Evander Holyfield says his biggest win wasn’t against Tyson, Foreman or Bowe

Despite his triumph over several all-time heavyweight greats, including Mike Tyson And Georges Foremanit was actually down at cruiserweight level where Evander Holyfield believes that his greatest victory has materialized.

His 11th-round dominance against Tyson, in particular, made for a stunning spectacle in 1996, especially with Holyfield entering their clash as a strong underdog.

It was the following year that the infamous ear biting incident saw ‘Iron Mike’ suffer a second defeat to ‘The Real Deal’, this time via third round disqualification.

But while many were in favor of Tyson knocking him out on the first try, Holyfield had already established himself as a worthy contender after scoring previous victories against Foreman and Riddick Bowe.

Sure, Foreman was nearing the end of his illustrious career, but he nonetheless became the oldest heavyweight champion of the world after his loss to Holyfield in 1991.

Bowe, meanwhile, was considered to be in his prime for their rematch, which Holyfield won by majority decision, in 1993.

According to Holyfield, however, it was just over seven years earlier that he scored his career-best victory against Dwight Muhammad Qawi. He cited it in a column for The guardianas his greatest achievement of all time.

“I have no idea how I got back to my hotel after beating Muhammad Qawi in 15 rounds – a fight I still consider the best victory of my career.

“My next memory was being in the shower and being hit with a series of intensely painful cramps. Not just in my legs and back, but also in my arms and even my neck. My head also hurt so much I thought it was going to explode.”

In 1986, the two heavyweights engaged in 15 rounds of non-stop action – one of the greatest fights in the division, with both men relentless in their pursuit of victory. The two men faced each other in a rematch a year later, when Holyfield set up a fourth round match.

Qawi was a world champion in two divisions, winning titles at light heavyweight and cruiserweight, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest pressure fighters of his era. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2004.