Boxing World Recalls ‘One of the Best Trilogy’ as Evander Holyfield Gets Face to Face With His Former Opponent Riddick Bowe

Today, the best might not want to fight the best! However, that wasn’t the case when Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe ruled the canvas. The formidable giants faced each other not once, not twice, but a total of three times, creating what many call one of the best trilogies in boxing. So, when Holyfield shared a clip of them on Instagram coming face-to-face decades later, fans had a lot to say!

In the lead-up to their first encounter, Bowe had defeated many names, but after his clash with Lennox Lewis fell apart, people doubted his capabilities. On the other hand, having defeated James Duglos, Holyfield was favored by the public, but when he met Bowe, the fight ended in a UD loss for him. In the subsequent two fights, the superior boxer would rise. Fast forward to February 16, 2024 – this is what happened when the two men met! 

Evander Holyfield claims, “Legends never fade”

Sharing the clip of their encounter – Holyfield captioned the post, “Legends never fade. [Riddick Bowe] We are face to face once again.” Their fierce rivalry spanned over four years! After tasting defeat for the first time in his career, Holyfield was eager to take on Bowe a second time! And he got his wish granted in the next year (1993). 

This time, ‘The Real Deal’ Holyfield would take home the win via majority decision win after twelve rounds of utter carnage. However, the peace for Holyfield would not last for very long. The two men faced each other for the third time two years later, in 1995. Bowe knocked out Holyfield in the eighth round and proved his superiority. So, seeing the two men sizing each other up so many years later, fans could not help but reminisce about the good old days. 

Fans claim a fight could have broken out at any moment

After the clip went live, fans of both fighters flocked to the clip like moths to a flame, expressing their nostalgia while admiring their rivalry. One user suggested ‘Big Daddy’ Bowe should back off because Holyfield looks like he is in shape. “Riddick better back up. Evander still in shape,” the user remarked. 

Another user thought Holyfield was preparing to deliver a shot to Bowe’s liver. “Real Deal Already sized him up and looking at that liver shot,” the user commented. 

Someone else claimed Holyfield was eyeing Bowe’s chin while suggesting the latter looked dazed to begin with. The user wrote, “Holyfield is looking right at his chin. Wow, Reddick is standing there looking wobbly already.” 

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Seeing the two men face to face, the next user recollected a round from their first encounter in the ring! “That 10th round of the that first fight OMG,” remarked the user. Interestingly, Bowe had rocked Holyfield with an uppercut, making the packed stadium jump to their feet. It’s often spoken about as one of the greatest rounds in boxing. 

One user aptly summarized their trilogy with eleven words. The user wrote, “Evander and Riddick one of the best trilogy of this century.” 

Decades have passed since the two men fought each other, but the tenacity between the two heavyweights hasn’t disappeared. Something that made fans miss the good old days. What did you think about the clip? 

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