Is Holyfield forever doomed to live in Tyson's shadow?

I think the name of Tyson slightly overshadowed the 90's even though he was past his best.
It didnt just affect Holyfield, there was Lewis and Bowe also.
It was a fabulous era with many other top heavyweights, it just failed to hit its potential as these guys didnt peak and match up at the same or right times.

 

I didn't care about anything Tyson after the Douglas fight and, worse, the **** case. It really estranged me. So the 90s for me were mostly about Bowe, Foreman, Holmes, and Holyfield. I didn't like Lewis until I started coming on here, to be honest (now of course I recognize him as a top 6 heavyweight ATG, probably better).

 

I actually feel kinda of the opposite, especially in boxing circles.

I think people are generally way more forgiving of Holyfield's losses than Tyson's

 

Holy .is well know to casual fans and recognized as the man who beat Tyson .Tyson was past it but that is forgotten.

 

Yeah hes just some dude that Mike bit to most casual fans.

 

I'm going to cut against the grain and say he wasn't really in Tyson's shadow. Not like Larry Holmes was in Ali's shadow, or Ezzard Charles was in the shadow of Joe Louis. Maybe Tyson always loomed over Holyfield, but Holyfield was way more popular with casuals than Charles or Holmes.

I remember even after his losing streak hit crisis levels (after the losses to James Toney and Larry Donald) news about Holyfield would still pop up on the front page of the sports section of the Grand Rapids Press. If you can top the front page of the sports section while fighting Vinnie Madalone...then you were/are a legit star.

I think Tyson has remained more of a star (a giant face tattoo does keep you recognizable), but for years, even when he was way past his prime, Holyfield was a major figure with mainstream popularity. Remember when a cardboard cutout of Holyfield was featured on Friends? Nobodies don't get that kind of attention. He was also featured in a lot of comercials for years.

Like I said, his fame has dwindled relative to Tyson's, but I totally reject the idea that he's known as the guy who got bit by Tyson. If you ask any casual boxing fan, or even a person who just generally follows sports about Holyfield, they'll be able to link him to Lennox Lewis, Riddick Bowe, George Foreman, & Larry Holmes. They might even think he fought Razor Ruddock and 'Michael Moore'

 

It was the case in the late 80's when he was a "mere" cruiserweight and Wasn't taken seriously due to douglas lackluster performance in their fight. People were spreading conspiracy theories and pointing to douglas' short reign ad "proof" it was all a fluke and tyson would be back with a vengeance.

Holyfield gained A LOT of respect and popularity with his bouts with foreman and bowe (even though he lost he showed tons of heart and fought hjs ass off). After the trilogy and racking up wins over so many big names, he was a highly sought after TV attraction even before dismantling Tyson. After the 2 bouts, public favor swung Holyfield's way. Tyson was erratic, in and out of jail, and not always fighting the best competition. It was becoming more and more obvious the explosive dangerous well oiled machine from the 80's was gone. Meanwhile, Holyfield actually became more well rounded and technically sound as he became an aged veteran and a multi belt winner.

 

I don't think the general public matters too much if they know so little about boxing they think about Tyson and the bite in regards to Holyfield. Evander fought many more top fighters than Mike did, and this is why he was able to handle Mike the two times he fought him. Evander has a pretty good record. Most people see the knockout artists in their mind to remember and Mike was great with the highlight reel. The knockouts are great to see and they are remembered. Most general public people don't want to remember the boxing clinics.

 

True. Evander did a talkshow a few years back....and the hosts were clueless as to who he was until someone mentioned Tyson & ears.

 

Even more forgotten is the fact that Holyfield was easily as past it as Mike, let's not forget the Bowe kayo (which hadn't happened long ago at all) and other major troubles he was having.

It was a very good matchup, just not as good as if Tyson had beat Douglas and they met in 1992.

 

Around the world Tyson is the most famous boxer of all time along with Muhammad Ali.

His aggressive style and high knockout percentage made him very popular in the late 80s to the early 90s.

Anyone who even knows very little about boxing has heard of Tyson. It's not the case with other boxers, even though they may have been better than him.

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This is what happened when Mayweather went to Brixton in London a few years ago, some people had never even heard of him, yet they knew who Tyson was.

 

LOOOL it looked like Floyd was gonna cry when that woman told he she didn't know who he was

 

And I think it's safe to say Mayweather is a top 10 pound for pound ATG. Mike certainly isn't (top 10 ATG heavyweight, probably).

 

< General is that way.