How Anticipated Was Tyson V Holyfield 1, For You?

Quite certain some boxing opinions of merit favoured Tyson at the time. At least it was divided in some circles, I know Eddie Futch liked Evander I believe Atlas did too, but it’s Atlas so…

 

good morning journey, at least its morning where i am. and Atlas can go to hell.

 

Careful if you’re 14 years old he’ll pull a gun on you and remind you he has a third cousin or something in the mob.

 

It was a different world back then. I was in primary school and everyone was talking about it.

Boxing was much less of a niche sport in those days.

 

"Tyson-Holyfield will be explosive...and short!" That was the cover of either The Ring or KO magazine.

Everyone thought Tyson would win except for this one guy who worked at my job. I just remember hoping that Holyfield could last to the 5th because I started feeling bad for the guy.

I also remember one journalist on a television show saying the tagline for the bout, "FINALLY", really meant Tyson was FINALLY facing a real opponent post prison.

 

Holyfield had looked absolutely awful against Bobby Czyz and Tyson was expected to literally murder him. In the UK, it was either Boxing News of Boxing Monthly who had a poll and 59 of their 60 experts picked Tyson.

 

I only watched this because I was in jail for beating up some scumbag who molested a 5 year old girl and it was something to watch.

I expected Mike to knock the hell out of Holy.

Everyone in the cell block was astonished in the middle rounds when it looked as though Holy might win. The whole place was quiet as a grave when Mike got knocked across the ring with THAT right.

I completely re-evaluated my views on Holy after that fight and started seeing him as a top 10 ATG.

 

You beat me to it. I remember going into the fight thinking Evander was going for one last payday before riding off into the sunset and that the winner of the undercard fight between Moorer and Botha was going to provide more of a test to Tyson than Evander would.

 

It was expected to be a huge blowout. Tyson started as a 25-1 favorite in Vegas.

They announced the fight at the post-fight press conference for Tyson-Seldon. Holyfield walked out and there was a collective groan.

Holyfield had just been knocked out by Riddick Bowe. (George Foreman and the HBO crew thought Evander was having a heart attack). Then he came back against Bobby Czyz and didn't look very good before Czyz quit in his corner.

There was nothing in the lead-up that this was going to be anything but another Tyson-Bruno II or Tyson-Seldon-type blowout. Even when Tyson came out at the opening bell and the first punch he threw staggered Holyfield ... every one of us at my friend's house watching that night thought it was going to be over quick.

That's why it was such a monumental win.

I believe one boxing writer out of all them with press credentials picked Holyfield to win, but it was a guy who always picked Tyson to lose so he would be the only one who predicted the upset if it ever happened.

Now, people bash Tyson's post-prison career. At the time, Tyson was seen as having picked up right where he left off. He was even beating the same guys he fought before (Bruno) faster than he had the first time.

 

Right. I was actually with a bunch of people watching the Tyson-Seldon press conference, and when Evander walked out to be there for King's big announcement, everyone I was with just said, "Oh No!"

King was trying to play it up as the big Superfight that never happened before Tyson went to jail, but it seemed like too much time had passed and Evander was doomed.

I don't think King remotely believed Evander had a chance before their first fight.

Everyone thought it would be Tyson-Moorer next to unify the belts. Moorer had just fought on the Undercard against Botha, after all.

Ironically, if Tyson and Moorer had fought next in a unification, Tyson probably would've blown Moorer out like he had Bruno and Seldon.