Evander Holyfield has revealed the one heavyweight that hit him hardest, more so than the fearsome Mike Tyson.
At the peak of his powers, ‘Iron’ Mike was widely considered to be the most ferocious fighter to walk the planet, producing an array of highlight reel knockouts throughout his tenure.
He became the youngest heavyweight champion in history when he blasted out former WBC champion Trevor Berbick in the 2nd round of their showdown in Las Vegas, before adding the WBA and IBF titles to his collection in the year that followed.
Life as a professional fighter was not all plain sailing for Tyson however, as he suffered a number of defeats during the later stages of his career, including consecutive defeats to Holyfield between 1996 and 1997 – the rematch becoming known as ‘the bite fight.’
Holyfield shared 14 rounds with Tyson so is well placed to judge his power, however it is another heavyweight he says hit him hardest.
Speaking to Dontaes Boxing Nation, ‘The Real Deal’ named the late great George Foreman as his most powerful opponent, recalling a moment in the fight where he wondered if he had lost some teeth.
“The guy that hit me the hardest was George Foreman. He hit me one time in the eleventh round, and I came back to the corner and I said, ‘Did he knock all my teeth out?’
‘Big’ George fell short in his attempt at dethroning Holyfield of his undisputed heavyweight championship in their 1991 clash, suffering a unanimous decision defeat to ‘The Real Deal’.
Foreman would return to the very top to challenge Michael Moorer for the WBA and IBF titles three years, where he would stop ‘Double M’ in the tenth round of their bout in Las Vegas to become the oldest heavyweight champion of all time, a record that remains unbroken to this very day.