to put holyfields greatness in perspective...

Good post Illmatic, Holyfield naysayers are among the worst. Holyfield was about as old school in the modern times as you can possibly get.

Not to mention, he holds some of the best victories within the modern times.

 

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And maybe he'll keep going and going.

 

i was 9, good fighter.

 

Hes already best Cruiserweight ever. Top 10, HW.. If he beats sultan hes top 5 no doubt imo...I mean, he was beast when hes young, 20 some odd years ago, and hes still a beast, i dotn wanna hear **** about the HW division, Holy has looked good, most people say speed goes first, well, he has his speed in his mid 40s, and is doing well.. He is also one of the most entertaining athletes the sport has ever seen. Besides being one of the best..

 

The only problem with Holyfield is his strong link to performance enhancing drugs. Years ago Holmes said this guy was only able to fight at heavweight because of the juice. Now strong evidence is starting to come out. Holyfield is an exciting fighter. However, his alleged reliance on steroids and HGH cannot be ignored.

 

I don't think most people dispute his legacy, but the post-Ruiz (including the Ruiz fights) era of Holyfield has been unspectacular at best. I guess you give him credit for hanging around and beatings some C-level guys even at his age, and he is fighting a B-level champ.

I think a lot of us will start really believing that Holy can pull off one more big fight.. but in our heart of hearts we know that even a guy like Sultan will probably beat down, dismantle, and probably humliate Evander.

 

You could make a case that Holyfield is among the top 20 fighters ever. The guy has won so many world titles, beaten so many excellent fighters including some great ones. His toughness and heart cannot be questioned. Truly a pleasure to watch.

 

He had great carreer, especially considering Olympics, but he lost to many times in title fights. 2 of 3 to Bowe, and the loss to Moorer rule him out as al time great, but he is up there. Long career is amazing, but guy is nuts.
He should have retired after Moorer loss. In prime he does not lose to Moorer, or fall apart against James Toney.

 

How do his losses rule him out from being an all time great? In that case, Sam Langford, Harry Greb, Jack Johnson, Sugar Ray Robinson, Henry Armstrong, and Roberto Duran aren't all time greats. The fact of the matter is that Evander Holyfield defeated Mike Tyson twice, Riddick Bowe, George Foreman, Larry Holmes, Michael Moorer, Dwight Qawi twice, Carlos De Leon and champions like Ruiz, Rahman, Thomas, Dokes, Ocasio, Czyz, Douglas, etc. A 4-time heavyweight champion and an undisputed heavyweight champion, combined with the fighters he faced, the fighters he beat, and the heart he showed certainly make Holyfield an all time great.