Just one of the many classic encounters that Evander Holyfield participated in.Holyfield was at the peak of his powers and still looking to prove his worth as a credible contender to Tyson,and Dokes had cleaned himself up,was highly motivated and was looking for a shot himself. What made Holyfield so exciting to watch was his stubbornness.He'd start an exchange and would always look to end it,too.He had such a great variety of punches in his arsenal,and he was so quick and so accurate in delivering them.In my view,the most aesthetically pleasing elite fighter of recent memory.
I saw the fight live on showtime championship boxing when I was 14 years old. It was quite possibly the best heavyweight fight of the 1980's, and maybe one of the top 20 best heavyweight fights of all time.. Nonstop action from the opening bell, between two men who showed up in top form, both physically and mentally.. Both were determined to be Tyson's next opponent, and Ferdie Pacheco, even said that he felt both men would have been a good fight for Tyson on that evening. Throughout the fight, I found myself going back and forth on who I was cheering for, and wasn't sure who I wanted to see win.. The knockout in round 10 was dramatic. A punch that caused the damage sending Dokes back against the ropes, followed by a few additional shots, leading to the end... I was sorry to see that Dokes never repeated that sort of intensity in any of his remaining bouts.. A year later, I gave him a good chance to beat Razor Ruddock, but was proved drastically wrong..
Probably the best heavyweight fight of the 1980's. There was definitely a shortage of that cateegory in this decade.
It's a shame that a prime Dokes was never this intense and serious :-( Awesome fight. Maybe my favorite.
If Dokes was 5 years younger in the Holyfield fight but just as intense as he originally was for it, he would have had a decent chance to beat Holyfield imo. His footspeed seemed to have slowed a bit by the time this fight came about
Although, it may seem logical that a younger Dokes might have prevailed, I don't think it would have happened. Dokes was not a puncher in his earlier years, but rather more of a boxer.. His style changed in his second career, as did his management, and tendency to stay off drugs - three things that made him a better match for the real deal.... An early 80's Dokes who drew with Weaver and ocasio, lost to Coetzee and barely decisioned Cobb, would not have my vote to beat Holyfield.
suppose your right man, but the way Greg struggled in his earlier career was probably due to personal and drug problems. Its a pity his physical prime and mental prime wasnt at the same time.