Why did Evander Holyfield have a better heavyweight career in heavyweight

Tbf, the same can b said about any reigning champion in a weak division tho the 90s I wouldn't consider "right place at right time". Not w Tyson, Lewis n Bowe lurking w Holyfield beating two of them. As well as decent wins against Moorer, Foreman n Mercer.

 

Lol most prominent athletes have that feeling of being untouchable n arrogant. I ofc vehemently disagree w his views, first me not believing in The Lord, but like him as a fighter he usually gave good fights. Really used his head, literally.

 

Yeh. Head butting. Huge gaps in his first reign. 2 forty somethings and a last minute stand in. No successful defence in his 2nd reign. Butted his way to a 3rd WBA title. Got a career defining defence due to ear bite. A disgrace of a decision against Lewis. A monumental trilogy with Ruiz. Gift chance after gift chance after gift chance against all the alphabet boys. That desperate even went for WBOgus belt. Beaten up by a fat old middleweight who himself got busted. Couldn’t even come up with a plausible fake name. What a legend.

 

there are levels and he worked for it, one of the hardest training/highest work rate and most skilled heavyweights of all time, a lot of guys couldn't do what he did even with steroids, Morrison did steroids and look at how much he excelled compared to Holyfield, Morrison and a lot of guys didn't have the right stuff between their ears, steroids have the least to do with Holyfield's success, that's not what he relied on to make him champion

 

Beating Bowe is still a great win. Not Holyfields fault that Tyson couldn't keep his head together for them to fight earlier. He wasn't beating Lewis in either fight but that decision is the judges faults. After that he was completely past it so I dont judge him harshly for the unnecessary Ruiz trilogy, Byrd or Toney fights. Yes Valuev was mediocre but for what its worth I thought he beat Valuev.

Bowe
Tyson twice
Mercer
Pinklon
Moorer
Foreman
Holmes
Douglas(he was still unified, not Holyfields problem Buster was mediocre in their fight)
etc


Not a resume much now especially at hvy matches regardless how u feel about Evander.

 

Wasn't it the pharmacist suspected of supplying Holyfield who used the alias Evan Fields, rather than Holyfield himself?

 

Even so.

 

I agree, seems lazy, at best, on the part of the pharmacist.

 

Of course his career is HOF worthy.

And every great fighter was in the right place at right time. They had to succeed in their era and succeed they did.

 

Competition wise, I only fault a fighter for not facing the best available.

 

I honestly believe prime Mike knocks almost, if not all, lightheavy in history in the 1st round

 

If Spinks didn't have bad knees and had the same "medicine" that Holyfield had, do you think he could have competed in the heavyweight division like Holyfield did?

I do strongly believe that during the 60s and prior, Michael Spinks could have been a very successful heavyweight. At least as successful as say Archie Moore, Harold Johnson, Sam Langford and Jimmy Bivins. All light heavyweight fighters that had good success as heavyweight fighters.

 

Sure, but you can't deny it gave him the physicality he needed to be successful. Holyfield was 187 pounds I believe, when he became cruiserweight champion. How do you think his fights against Tyson, Bowe or Lewis go if he enters the ring at 187-190 pounds?

Now, a 187-190 pound Holyfield would have been a heavyweight in times past. And a damn good one. I think he could have been as successful as say Floyd Patterson or Archie Moore or Jerry Quarry at heavyweight if 190 pound Holyfield fought in the 70s or prior HW division. But to survive among the 90s giants over a long period of time, he needed the extra "help".

 

LOL. Ben Johnson was … what, tied down on a gurney and injected with steroids by evil scientists?

Dude literally had yellow eyes. He peed in a cup and it melted more or less. When they drew blood for his sample at the Olympics the needle disintegrated.

That’s the thing here — Ben Johnson absolutely 100% tested positive for massive amounts of PEDs at the Olympics … negating the ONLY thing he ever accomplished.

Holyfield did not test positive at the Olympics … or any other time. There’s obviously evidence with the Evan Fields report but he never tested positive. And even if he did (and he most likely did) use PEDs, there’s zero evidence or even allegation that he did so before becoming a heavyweight — so if you dismiss everything else he’s still the best cruiserweight of all time up to the point he competed here (and arguably since).

Ben Johnson was never the best at anything without PEDs. Ever.

You seem to have a lot of pent-up anger over your hero Ben Johnson being a cheat. It’s time to let it go. That was a long time ago. And whatever Holyfield did or didn’t do, he beat Bowe and Tyson (twice) and the guy who destroyed Tyson (Douglas) and a lot of other good heavyweights … after cleaning out the cruiserweight division.

Lighten up, Francis.

 

Why? And how is that fair to assume?
We do not know if it was a couple out of 10 that even ever dabbled-or 8 or 9 that used significantly out of 10.
I'll endlessly oppose the cynicism & sloppy reasoning that gives all the reasons why someone has an incentive to lie & cheat, weighs nothing on the other side in terms of motivation-& concludes absent evidence almost everyone cheats.

Note I am not claiming the opposite, that almost nobody ever cheated & lied.
But "extraordinary cbeliefs require extraodinary evidence".
Better we have deep humility about how many & who used when we do not have any reason to think we know everyone is corrupt.