BoxRec

In a blatant rip-off of the existing thread on here about the Ali -v- Frazier trilogy, I thought I start a poll about the classic 1990s trilogy between Riddick Bowe & Evander Holyfield.

Quite simply, which is your favourite of the three?

I've voted for Fight 3, but it was so close with Fight 1.

Fight 2 wasn't too shabby either & is arguably the most famous bout of the three for non boxing reasons.

PS: I've included a 'Can't Decide' & a 'They're All Equally As Good' for the fence sitters amongst you!

Fan man

Once again.........

That's my favorite one, the first probably had the most action and the third one was crazy dramatic. Holyfield dropping Riddick when Lamps and crew were all demanding the fight to be stopped was almost as awesome as watching him be too tired to follow up on it.

I voted for fight #2. For one thing, Holyfield won it. For another it had a unique twist with the fan man, even though it was kind of annoying at the time, that the action had been delayed. And lastly I associate it with the good time I had that evening being among friends.

Does Holy have the Fan Man to thank for that win?

He might. But Bowe benefitted just as much for taking that extended rest, and as the defending champion and younger of the two should have held on to the win.

I think like with Ali-Frazier, the first fight is clearly the best fight in terms of sustained action and that both fighters were in their primes (you could probably argue they still were in the rematch, although I consider it Evander's last prime fight and Riddick was a little overweight) The second is also a great fight but just doesn't have the dramatic twists and turns (fan man notwithstanding) that the first fight did.

The third fight had a great moment when Evander came back to floor Bowe but beyond that it's too one-sided for my tastes. Its frustrating to watch given Evander's clear physical handicaps (the hepatitis), which prevented from showing any sort of sustained offense after the first round.

BoxBuzz wrote:Does Holy have the Fan Man to thank for that win?

He was lighting Bowe up when that happened.

The first two were equally great. The 3rd, while a good fight and exciting, was clearly not as good. Holyfield had declined a bit by then.

SaadOffTheDeck wrote:

BoxBuzz wrote:Does Holy have the Fan Man to thank for that win?

He was lighting Bowe up when that happened.

Even if true....(and the back and forth nature of their fights make "see saw" the norm in my opinion) I just figure any rest, under any circumstance favors the older fighter. Perhaps that fight did seem to be going Evander's way. But what a loose cannon that moment was. I suppose either could have lost their focus based on such an odd circumstance. In my opinion Holyfield was the more focused and disciplined personality in general....which is another reason I think the zanyness served him better. He was better able to parlay that moment emotionally, intellectually, and I suspect most surely physically.

It's the same for me like with Ali vs. Frazier
I > III > II

With that difference that for me FOTC and Thrilla in Manilla are closer to themselves than the 1st fight between Bowe and Holyfield and their other fights.

The 1st one is truly amazing - one of the best fights ever. The 10th round is also one of the best rounds I've ever seen.
The other two don't bring so many emotions, they're not so vivid. Bowe in the third fight is a bit better than in the 2nd fight and that's why I would watch the last one rather than the second one. He was still not better than Holyfield - I have no doubt - and that knockout was his redemption. But he was better version of himself than in the 2nd one IMO and the fight was more competitive. The only interesting aspect in the 2nd fight is that guy who landed on the ring, lol.

"Look at Holyfield, What a Warrior!!!"

- Jim Lampley during the epic 10th round of the 1st bout.

You gotta love that fight. Legendary stuff.

BoxBuzz wrote:

SaadOffTheDeck wrote:

BoxBuzz wrote:Does Holy have the Fan Man to thank for that win?

He was lighting Bowe up when that happened.

Even if true....(and the back and forth nature of their fights make "see saw" the norm in my opinion) I just figure any rest, under any circumstance favors the older fighter. Perhaps that fight did seem to be going Evander's way. But what a loose cannon that moment was. I suppose either could have lost their focus based on such an odd circumstance. In my opinion Holyfield was the more focused and disciplined personality in general....which is another reason I think the zanyness served him better. He was better able to parlay that moment emotionally, intellectually, and I suspect most surely physically.

Evander was clearly more disciplined, no argument there. I think it definitely favored Bowe physically. He was out of shape and looking tired. That being said, it was an incredibly close fight. One could argue Riddick won it.

I wouldn't read as much into their appearances... Bowe always looked more tired....I'd say almost anyone facing Evander looked "more tired". I observe Holyfield as having the most "game face" of anyone his size that ever entered the ring. His poker face when it comes to facial expressions and body language are hard to explain. His showing of confidence in appearance is off the Richter.

That fight turned when Riddick hit him after the bell in the 3rd or 4th and Evander went ape sh!t. Up until that point Bowe was in control.

I just have a hard time going along with the guy who looked tired, was getting the worst of it and wasn't in peak condition was the one that was penalized by a 20 minute break.

Age is a more insidious zapper of endurance so I'm leaning that way for that reason. But your point is not missed. Evander was pretty unique in that category. The more I go back and watch his performances, the more I end up impressed.

I thought the 2nd fight was as good as the first. Who knows if fanman made a difference, but thats the way it goes. As it was, the fight was close enough to go the other way. (I though it was even.)
The 3rd fight was exciting, but it was not the same quality. Holyfield seemed lethargic except for the 1st round and the round where he decked Bowe.