I've always been a believer that Holyfield was a bit unlucky to face Bowe when he had Hepatitis and was well under par. And I believe had Holyfield fought Bowe a year later he would've beaten him or if Holyfield had been in the form he was vs Tyson he would've beaten the version of Bowe in the 3rd Holyfield fight. But what does everyone else think ? I believe if a well under par Holyfield can almost knockout Bowe then surely a Holyfield in better form gets the nod over Bowe.
That’s reasonable view. Holyfield’s stamina was much better for Tyson bout than it was for Bowe 3. Holyfield had Bowe down and out, but had nothing left to finish him. The version that fought Tyson would have had plenty left.
That could be at least in part to fighting a much smaller (& more comparably-sized to himself) opponent.
This is too difficult for me to specify. But peak Vs. peak I would bet on Bowe. That was more or less their first fight.
The Holyfield that beat Tyson in their first fight is probably peak Holyfield, a counter punching combination specimen unlike any other the division has ever seen, yeah there's Louis but Louis wasn't bench pressing 150lbs over his body weight, it's not quite in the same way as FOTC Frazier, but that version of Holyfield was special and the winningest imo, I think that version would just be too much for Bowe
I would make Bowe the favorite in this matchup. Bowe always gave Holyfield hell thanks in large part to his ability to be effective at short range and long range. He had great in-fighting skills, but also had success at long range with his jab and long right hand. He would punish Holyfield up close with those body shots and short left hooks. Holyfield worked Emanuel Steward on footwork and movement to get to the right range where he wasn’t too close nor too far. Holyfield also won close 2 rounds (I think 10 and 11) with big shots late in the rounds, which made the difference on my card (115-114 Holyfield) and most likely the official ones. It was still a very close fight, and it’s a tall order for Holyfield to repeat that kind of performance. He was 3 years older and had also been some through some rough fights (in addition to the many he’d already been in). Holyfield adapted well and fought terrific against Tyson, but Bowe is a different style of fighter. Maybe the best chance for Holyfield was to just try to exchange more and knock him out?
