This was a strange one. Holyfield suddenly looked over-the-hill in this one (the same thing we saw later against Bowe 3, and against Czyz). But he showed determination and strength. Moorer put on a performance that didn't necessarily warrant him taking the championship, and he got decked in the process. I think the decision could have gone either way but Holyfield looked the beaten man afterwards (whether that was all down to Moorer, who knows). Straight afterward Holyfield credited Moorer being a southpaw as being a factor, he made no alibis, but during the fight he was complaining to his corner about his left shoulder. (Same injury turned out to be his excuse in 2006 for all the fights he'd lost in the meantime ) Of course, a while after the fight "heart condition" and other stuff was the reason. In hindsight, a bad shoulder and AGE seem more likely. Moorer was a good fighter when he decided to fight, but he certainly lacked the passion sometimes. He showed heart in some great slugfests, but he a habit of coasting himself to a standstill and he fought a bit inhibited and intimidated against Holyfield, even where Holyfield was obviously running on empty. It's not a great fight, but it's actually quite interesting to watch because it says a lot about the character of both fighters, and it's an important juncture in the careers of both.
Evander was simply having a heart attack in the ring and was affected from the steriods. You can tell because he had no stamina and his cheeks were very puffy. Most of time he would just stare at Moore. Its was very depressing for me because i know what Evander could have done. The real Holyfield showed up in the rematch and we all know what happen there.
I don't think it was the age. After that fight Evander won multiple belts and even dethroning the seemingly ''unbeatable'' (even after Douglas beat him) Mike Tyson.
It wasn't just age, and Holyfield did look better in subsequent fights, but the truth is he didn't look MUCH better, I mean, he didn't look anything like youthful again. His best fight after the Moorer fight was possibly his very next fight - against Mercer. I think the year off did Holyfield some good. He had some life in him for the Mercer fight. But he looked awfully fatigued in his next two fights (v. Bowe and Czyz). The Holyfield of the Tyson fight is overrated. He was STRONG in there, hitting hard, and he took no **** from Tyson. He beat Tyson up. That's true. But it was really quite a scrappy, almost plodding, fight of brute strength and willpower. Lots of wrestling, basic boxing, lots of flat-footed exchanges. Holyfield proved everyone wrong, but he looked a much different fighter to what he'd been before. People who never appreciated Holyfield in his peak tend to think Tyson was his best performance. It might be his "best win" or he might consider it his best fight on an emotional level, it was the one people picked him to lose badly, but really he looked a fair bit older and slower in there than in his heyday. The other significant fight he won was the Moorer rematch, where he looked a lot better, and yes, that proves somewhat that it wasn't just age in the first fight. But Moorer may have slipped a bit. I dont think it was just age, but age would be a contributing factor, or the root cause of other factors, IMO.
Yes, the steroid theory has some credibility to it. His puffy face was odd, but this can be caused by punches, and with guys who've had busted faces before they sometimes swell up really easily. Holyfield was definitely a bit war-torn by this time. True, Holyfield crushed him in the rematch, and looked pretty good doing so, but Moorer had probably slowed down a bit. Like I said, Holyfield-Moorer 1 is a strange one. I certainly believe it signalled a definite decline in Evander though, even though he managed to pull out a few remarkable wins afterwards.
Hey SJ, I agree totally with your assessment of Holyfield v Tyson I, that it was more a war of wills than anything else, and that it underscores the difference between 'most important' fight and 'best ever' performance.
When I think of prime heavyweight Holyfield I think of the rapid-fire punching machine that he was against Foreman. He was quick of both hand and feet; he had that bounce and rhythym that elevated his game to a new level; and the combination punching - whoa! As he got older he seemed to hit harder but at the expense of his overall speed and quickness.
He would have kept that speed if he was able to only fight guys in theor 40s I think Moorer>Holyfield H2H and Holy just got lucky in the rematch because Moorer was shot Same as with Bowe/Golota and Tyson/Douglas
Holyfield seemed to fight very much out of character when he hurt his shoulder. He didnt fight with a lot of determination.
Moorer was a very good fighter against smallish heavies. He was never cut out to fight the big boys. I think he would have lost to the likes of Shannon Briggs had he fought him even though technically he was leagues better.
Yet he still showed more determination than uninspired Moorer. It's ironic that Moorer boxed so lacklustre and uneven and beat Holyfield, then fought so a lot more spirited when he got knocked out by a 45 year old Foreman.
I think Moorer was another one who had to protect his chin first. Moorer was not the same type of fighter even in the early days as a heavy, but I think Atlas got tired of seeing him on the deck so much and wanted to make him more of a boxer, but in the process it made him a boring fighter.
I thought it was when they announced the decision and he was jumping up and down. That was the most emotion he showed the entire fight. :rofl
