When did Evander Holyfield fall off?

As far as Evander falling off, I don't know. His reproductive abilities almost make it seem like he never has.

 

John Ruiz isn’t the best heavyweight champion ever…but he’s not the worst either

 

He was thought of as one of the worst challengers going into the first Holyfield fight though.

 

I agree I don't like him as a fighter personally, but outside of the Tua fight. He was very competitive with majority of the top Heavyweights in his prime, one the biggest overachievers in recent memory.

 

Right after Bowe 2.

 

He looked horrendous against Bobby Czyz right before facing Tyson. I actually hoped and prayed that Holy would make it to the 5th against Mike and make it a war for as long as it lasted.

Despite being out of action for a year after Moorer in 1994 he looked solid against Ray Mercer. I really liked his shaven dome and I pulled for him in the 3rd Bowe clash.

 

He had some real up and down moments in the mid 90s (heart issues healed by prayer or ya know....maybe some PED issues that he and his team sorted out) but his real marked fall off I think was after the Lewis fights. The struggles with Ruiz, the Donald fight, the Byrd fight etc.

 

After he had the heart attack against Moorer.

 

After Bowe 2. He clearly had issues in the Moorer bout, Bowe 3 and Czyz. He rebounded some for big fights with Tyson and Lewis but he was not the same guy that he was up to and through Bowe 2.

 

Agree whole heartedly…most guys only have like a four year window before they fall off. Either to comfortable or shop worn so many reasons

 

I think had Holyfield called it quits after the Tyson fights, we be call him the 3rd best heavyweight of all time.

 

Just speculating, but:

Hard to tell, because physical training methods kept improving as he started to leave his prime. He rode the crest of that improvement long enough that it's hard to separate out when a decline began. Plus, well, the side effects fluctuated. Holyfield's career is circumstantial evidence of the revolution in training technology that occurred in the late 80s / early 90s, IMO.

If he'd indulged in modern sorcery right from the beginning of his career, you might have seen a clearer peak emerge.

 

Agree. That and in Evanders case he was engaging in a lot of physical wars with bigger men which I can only imagine wears a guy down

 

John Ruiz fights was the beginning of his decline, the one from a few fights earlier against Tyson or the Moorer rematch would’ve battered John Ruiz, even the one from the Lewis fights

 

Well i certainly wouldn't at that time he was 0-1 against Moorer, 1-2 against Bowe, and his only notable wins outside of the Tyson fights would be beating a fat Douglas, Mercer, and two old age pensioners Holmes, Foreman.

Based on that you'd really rate him top 3 ? when there's Holmes, Marciano, Lewis, Ali, Louis, W.Klitschko, etc.

People would just say the samething now that he beat a washed up Tyson, and that he didn't fight Lewis and etc.