boxing · 1995
Holyfield drops Bowe, then Bowe stops Holyfield for the first time
The third fight between Riddick Bowe and Evander Holyfield had no title on it. Holyfield gave Bowe the first knockdown of his career, and two rounds later Bowe gave Holyfield the first stoppage of his.
They had won one each. In November 1992 Riddick Bowe took the undisputed heavyweight title from Evander Holyfield on a unanimous decision. A year later Holyfield won it back on a majority decision, on the night a parachutist landed on the ring.
By the time of the third fight Holyfield had no belts. He had lost the WBA and IBF titles to Michael Moorer in 1994, then retired citing a heart condition, a diagnosis he later said was wrong. He came back in 1995 and beat Ray Mercer. Bowe held the WBO title, having knocked out Herbie Hide for it, but Holyfield would not fight for that belt, worried it would damage his standing with the WBA, WBC and IBF. So on 4 November 1995, at the outdoor stadium at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, there was nothing at stake but the rivalry.
Bowe was 37–1, 6ft 5in and 240lb, and the 3–1 favourite. Holyfield was 31–2 and weighed 213lb. They were paid $8 million each.
The sixth
Bowe went to Holyfield's body and had a point taken off for a low blow in the fifth. In the sixth Holyfield put Bowe down. It was the first time Bowe had been knocked off his feet as a professional.
Holyfield could not follow it up. According to the Washington Post, the body shots had taken the strength he needed to finish Bowe. After seven rounds Holyfield led 66–65 on all three cards.
"I was bone tired," Holyfield said. "I couldn't get in close and use everything I had because Bowe's jab kept me out."
The eighth
Early in the eighth Bowe knocked Holyfield down with a right hand. Holyfield got up at nine. Another right put him down again, and referee Joe Cortez stopped it without a count, 58 seconds into the round.
Holyfield had never been stopped before. The ringside physician, Flip Homansky, said he had muscle spasms in his shoulders and was otherwise fine.
"My body shots started taking their toll," Bowe said. "I knew if I maintained my composure I would get him."
It was the last time they fought. Bowe gave up the WBO title and in 1996 took on Andrew Golota, a fight he won on a disqualification for low blows before a brawl broke out. Holyfield beat Mike Tyson for the WBA title the following year.