| On November 13, 1992 undefeated and undisputed heavyweight world champion Evander "The Real Deal" Holyfield made the fourth defense of his crown against unbeaten top contender Riddick "Big Daddy" Bowe at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Many fight fans and boxing experts predicted a tough and exciting battle, but no one could expect the drama delivered by both champion's in one of the greatest heavyweight war's since the era of Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier and others. From the beginning, both Holyfield and Bowe exchanged heavy bombs and stood toe-to-toe. It was the challenger, Riddick Bowe, though, who had more success and landed the better shots. Known for his heart and fighting spirit, Holyfield did not let his fans down and gave all he had, trying to match Bowe punch for punch. What was already a special night, turned into an extraordinary one in the legendary tenth round. What started to look like the final round in Holyfield's championship reign, turned out to be one of the greatest display's of warrior mentality and courage ever displayed inside a boxing ring and is exemplary for the career of Evander Holyfield. HBO blow-by-blow commentator Jim Lampley famously said during the round: "Look at Holyfield, what a warrior!" Despite his courageos effort's, it was Riddick Bowe who went on to win the heavyweight title by unanimous decision. And make no mistake, Bowe fought with a great amount of heart and spirit as well. He deserved to become champion that night ... |
