The disrespect towards Holyfield during his first reign

There were no message boards in 1992. There were no forums nor Facebook groups. But boxing fans had their voice f.e. by sending letters to The Ring Magazine in hopes they would print their opinions on boxing subjects.

Len Gilbert from Kitchener, Ontario had this to say about Evander Holyfield:

"Well, Evander Holyfield defeated Larry Holmes to remain undefeated, but lost some more popularity m the process. Why don't we, the real fight fans, declare the title vacant due to lack of interest? Then we can match some real gladiators for the crown, say Razor Ruddock vs. Riddick Bowe, and Lennox Lewis vs. Tony Tucker, with the wmners to meet. Hotyfiefe is undefeated. But undisputed? Hardly."

In the same issue, there was a article written by Joseph C. Tintle titled "Is Riddick Bowe The Next Heavyweight Champion?". The author compared Evander to Floyd Patterson and not in the flattering way:

"Obviously, Bowe hasn’t much respect for Holyfield’s skills. He sees him as every bit the cheese champion that Floyd Patterson was considered to be. After winning the vacant title by kayoing Archie Moore in 1956, Patterson met the respected Tommy “Hurricane” Jackson. But then came successful defenses against Pete Rademacher, an Olympic champion who was making his pro debut, the inexperienced and unpolished Roy Harris, and rugged British clubfighter Brian London.
In 1959, Patterson faced Sweden’s Ingemar Johansson and was dropped seven times and stopped in three rounds. Patterson won their next two meetings in spectacular fashion, but when Sonny Liston wasted him with a pair of one-round knockouts, boxing fans were all too happy.
Bowe sees parallels with Holyfield. After all, who has Holyfield defended against since winning the crown from a poorly conditioned Buster Douglas? The champion, of course, cannot be blamed for that match, but he can be blamed for taking 12 rounds to decision old, fat George Foreman. And every fight fan had the right to question his ability after Bert Cooper, a substitute, knocked him down before succumbing in the seventh round.
Then came Holmes. Holyfield, his chiseled body notwithstanding, couldn’t drop the second thickset 42-year-old foe of his career. No wonder headline writers once proclaimed, “With Every Win, Holyfield Loses Respect.”
Holyfield was often off-balance against Holmes, and lunged from time to time. There were also moments when his concentration seemed to waver, as it had against Cooper. But Holmes wasn’t able to make him pay for it, as Cooper had.
Although Holyfield has yet to be tested by the likes of Bowe, his han dlers point out that the champion has withstood the power of Foreman. They forget, however, that Foreman had to wind up before throwing his punches. And when he did, he was often off- balance, and his blows failed to land with the fury that marked his prime. Team Holyfield also mentions that “The Real Deal” got past Michael Dokes’ fast fists. But those fast hands never carried much power."

BTW. Riddick Bowe predicted how his fight with Holyfield would go pretty well:

“You watch, I’m going to apply pressure to Holyfield like he’s never seen before,” Bowe said. “I’ll stick my left jab in his face and feed him right hands all night long if I have to. But I’m also going to do something nobody else has done. I’m going to work his body with hooks and right hands. By round seven, he’ll be cooked to perfection.”
When reminded that Holyfield often charges back after troublesome moments, Bowe replied, “If he charges at me, it’ll be the greatest mistake of his life. He just can’t match me in the power department. I’ll go through him like cancer.
“Hey, all those who say Holyfield comes back when he’s in trouble forget one thing: His opponents were ancient and worn out. Foreman was 42 and he rocked Evander a few times. Bert Cooper. Oh, please. If I’d been Bert Cooper and I had Holyfield ready to go, I would’ve finished him off. No question about it. As for Holmes, no way I would’ve let him take me the distance. No way.”

Steve Farhood however defended Holyfield in his section of the issue giving a bit of a historical perspective on The Real Deal's reign:

"If Evander Holyfield will learn anything during his title reign, it’s that no matter how long he remains undefeated, he can’t win. But he shouldn’t take it personally; it comes with the job.
When Holyfield was winning wars against Michael Dokes and Alex Stewart, he was labeled the easiest target since Dan Quayle. When he boxed smartly against the still-dangerous George Foreman, he was criticized for failing to knock a grandfather into unconsciousness. And when he signed to fight Larry Holmes, he was blasted for promoting the nostalgia craze. Even Lou Duva, the champion’s co-trainer, couldn’t help but take a nip at the fists that feed him. Upon spotting a Caesars Palace marquee advertising George Bums, Capt. Lou quipped, “Look at that. They got the name of Evander’s next opponent up already.”
In November, Holyfield will defend against Riddick Bowe. It would seem that a victory would at least temporarily quiet the critics. But Kathy Duva, part of Team Holyfield, knows better.
“They’ll say Bowe was never that good,” she said.
With the exception of the early- and mid-’70s, when Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Ken Norton, Jerry Quarry, Ron Lyle, and Eamie Shavers made for the meatiest of top 10s, the heavyweight division has never been perceived as deep. Or even strong at the top. As a result, some of the best of champions, like the best of artists, had to wait for history to certify their greatness.
Jack Dempsey rarely risked the title—he made only six defenses in seven years. Moreover, he never faced the number-one contender of the day, Harry Wills. (Pro moter Tex Rickard refused to make the white-black match.) Joe Louis had his Bum-Of-The-Month Club, and even his most respected challengers were limited; Max Schmeling was too old, Tony Galento too fat, and Billy Conn too small. You think the Seniors Tour started with Foreman and Holmes? Three of Rocky Marci ano’s five different title fight opponents, Jersey Joe Walcott, Ezzard Charles, and Archie Moore, averaged 38 years of age. Even Larry Holmes, who made 20 success ful defenses and dominated the division for the better part of a decade, was never allowed to feel secure, simply because he wasn’t Ali.
Time has been kind to Dempsey, Louis, Marciano, and Holmes. It remains to be seen, of course, how Holyfield will be remembered. We can be sure, however, that a loss to Bowe, combined with his failure to fight Mike Tyson, would ruin “The Real Deal’s” chances of securing everlasting fame.
One hundred years ago, James J. Corbett kayoed John L. Sullivan to win the heavyweight title. Ever since, the world champion has had so much to lose, and so ' little to gain."

 

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