Was Bowe's performance in Holyfield I the best hw display since Ali & Frazier's day?

Another thing that some seem to have forgotten, is that upon losing the first match against Bowe, Holyfield fired Lou Duva and brought aboard Emanual Steward. I think it was largely because of this move that Evander was able to devise a better plan for facing Bowe. Steward has a good track record of taking fighters who just suffered a loss and helping them to redeem themeselves. Duva on the otherhand, does not have much of a success rate at teaching old dogs new tricks. Had Evander chosen to stick with the Duva family, I'm inclined to thinking that the second fight may have had a similar outcome to the first match, perhaps even resulting in a wider verdict for Bowe...

 

I'm not too sure Holyfield would've outboxed Bowe in the first fight if he elected to box at long range. Bowe was in better shape for that first fight. Mentally he was right up for the fight more than the rematch, no matter which style he used. And less weight would have seen his jab and reflexes even shaper in a boxing contest for the first match. Lets not forget, Holyfield was only slightly getting the better of Bowe in the rematch. His double jab was his signature weapon.

 

No it was'nt Good fight but not the best since Ali frazier.

 

Not really Bowe always had bad defense and could be outjabbed rather easily. In the second fight Holyfield opted to box more .

I believe that if Holy had stuck to boxing instead of brawling he would have won the first fight as well.

 

Although i haven't seen it in a while, i remember Holyfield being absolutely GUTTED about losing to Bowe. He went straight to his dressing room, where Merchant interviewed him a bit later. He talked about being disappointed, retirement.... the irony that 17 years later he's not talking about any of those.

On Holy's weight, maybe it's mental, but i feel he's a bit more capable of holding his own around the ring at 215lbs than at 205lbs. The fact that he simply boxed smarter during the rematch was the essential factor of course, but i think the lighter version of him would do better against a slick opponent, like a Walcott, Charles, Byrd or Young... while the stronger version would be better suited for the big guys, including Tyson as we've seen.

 

Holyfield had more success because he changed his gameplan, but also because Bowe wasn't the fighter he was before he won the title. I haven't made this up by the way, just look at his belly in the rematch. He was eating crap, not training as hard as before, and eventually this eroded his skills to the point of being beaten to a pulp by the good but not great Andrew Golota.

Bowe can be outjabbed, but Holyfield isn't going to be on the outside during a 12 round fight with Bowe. He wasn't in the rematch or their rubber match. If an in shape Bowe was in the rematch, he'd have been more likely to close the distance quicker, and to pile on the pressure on a more consistant basis, just as he did in '92.

 

Watch the fight again. Bowe weighed in heavier, there was also a guy who parachuted in the ring right when Bowe had some serious momentum. Not excuses, just facts.

 

THe reason is that Holyfield had sparred Bowe several times in the gym and Bowe didnt do well against him and wasnt able to keep up with Holy. A different Bowe showed up fight night which completely suprised Holyfield and after the second fight, gave Holy a newfound respect for Bowe and they became close friends after the fight.

 

So should Tyson, Lennox Lewis, and a few other guys who couldnt. Give Holy the credit for being a very strong determined man who was hard to back up and was very accurate with his punches and counterpunches. Lennox Lewis for the most part ran from him in both fights, and he should have overwhelmed Holy with his size. Contrary to what you believe Riddick Bowe was not as big in the first fight. Physically he looked a lot different.

 

I know Bowe weighed in heavier but so did Holyfield. That extra weight meant that Holyfield also would be a bit slower.

Anyhow, Bowe was never hard to hit and this is a very serious flaw when fighting other skilled big punchers. When he did, we know what happened.

It seems more and more sensible for him to have ducked Lewis. You do not want to face Lewis' right hand if your defense is lacking. He was durable enough to take the best Holyfield threw at him, but it's doubtful if he could have done the same against Lewis. By ducking Lewis it seems that he himself didn't think so.

 

Bowe clearly won the first fight. The second fight was razor close. In what fights was Bowe susceptible to jabs and easily hit? Please dont say the Golota fights........

 

Holy 1 & 2

For 1

secondly almost everyone had 50 + % connect rates against him.

Bowe had crappy defense and an inability to handle a good jab something admitted to himself. Only you seen deluded enough to claim otherwise.

 

Your talking about Evander Holyfield, argueably one of the greatest heavyweights. Part of the reason Holyfield was so good for being a small man was his excellent jab and boxing ability. Whose deluded? Name some more. I think half the people commenting in this forum have seen Bowe Holyfield and Bowe Golota, and your one of them...