younger Holyfield, promoted by Main Events, is trained by Maurice “Termite” Watkins and works with conditioning coach Tim Hallmark, the elder Holyfield’s longtime teammember. Watkins reportedly was hospitalized with the coronavirus for a month.

“I told [Evan], ‘This is the time you have to work when nothing is happening,’” Evander Holyfield said. “When the curtain comes back up, it will be your time to make a leap. Another fighter’s mentality could be that, ‘This is a time to rest.’ As long as you’re in shape, you can take what they do, but you can give it too?”

He went on: “I know the game of boxing. A trainer is like almost being a father. You owe it to them with time. I can walk in there and say, you need to do this, this and this, because I’ve done it my whole life. I didn’t have anything else growing up.

“I didn’t have a dad who was the heavyweight champion of the world. I did not have a mom with a lot of money. I had to really focus. I gave my all to boxing, because that was the only thing I could do without any help.”

Evan Holyfield said his father is always available to him.

“He’s always there for me through advice,” he said. “We talk a lot, and bounce ideas off each other, all the way down to the business of boxing. If he sees something that I need to improve on, he’ll let me know. He tells me that each generation gets better.

“He wants me to be better than him. I’ve been wanting to chase this myself. It wasn’t a decision I made on a whim. Respect is earned, not given. I have to make a name for myself as my career moves along. I’m really cut for this, and actions speak louder than words. I’ve paid my dues.

“I’m not riding on my father’s name. I’m actually working for my own legacy. I want to be the first father and son tandem in the Hall of Fame. I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”

Evander Holyfield envisions exhibition with Mike Tyson for charity

Evander Holyfield wants a third bout with Mike Tyson – for his charity, Unite 4 Our Fight.

Holyfield, 57, told BoxingScene.com that he has no interest in an actual fight with his rival. (Sorry, folks.) This meeting apparently would more akin to light sparring for the purpose of entertainment than an earnest exchange of punches to hurt one another.

United 4 Our Fight provides financial assistance to underprivileged children.

“I’ve already done what I wanted to do in my career, and have been the best that I could be. If it wasn’t for charity, I wouldn’t fight Tyson,” Holyfield said. “I don’t look at it as being a winner in this fight. This is a charity event helping our foundations. The thing is knowing what you’re doing it for.

“I’m not afraid of [Tyson] or anything like that, as long as it works for both of us [financially]. I wouldn’t ask for him to do it if he didn’t want to. He’d have to ask me. It’s like being the bully, I already beat him twice.”

Tyson, 53, recently began a strict fitness regimen, which has him feeling better than he has in years. That led to his desire to part in exhibitions for charity.

Holyfield was always known for his fitness, which is one reason he was able to fight competitively until he was 48 years old. And that evidently hasn’t changed after retirement.

“When people see me and my condition today, they still go ‘wow,’” said Holyfield. “I take care of my body. I’m always in shape. I never stop training. I’ve been doing this my whole life, ever since I was 8 years old. I don’t have any bad habits. I lived a clean life.”

Holyfield stunned the boxing world by stopping Tyson in 11 rounds in November 1996. In the rematch the following June Tyson was infamously disqualified for biting off a portion of Holyfield’s ear. Holyfield later forgave Tyson.

So what would an actual fight between the two look like today?

“Everyone knows Mike is very explosive and quick, but I keep my head high and never drop my hands,” Holyfield told BoxingScene.com. “I’m quick too. I can’t wait on him, because if I do, he may hit me.”

But … “I’m pretty much coming back for the foundation and giving back to the kids. I wouldn’t be who I am if I didn’t listen to my mother and do to others as you want them to do to you.”