It was a snake- bitten event with a controversial ending, but Ali-Liston II produced one of the indelible sports images of the 20th century.
Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson June 28, 1997 (DQ 3)
“The Bite Fight.” What else can be said about this surreal rematch, the catalyst to Tyson’s turning full heel? Let’s talk money. The event, which took place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, broke revenue records, grossing more than $17 million from the gate and garnering almost 2 million PPV buys (amounting to close to $100 million). Holyfield was paid $35 million (a record). Tyson was paid $30 million (a record for a title challenger, although he had to pay a $3 million fine for nibbling Holyfield’s ear).
Lennox Lewis vs. Holyfield November 13, 1999 (UD 12)
usually reserved for high school sports (St. Dom’s Youth Center) in Lewiston, Maine. The result: one chaotic and controversial round. It was too weird for referee Jersey Joe Walcott, who needed Ring Magazine editor Nat Fleischer to call it off from ringside. Liston’s reputation never recovered from what many believed was a dive. At least the fight generated one of the most famous moments ever captured on film.
this classic post-fight comment: “... the judges, the referees and promoters can kiss me where the sun don’t shine, and because we’re on HBO, that’s my big, black behind.”
Lewis’ back was against the wall after having to settle for an absolutely corrupt split-draw with the celebrated American veteran in March. Holyfield brought his A-game (or as much as his aging body could muster) to the immediate rematch, held at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, but the Englishman was up to the task, battling it out to the final bell. The clear unanimous decision for Lewis delighted the 5,000 British fans in attendance, who loudly celebrated their newly crowned undisputed champion. The gate generated $16.8 million, while the PPV broadcast brought in 850,000 buys. (Side note: This was the first heavyweight championship that I covered and I can’t believe it was 25 years ago!) Honorable Mentions (same deal as the previous 10: chronological order, defending champ’s name first, result in parentheses):
Riddick Bowe vs. Evander Holyfield November 6, 1993 (L-MD 12)
The bizarre Fan Man incident aside, this rematch equaled the fast-paced, high-volume action of their first bout, an instant classic won by a young and inspired 235-pound Bowe. The version of Big Daddy that entered the ring for the rematch was just as formidable but not as well-conditioned, weighing in at 246 pounds. Holyfield also put on some weight (going from 205 for the first bout to 217), and unlike Bowe, it was all muscle. The Real Deal put it to good use, took the fight to the bigger man (at the behest of new trainer Emanuel Steward) and gutted out a razor-thin majority decision to the delight of the 14,000 assembled outside of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The bout generated a $5.8 million gate and 950,000 pay-per-view buys, which helped make it The Ring’s Event of the Year (and yeah, Fan Man was part of the entertainment value that led to that award).
Michael Spinks vs. Larry Holmes April 19, 1986 (SD 15)
History was on the line in their first showdown: Holmes was set to equal Marciano’s mythic 49-0 mark and Spinks aspired to be the first light heavyweight champ to win the heavyweight crown. Father Time, fitness guru Mackie Shilstone and Spinks’ herky-jerky rhythm led to the razor- thin unanimous decision upset, which led to the rematch. Pride was on the line in this one, most of it belonging to Holmes, who was mad and motivated to fight like the bigger man. He did, and won in the eyes of most observers, but still lost a narrow split decision on the official scorecards, which prompted the now thoroughly jaded Holmes to provide HBO’s Larry Merchant with
Schmeling vs. Jack Sharkey June 21, 1932 (L-SD 15)
Their first bout ended in controversy as Schmeling won the title on a foul (a low blow he couldn’t recover from), the first time in history the biggest prize in
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