Holyfield: Through The Years
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Growing up a sports fan in the 1990s, it was impossible not to know who Evander Holyfield was and what he was all about. The preeminent fighter of his generation, Holyfield fought (and beat) just about everyone of note during his time at or near the top, including Buster Douglas, George Foreman, Larry Holmes, Riddick Bowe, Michael Moorer, Ray Mercer, Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, John Ruiz, Hasim Rahman, Chris Byrd, and James Toney.Holyfield's ability and tenacity have led many to call him a "warrior", the type of guy who leaves it all in the ring every time out. Unless I'm reading the record wrong, he has never actually been knocked out in 52 career fights, with six unanimous/majority decisions and two technical knockouts comprising his eight career losses.
Like many people, however, I look at Holyfield now and can only wonder one thing: what the hell is he doing? Like Roger Clemens, "The Real Deal" debuted in 1984, is 44 years old (turning 45 later this year), and a living legend in his sport. Unlike Clemens, Holyfield participates in a brutal, gladiatorial event that causes him to be hit in the head and body hundreds of times a year. The fact that Clemens is still playing baseball when he should probably be home playing catch with his kids and counting his money is bad enough; that Holyfield is still fighting and sustaining more and more damage to his brain and body every time out is nearly unthinkable, even for a guy with a reputation as the toughest fighter of the last twenty years.
Just for kicks, I headed to YouTube this afternoon and looked for footage of Holyfield's fights through the years, just to see how his skills have held up. Follow along after the jump and decide for yourselves.
Evander Holyfield vs. James "Buster" Douglas - October 25, 1990
Evander Holyfield vs. Riddick Bowe - November 13, 1992
Evander Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson - November 9, 1996
Evander Holyfield vs. Lennox Lewis - March 13, 1999
Evander Holyfield vs. Hasim Rahman - June 1, 2002
http://youtube.com/watch?v=l8KzpTqr-kc
Evander Holyfield vs. Jeremy Bates - August 18, 2006
7 Comments:
Evan said...
Clemens is still one of the best pitchers in the league. I know we all hate him, but why should he quit?
Maybe you haven't watched him this year? What is it exactly that the Yankees are paying millions and millions of dollars for again? He sure isn't one of the best in the league this year, that's for sure.
You just don't understand pitching then. Clemens has been great this year, just unlucky.
As far as Evander goes...you gotta admire/respect him for doing what he wants. How many millions of people smoke and/or drink even though they know it's not exactly the smartest thing to do? If he wants to be even more retarded than he already is, then by all means let him.
Maybe, as I'm sure some people would love me to do, I'll just bang my head against a brick wall once every 8-12 month for 12 three minute rounds, for 25 years.
If I'm lucky enough to have 100 kids like "The Real Deal", I'll count my blessings (considering I can still count).
Holyfield never beat Lewis. He drew with him in the first match (horrendous decision) and lost a UD in the rematch...
Holyfield will be alright as long as he is matched with faded, old fighters such as Savarese. However, he may well be hurt seriously against a young and hungry contender. In my opinion, he should just walk away from boxing since he has nothing more to prove. He should just retire.
Holyfield should always be remembered as a great champion,but will never have the 'aura'of a Tyson(though he beat him twice )or Ali...
Personally,I would have loved to see Tyson v Holyfield before Mike went to jail.
Clemens is still one of the best pitchers in the league. I know we all hate him, but why should he quit?