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The 3rd fight between Riddick Bowe and Evander Holyfield in the main event of TVKO HBO PPV Boxing
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00:00:00Super middleweight champion for now. We know this much. There's no turning back now.
00:00:05All right. Thank you very much, Roy and Nick Charles. Here at ringside,
00:00:09the temperature continues to drop. I can see a lot of people in the crowd now
00:00:12bundling themselves up. It's probably below 50 degrees out away from the ring lights and away
00:00:19from the cover over the ring. And George Foreman, what about the possible effect of chilly
00:00:24temperatures on these two fighters? Will it take them a little while to get warmed up and started
00:00:28or no effect whatsoever? Seemed to benefit Evander Holyfield last time around. The cold weather,
00:00:34he seemed to function like that. Riddick Bowe is bigger, hard to get warmer, so he may have a
00:00:38rougher time with the cold weather. It'll be interesting to see what the two guys do when
00:00:41coming into the ring to try to guard themselves against the potential effects of cold weather.
00:00:46Again, not to belabor the point, but for those of you who are up a little bit later than you might
00:00:52have liked to be in the east, we would have brought to this fight earlier had we not been bending over
00:00:57backward, not to conflict with Tyson Mathis Jr. in the schedule. If only we had known farther in
00:01:04advance about the baddest thumb on the planet, we would have been able to bring you this fight at an
00:01:09earlier time frame. But we had promised all along that it wouldn't conflict with Tyson Mathis Jr.
00:01:15Therefore, we were sure all along that we weren't going to start this main event until 8.30 Pacific,
00:01:1911.30 Eastern Time, and that's the reason for the late start. In just a moment, Jennifer Holliday,
00:01:26who is a particular favorite here at Caesars Palace, will be singing our national anthem. Right
00:01:32now, they're looking for Jennifer Holliday here at ringside to get her into the ring and get the
00:01:36national anthem going. Larry Merchant, before we come back for our official on-camera presentation
00:01:42before the fight. Any final thoughts on your mind as we get ready? Boy, I think we've dissected this
00:01:49thing into small, itsy-bitsy pieces. And now we've just got to put it all together again and wait for
00:01:57it to happen. All right. We haven't located Jennifer Holliday, or at least the good folks from Caesars
00:02:04here at ringside haven't, but we're ready to play the national anthem anyway. Let's go to the ring.
00:02:08Michael, Michael, Michael, Michael, anthem please.
00:02:26Come on, Mike.
00:02:29Hurry up, hurry up. Ready?
00:02:35Ladies and gentlemen, please rise for our national anthem.
00:03:05Ladies and gentlemen, please rise for our national anthem, please rise for our national anthem, please rise for our national anthem, please rise for our national anthem, please rise for our national anthem, please rise for our national anthem, please rise for our national anthem, please rise for our national anthem, please rise for our national anthem, please rise for our national anthem, please rise for our national anthem, please rise for our national anthem, please rise for our national anthem, please rise for our national anthem, please rise for our national anthem, please rise for national anthem, please rise for national anthem, please rise for national anthem, please rise for national anthem, please rise for national anthem, please rise for national anthem, please rise for national anthem, please rise for national anthem, please rise for national anthem, please rise for national anthem, please rise for national anthem, please rise for national anthem, please rise for national anthem, please rise for national anthem, please rise for national anthem, please rise for national anthem, please rise for national anthem, please rise for national anthem, please rise for national
00:04:05In Riddick Bowes dressing room finishing touches are being put on the process of getting
00:04:34his gloves on and not for the first time in his career.
00:04:39Bow is having a problem getting the gloves on.
00:04:42My memory is that this happened in the moments before his battle against Herbie Hyde here
00:04:47in Las Vegas earlier this year.
00:04:49There's a look at Holyfield who's got the gloves on as he waits Larry.
00:04:54I think maybe we ought to send somebody down to Saks Fifth Avenue down this trip here
00:04:58and get him a pair of gloves that fit.
00:05:00I mean it's quite amazing that after all these years that they have difficulty finding a pair
00:05:07of gloves the primary tool of his trade.
00:05:10Why in the world George Foreman would Riddick Bowes have this continually repeating problem
00:05:15of finding gloves that fit in the moments before a big fight?
00:05:19Well you need to start early.
00:05:20That's what you need to do.
00:05:21And sometimes some guys put on things in the last second.
00:05:24Then they want to struggle.
00:05:25But those gloves they don't fit any heavy weight.
00:05:27You just got to squeeze them on.
00:05:28Well there's a look at what's going on in Bow's dressing room.
00:05:36And now it appears that they're in the process of trying to yank the gloves on.
00:05:44You see Eddie Futch there.
00:05:46Eddie Futch who is training a man in his third great heavyweight trilogy.
00:05:53Worked with Frazier in Ali Frazier.
00:05:55Worked with Norton in Ali Norton.
00:05:58Roy Jones give us your report on what's going on there in Bow's dressing room.
00:06:02Basically what happened was sometimes when you pick the gloves out.
00:06:06When you pick the gloves your hand may be wrapped differently.
00:06:08Or even when I pick my gloves my hand is not wrapped at all.
00:06:11So they over wrapped the hand a little more than they thought.
00:06:14And this made the glove too tight once he put it on.
00:06:17So therefore he had to loosen the glove up some.
00:06:19Give his hands room to breathe.
00:06:20And that would enable him to fit the glove pretty good.
00:06:23But the hand wrap and the tape was probably a little bit thicker than he expected it to be.
00:06:26And this caused his glove to be a lot smaller and a lot tighter on his hand.
00:06:30Maybe cut off the circulation even.
00:06:32So now I think they have their problem resolved.
00:06:34And I think everything is going to be okay.
00:06:37All right.
00:06:37Thank you very much Roy.
00:06:39And now let's get ready for 12 rounds of heavyweight boxing for what?
00:06:43For the distinction of having won two out of three in the greatest heavyweight trilogy of the United's.
00:06:49Evander Holyfield against Riddick Bowe.
00:06:50So Larry Merchant, two years ago, after Holyfield lifted the title back from Bowe and before he lost it to Michael Moore,
00:06:58you said that as the result of the effort that Evander put forth in that fight,
00:07:03you believed he would never again beat another major heavyweight.
00:07:06If you stick by that, does it mean that you don't think Holyfield has a chance to win tonight's fight?
00:07:12Well, first, let's recognize that universally it's believed that there's never been a tougher, braver, more determined prize fighter in Evander Holyfield.
00:07:24So you just can't dismiss him or underestimate him.
00:07:28Riddick Bowe once did that and paid the supreme price in boxing losing the heavyweight championship.
00:07:34And let me add this note about Joe Frazier, who also gave everything he had and more when he defeated Muhammad Ali in their first fight
00:07:43and really was never quite the same again until four and a half years later
00:07:49when he gave that remarkable losing performance against Ali in their third fight.
00:07:55So yes, Evander Holyfield could win, he's going to give us everything he's got, but how much has he got left?
00:08:05When he starts talking about knocking out Bowe, then I have to think that he thinks that it's going to take something extraordinary for him to win this fight.
00:08:17To me, Jim, the key things here are 28 and 33 pages of the fighter.
00:08:24If Riddick Bowe is the fighter we've thought he is, this should be his time.
00:08:31And off of that, it's only fitting that we turn to the one man who is less likely than anyone else on the planet
00:08:37to say that age will be the deciding factor in the fight.
00:08:41George, I know you're not going to adopt Larry's point of view, so you tell me.
00:08:45If it won't be age, if it won't be the 33-year-old Holyfield wearing down,
00:08:52on what is the fight likely to turn?
00:08:54What are going to be the big differences here?
00:08:56You have two philosophies of boxing here.
00:08:59You got Riddick Bowe with this long left hand and a good jab, straight right hand.
00:09:04He throws it overhand.
00:09:05For the event of Holyfield, move, back and forward, mix it up.
00:09:09Now, who's determined to get the power of that strategy and that philosophy over?
00:09:13You got Eddie Futch in there who's been in there with a lot of guys like this.
00:09:17It's going to be strange to see which style develops and take over this fight.
00:09:21Whose philosophy dominated the first fight, Holyfield's dominated the second.
00:09:25Now, as we get ready for the third, let's take a look at some strategic categories
00:09:30and see to whom you gave the edge in each one, Foreman's edge in punching power.
00:09:37Big Daddy, he can knock you out, knock you out with one punch, so I give it to him, Riddick Bowe.
00:09:43Speed and quickness.
00:09:44Evander Holyfield, he can not only move quick hands, but he's got quick feet.
00:09:47He's got it.
00:09:49Which of these two men defends himself better?
00:09:51Evander Holyfield, move, back and forward, you give him the defense
00:09:55because sometimes when you can't do anything else, you run away.
00:09:58He can do that effectively.
00:09:59Although it must be pointed out, defense wasn't much of a factor
00:10:02in either of the first two meetings between these two.
00:10:05Stamina.
00:10:06Holyfield has been able to pull out a lot of fights in the 12th round
00:10:09and be around throwing leather.
00:10:11I give him the stamina.
00:10:12And intangibles.
00:10:14Riddick Bowe, like I said earlier, he's got Eddie Futch in that corner.
00:10:18He's able to tell him a lot of things that he knows and he has seen a lot in his life.
00:10:22I give it to Riddick Bowe.
00:10:24George, what about those people who suggest that the two fighters know each other so well now
00:10:28that this will necessarily be a more cautious, tactical battle than they fought before?
00:10:34No.
00:10:34Tonight, so much electricity in the air.
00:10:36Scary out there.
00:10:37These guys are going to dig deep and we're going to see something we haven't seen before.
00:10:40I do believe.
00:10:41All right.
00:10:42At this moment, under normal circumstances, we'd have been about ready to show you the
00:10:46two fighters marching into the ring.
00:10:48But right now, the delay continues because Riddick Bowe failed to get his gloves on in time.
00:10:56They're still in the process of preparing him to leave his dressing room.
00:10:59And Evander Holyfield will not be allowed to leave his dressing room until such time as Bowe is ready to go.
00:11:06Now, there's Bowe's dressing room door.
00:11:10And conventional wisdom in this instance, George, would be to think that this is going to be a disadvantage for Holyfield
00:11:16because he's ready, he's gotten himself prepared, and now he has to wait while Bowe gets himself ready.
00:11:22Does this, in fact, favor Bowe?
00:11:24You know, as part of our Rock Newman, he's probably playing this.
00:11:27This is what you do in boxing.
00:11:29You plan all kinds of tricks.
00:11:31You want your way, impose on the other guy, try the thing.
00:11:34The gloves don't fit, anything, and that's what we're seeing here.
00:11:38On the other hand, of course, when you talk about Holyfield, you're talking about a veteran
00:11:43who is as resilient as anybody can be in the ring.
00:11:46You're not going to psych this guy out.
00:11:47The only way to get Evander Holyfield is you're going to have to whip him in that ring.
00:11:50So you may as well come on out that door and let's get it on.
00:11:53Larry Merchant, I remember we saw this before Tyson Spinks in Atlantic City
00:11:56when Mike Tyson was reluctant to leave his dressing room,
00:11:59and Spinks wandered around the ring and actually perhaps dried off a little bit before the action began.
00:12:06Do you see any advantage for Bowe in this delay that's taking place now?
00:12:10No.
00:12:10In fact, the last time he did it, if you recall, or this happened against Herbie Hyde,
00:12:15he came out and he seemed kind of sluggish early on.
00:12:19But, you know, I'm not a conspiratorialist.
00:12:21I just believe that crazy things happen in this world, and this is one of them.
00:12:27And pretty soon there'll be a fight and we'll all forget this stuff.
00:12:32I'm told that we put a microphone on Mark Ratner of the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
00:12:36Mark, this is Jim Lampley at ringside.
00:12:39Am I safe in assuming that you can hear me?
00:12:41Yes, I can.
00:12:41Okay.
00:12:42Will you tell us exactly what's going on with Riddick-Bowe's gloves
00:12:45and what has been done to get this process completed?
00:12:49Okay.
00:12:50What we've done, we brought the backup gloves.
00:12:53The first gloves that he tried on at the weigh-in didn't fit today.
00:12:56He felt they didn't fit right, so we just put the other gloves on.
00:13:00He's warming up as we speak.
00:13:02What I refuse to do is let Evander go out there until Riddick's completely ready.
00:13:06I don't want Evander standing out there waiting.
00:13:08So that's what the holdup is.
00:13:10Hopefully in the next four or five minutes, Evander will walk and Riddick will be right behind him.
00:13:13Do you fear that there's any disadvantage to Holyfield in whatever disruption might have been caused by this?
00:13:18No, no.
00:13:19The disadvantage would have been if he'd have been in the ring and this would have happened,
00:13:23and we won't stand for that.
00:13:24Just for the heck of it, give us the official particulars on the gloves, their size, their make, their characteristics, etc.
00:13:30I'm going to show them to the screen here.
00:13:32They're 10-ounce Reyes thumb-attached.
00:13:36And we tried him on at the weigh-in.
00:13:39Riddick wrapped his hands.
00:13:40And today they didn't feel good to him.
00:13:43And so we're exchanging him.
00:13:45We have extra sets of gloves.
00:13:46And now he should be warmed up.
00:13:48And I'm going to go back in there as soon as you're done and see where we are.
00:13:52And, Mark, as I'm sure you know, Evander Holyfield's people have made a big point all week
00:13:56of discussing rabbit punches and low blows in the first fight.
00:13:59And again tonight, they confronted Joe Cortez
00:14:02and made the point to him that they want him to be very diligent
00:14:05about enforcing the rules against rabbit punches and low blows.
00:14:09Have you spoken to Cortez yourself about that?
00:14:11Yes, and we brought it up.
00:14:13What Joe will watch both ways and he'll do the appropriate thing in the ring.
00:14:18He's one of the top referees in the world and we have all the confidence in the world.
00:14:22Do you think he did the appropriate thing in the first fight
00:14:24and that Holyfield's complaint is an empty one?
00:14:26I think there's a couple times in that fight where there's some questions.
00:14:29But overall, I have no problems with this fight for him.
00:14:35All right.
00:14:35Thank you very much, Mark Ratner of the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
00:14:38And we're told that in two more minutes, we can expect that the two fighters will be walking out.
00:14:44Celebrities have been introduced at ringside.
00:14:46You probably heard all the roars in the background.
00:14:49Michael Moorer and Lennox Lewis, among the other heavyweight contenders, are both here, of course.
00:14:54From Hollywood, you've got your Jack Nicholson's and your Bruce Willis's at ringside.
00:14:59Jimmy Johnson got about as big a cheer as anybody, even though there's no Fox telecast in town tonight.
00:15:04Jimmy's gambling that he can get back to Los Angeles in time to get ready for the studio show tomorrow morning.
00:15:10And, of course, one of the things that happens in an instance like this, George, is the magnitude of the event.
00:15:16I remember Ray Leonard saying to me many times that one of the toughest adjustments for a young fighter was coming into an arena like this and adjusting to the magnitude of the event.
00:15:25In the case of Bo and Holyfield, it's just likely to elevate both of them.
00:15:29Yeah, well, they've been there, done that.
00:15:31So they've been here before.
00:15:33This won't have any effect on them.
00:15:34Now they're trying any little thing to keep the edge and give the edge to the other guy.
00:15:38I think this is pretty wise on Rock Newman's part, but I don't know if it's working.
00:15:42It's wise.
00:15:43Well, let's find out how it might be working, because Roy Jones has had a chance now to check in on Evander Holyfield's situation in his dressing room.
00:15:50So let's go back to Roy and see what is happening to Holyfield.
00:15:54Roy?
00:15:54Well, the thing that's happening here is that there has been a lot of controversy throughout the week about the outcoming of the fight.
00:16:01Who would come out first?
00:16:02They agreed to one thing, then they changed, and they agreed to something else.
00:16:05But right now, Rock Newman has come up with a better way to try to throw the opposition off or to gain an advantage on the opposition, which is Holyfield's side.
00:16:13This would not affect Holyfield, I don't think, because I think Holyfield's mind is made up pretty well.
00:16:17But these are the type of games that guys try to play with other guys sometimes.
00:16:21And this could possibly be something that was not really a game, just something that happened.
00:16:26That's why I don't think it would affect Holyfield.
00:16:28Sometimes the gloves do differ.
00:16:30One day your hand may be bigger, the next day your hand may not be that big.
00:16:33So this could be something that just happened, and Holyfield knows that he just has to bear with it.
00:16:38Shouldn't cause him a problem at all, Jim.
00:16:40Thank you very much, Roy Jones.
00:16:42They met first November 13, 1992, at the Thomas & Mack Center here in Las Vegas.
00:16:48They met the second time November 6, 1993, in this very ring outdoors at Caesars Palace.
00:16:55And now they prepare for Holyfield, Bowe, or if you prefer, Bowe-Holyfield, 3.
00:17:05Tale of the tape between Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe.
00:17:10And you see all of the physical and statistical advantages that Bowe brings into the ring.
00:17:15Five years younger, three inches taller, 27 pounds heavier, and three and one-half inches longer reach.
00:17:23Punch stat numbers, Larry, and we're going to look at totals from their first two fights
00:17:28in which Riddick Bowe was exceptionally busy for a big heavyweight.
00:17:33Now, they throw about 20 percent more punchers, according to our statistical whizzes,
00:17:40than normal heavyweights throw, even on a championship level.
00:17:44Now, you can see the average punches for a round.
00:17:50Holyfield is more judicious in throwing punches.
00:17:55Bowe, as you can see, is throwing 50 percent more punches than Holyfield.
00:18:00Holyfield tends to throw his punches in bunches.
00:18:03The jab, which many people think is the key here, you can see that Bowe has an edge.
00:18:11He should have a bigger edge, according to some experts.
00:18:17And the rules of the bout with our unofficial ringside scorer, Harold Letterman.
00:18:21The Riddick Bowe-Evander-Holyfield fight will be 12 rounds.
00:18:25There is no standing eight count.
00:18:27The three-knockdown rule is in effect.
00:18:30Only the referee can stop the fight, and he can be saved by the bell only in the last round.
00:18:34Jim.
00:18:36And, Harold, we are ready now for Evander-Holyfield to make the walk to the ring.
00:18:40In his last fight, he became the first man ever to put Ray Mercer on the canvas.
00:18:53Holyfield's walk-in music is a gospel tune, not by power, not by might, but only through faith in the Lord.
00:19:02And one of the things that is inspiring Holyfield, he told us the other day, is his wish that he would be able to carry the Olympic torch at the start of the games in his hometown of Atlanta next year.
00:19:22He thinks that if he can actually be the champion, that would enhance his chances.
00:19:32The Riddick Bowe-Evander-Holyfield's professional record.
00:20:01With 31 wins, losses to Riddick Bowe and Michael Moura, 22 knockouts, and he has vowed to score a knockout tonight.
00:20:13The records for the fighters tonight are brought to you by the ring, the Bible of boxing.
00:20:18Riddick Bowe lives up to a promise that he would leave his dressing room and come to the ring.
00:20:48As soon as Evander Holyfield had completed his walkout.
00:20:52So late, but as good as his word with regard to procedure.
00:20:56The pictures on the robe he's wearing are of his five children.
00:21:00The most recent addition, a little baby named Diamond.
00:21:04She's three months old.
00:21:05The rest of the battle.
00:21:06All right.
00:21:07Oh, man.
00:21:07Got to get back.
00:21:09You got to get back.
00:21:18Got to get back
00:21:21Need some get back
00:21:24Pay back
00:21:26Pay
00:21:30Got to get back
00:21:34Revenge
00:21:36A man
00:21:43Got to get back
00:21:46Once upon a time he seemed like an
00:22:15Like an oversized teddy bear
00:22:18To me Jim
00:22:18Now he looks like a full grown grizzly
00:22:21By his own admission
00:22:28He says he's learned a lot
00:22:30Particularly since
00:22:32The loss to Holyfield
00:22:33In the second of their fights
00:22:36He believes that loss
00:22:37Was the beginning of making him a real man
00:22:40In boxing
00:22:41I think in a sense he's like another
00:22:44Las Vegas native
00:22:45Andre Agassi
00:22:46Who finally decided
00:22:48Now is his time
00:22:50To show the talent that he has
00:22:53Developed, nurtured
00:22:54And brought to fruition
00:22:57To be the best that he can be
00:23:01And you saw the hug
00:23:02That precedes the fight
00:23:04Between two men
00:23:05Who not only respect each other
00:23:07But like each other as friends
00:23:09Who have traveled to each other's birthday parties
00:23:12Over the course of the past couple of years
00:23:14And who vow that their affection for one another
00:23:17Will not vanish
00:23:18After they pound away at each other
00:23:20As hard as they can tonight
00:23:22Riddick Bowe's record
00:23:24And you'll see that it shows only one loss
00:23:27That was the loss to Holyfield
00:23:28In their second fight
00:23:29Thirty-seven wins
00:23:30Thirty-one KOs
00:23:31For the bigger, stronger man
00:23:49Ladies and gentlemen
00:23:50Spencer Promotions
00:23:52And your undisputed
00:23:54Undefeated
00:23:55King of beers
00:23:56Budweiser
00:23:57This Bud's for you
00:23:58In association with
00:24:00Main Events Monitor
00:24:01Present
00:24:02Bo
00:24:03Holyfield 3
00:24:04The final chapter
00:24:05Twelve rounds of boxing
00:24:07In the heavyweight division
00:24:09With the victor
00:24:10To be recognized
00:24:11As the best
00:24:12In the world
00:24:13This bout is sanctioned by
00:24:14The Nevada State Athletic Commission
00:24:15Chairman Dr. James Nave
00:24:17Commissioners
00:24:18Nat Caraselli
00:24:19Luther Mack
00:24:20Dr. Elias Ghanem
00:24:21And
00:24:22Crispin Rivera
00:24:23Executive Director
00:24:24Mark Ratner
00:24:25Physicians at ringside
00:24:26Dr. Flip Homanski
00:24:27Dr. Robert Hoy
00:24:28And Dr. James Wishgame
00:24:29The timekeepers are
00:24:30Al Bysik
00:24:31And James Gavin
00:24:32Your three judges
00:24:33Scoring this bout
00:24:34On a ten point must system
00:24:35Will be
00:24:36Chuck Jampa
00:24:37Bill Graham
00:24:38And Jerry Rock
00:24:39And when the bell rings
00:24:40The man in charge
00:24:41Of the action
00:24:42Referee
00:24:43Joe Cortez
00:24:44And now
00:24:59For the thousands in attendance
00:25:00Here in Las Vegas
00:25:01And the millions
00:25:02Watching around the world
00:25:04Let's join together
00:25:05And share with pride
00:25:06This moment
00:25:07In heavyweight history
00:25:09Ladies and gentlemen
00:25:11From the side
00:25:12Where legends are made
00:25:14Caesars Palace
00:25:16Let's get ready to rumble
00:25:21Introducing first
00:25:29Fighting out of the blue corner
00:25:30Wearing gold trimmed with black
00:25:32And weighing 213 pounds
00:25:35In 1984
00:25:37He captured an Olympic bronze medal
00:25:39Then
00:25:41As a professional
00:25:42He became the undisputed
00:25:43Cruiserweight
00:25:44World Champion
00:25:45He then moved
00:25:46To the heavyweight division
00:25:47Winning that title
00:25:48Two times
00:25:49His professional record
00:25:50Now stands at 31 victories
00:25:5322
00:25:54By knockout
00:25:55With only two defeats
00:25:57Tonight
00:25:58He again displays his courage
00:26:00By facing for the third time
00:26:02The toughest opponent
00:26:03Of his career
00:26:05Ladies and gentlemen
00:26:06From Atlanta, Georgia
00:26:08Introducing
00:26:09The Warrior
00:26:10The three-time world champion
00:26:12And former
00:26:13Undisputed
00:26:14Heavyweight
00:26:15Champion
00:26:16Of the world
00:26:17Evander
00:26:18Real
00:26:19Real
00:26:20Real
00:26:21Real
00:26:22Real
00:26:23Real
00:26:24Real
00:26:27Real
00:26:29Real
00:26:31Real
00:26:32Real
00:26:33Real
00:26:35Real
00:26:45Game
00:26:48Real
00:27:02Real
00:27:04and only loss of his career tonight he plans on reversing that single blemish on his record
00:27:12a record which now stands at 37 victories 31 by knockout with that one defeat ladies and gentlemen
00:27:21from Brooklyn New York a two-time world champion former undisputed and current WBO heavyweight
00:27:32champion of the world
00:27:35written
00:27:37Big Daddy
00:27:40Bo
00:27:54all right gentlemen
00:27:56we want all the rules in the dressing room
00:27:59I want a good clean fight obey my command at all time give me good sportsmanlike conduct understood
00:28:06all right take your hands go up above you
00:28:08where's Lorenzo
00:28:09right here
00:28:10right there
00:28:11these two fighters seem to need each other just as we in boxing need them
00:28:18and what I'm looking forward to right now is the twenty fifth round of a long great fight
00:28:25and in the last few moments before the opening bell one final entreaty from Holyfield's camp to
00:28:40Cortez
00:28:42asking him to watch the way Bowe uses his right hand
00:28:47they're convinced that Bowe gets away with clubbing opponents on the back of the head too often
00:28:51the
00:28:58fifty two degrees at audience level sixty two degrees under the lights in the ring
00:29:06and the final adjustment to the ring ropes as Cortez tries to see to it that the ropes will be tight enough although
00:29:13neither man here has a habit of leaning against the ropes and they go ahead and take that restraining rope off
00:29:24finally
00:29:28one
00:29:34one
00:29:44one
00:29:45one
00:29:46one
00:29:47one
00:29:49one
00:29:50one
00:29:52one
00:29:54two
00:29:55one
00:29:56Both men starting out working conventionally behind the jab.
00:30:16One immediate impression, Evander Holyfield saying to us yesterday, I'm bigger and stronger
00:30:21than ever before, and he looks that way in the ring.
00:30:25Burdick Bowe did not take the initiative with his jab.
00:30:29Holyfield has won the battle of the jabs already.
00:30:31Holyfield is 213.
00:30:33He may be the bigger guy tonight after all.
00:30:38Oh, at what is for him a very trim 240.
00:30:41Lowest weight since the first Holyfield fight in fall of 92.
00:30:48When you've got an advantage of a left jab, you don't wait till you start off whether
00:30:53you land on the chest or not, Bowe is not doing that.
00:30:56Let's go.
00:30:57Holyfield tries the first real combination, and Bowe gets Holyfield with the first leg lift
00:31:02of the fight.
00:31:06Evander tripling up with the jab.
00:31:12He must remember to box and control his passion for warfare.
00:31:18Bowe must remember to put his punches together and make them count inside.
00:31:26Hard right hand by Bowe, Holyfield answers with a counter left.
00:31:42Men landing to the body as they clinch and then break.
00:31:48Bowe missing with a long right hand.
00:32:00Holyfield must find a way to get inside Riddick Bowe's jab when the bigger man starts to use
00:32:05it rhythmically.
00:32:06So far, Holyfield has been beating Bowe to the punch with his jab.
00:32:11Hard right hand by Holyfield.
00:32:25Round one ends.
00:32:26Holyfield seemed to throw more punches as he goes back to his corner.
00:32:31Trainer is Don Turner, a third different trainer in the trilogy with Bowe.
00:32:35First, Benton and Duva in the first fight.
00:32:38By Emmanuel Stewart in the second fight, now Don Turner tonight.
00:32:43Oh, see how beautiful that double left is working?
00:32:48Keep working.
00:32:49Keep working.
00:32:50Breathe deep.
00:32:51Breathe deep.
00:32:52Breathe deep.
00:32:53Breathe deep.
00:32:54Breathe deep.
00:32:55Just getting used that cool hand.
00:32:56That's all it is.
00:32:57It's been great.
00:32:58It's a great first round.
00:33:01Don't wait on him.
00:33:03Mm-hmm.
00:33:04But you can't throw one punch because he's going to counter two.
00:33:07Keep the pressure on.
00:33:08Keep the pressure on.
00:33:09Keep the pressure on.
00:33:10All right.
00:33:11A very good first tactical round for Holyfield, beating Bowe with his jab.
00:33:26Come on, let's go.
00:33:27Moving in and out and around.
00:33:30In the first fight, Holyfield won the first round on all three cards.
00:33:34In the second fight, Bowe won the first round on all three cards.
00:33:42Jab by Holyfield and George between rounds.
00:33:45You heard Eddie Futch saying to Bowe, don't wait on him.
00:33:47Yeah, you got that long reach.
00:33:49Why in the world are you standing up waiting to land a shot when you can throw anytime you
00:33:53want and you got the range?
00:33:55Bowe needs to step up the jab.
00:33:57A lot of people love to give Bowe credit for being a good inside fighter.
00:34:04And there's Cortez already putting himself into the action.
00:34:10A lot of people give Bowe credit for being a very good in-fighter.
00:34:14George, you see holes in his game there.
00:34:16Uh, completely.
00:34:18He's not, uh, he'll sneak a left, uh, the uppercut in there.
00:34:21He'll sneak it in.
00:34:22It's not what you call a pure uppercut because he lowers you to sleep and he sneaks it under there.
00:34:26Uh, he's a good right-hand puncher if he can get an overhand light.
00:34:31Holyfield needs to be hit with a straight right down the line right hand.
00:34:37What about Holyfield having to punch up against the taller man?
00:34:41Well, the head is there and he's not protected because you gotta aim down.
00:34:45You have your tendency of a big man to drop your hands because you're aiming down.
00:34:49Just throw up there.
00:34:50You can't miss those big, tall guys.
00:34:52I know.
00:34:53I've been up there.
00:34:54You've been hit.
00:34:56Yep.
00:35:06Ole Miss with a slow right hand and Holyfield stepped in with a counter.
00:35:10Give me a team round, guys.
00:35:11Give me a team round.
00:35:16Now the right hand's sharper by Bowe and that one lands.
00:35:21And now Bowe gets in an uppercut.
00:35:28Why is Holyfield staying in there, George?
00:35:30It seems like the last place he should be.
00:35:32Well, he's in there with a bigger guy and he shouldn't let this guy weigh him down with that extra weight.
00:35:37So this is not good tactics on his behalf.
00:35:40But he said earlier he wanted a knockout.
00:35:42Two hard left hooks inside by Holyfield, pressing the action, keeping his head against Bowe's chest.
00:35:48Bowe has twice in this round landed the uppercut.
00:35:51If he remembers to throw it, as he did in the first fight, it can be an extremely effective blow.
00:35:56Straight right hand.
00:36:00Not a lot of snap behind it for Bowe, but the left hook inside is good.
00:36:05Holyfield with the right.
00:36:10Get on.
00:36:11Get on.
00:36:12Let's go.
00:36:13Give me a team round, guys.
00:36:14Come on.
00:36:27Get out.
00:36:28You're a good team.
00:36:29You're a good team.
00:36:30It's been a tough place.
00:36:31You know what to do.
00:36:32Let's see.
00:36:33Let's go.
00:36:34Let's go.
00:36:35I'mma get out.
00:36:36The girl's back at this.
00:36:37Uh-oh.
00:36:38Persistent theme in the trilogy.
00:36:39Hunting after the bell.
00:36:40Well, Evander Holyfield was hit below the bell a couple times.
00:36:42The referee didn't do anything about it.
00:36:43Holyfield got mad.
00:36:44He can't bounce and move like he was before, so keep using that dammit, and when you get
00:36:56on the inside, pull his hand, pull his hand, when he's trying to come to you, step back
00:37:03and throw that little uppercut, okay?
00:37:05Any unsportsmanlike conduct, I'm going to start taking some points, you hear?
00:37:13We'll see what happened after that, after that, at the end of the round.
00:37:17Unfortunately for Holyfield, that might have been the best part of the round for him, as
00:37:22Bo asserted himself filling that round.
00:37:25You heard Eddie Fudge say, George, that he didn't think Holyfield could move and dance
00:37:31the way he did in the first round anymore, and that Bo should go to work on that premise.
00:37:36You think that that's already out of the plan?
00:37:40Yeah, he doesn't have to move this time, man.
00:37:43Rick Bo is not expelling and using that jab to keep a guy moving.
00:37:47Standing there, you don't waste your energy if you don't have to.
00:37:50Why move?
00:37:51This guy's not doing anything to make you move.
00:37:55Holyfield, so effective moving in and out in the second bout, is now staying inside, giving
00:38:01Bo a chance to make his power a big factor.
00:38:05They're trading shots at close range, as you can see.
00:38:12Again, the uppercut by Bo.
00:38:17He threw 81 of them in the first fight, and, of course, it was an uppercut that rocked
00:38:22Holyfield in the tenth round of that fight.
00:38:25But Bo only threw 26 uppercuts in the second edition of Holyfield, Bo, and that was one
00:38:32of the tactical differences that night.
00:38:33Holyfield is not doing anything to protect himself right now, so he must be feeling the
00:38:38effects of that first uppercut.
00:38:40Another uppercut by Bo.
00:38:42Snaps Holyfield's head back.
00:38:44Holyfield with some of the uppercut medicine for Riddick.
00:38:48I thought I left hook in there, but Bo did some serious damage, but we don't see the results
00:38:59of it as yet.
00:39:00Holyfield, get the guns out.
00:39:05Keep the punches out, guys.
00:39:11Keep the punches out.
00:39:12Keep them on.
00:39:13Keep them on.
00:39:14Let's go.
00:39:15We counted 10 low blows by Bo, unpenalized, in the first of their three fights.
00:39:28Tonight, Joe Cortez is staying on top of that, at least for now.
00:39:32Holyfield is walking into this big man, an absorbent punishment.
00:39:38That's not the way you reestablish yourself as a good boxer.
00:39:41It looks like a suicidal strategy, doesn't it, George?
00:39:44I wouldn't tell a young man with that kind of boxing ability to do that at all.
00:39:52Hard right hand by Holyfield.
00:39:55He must believe he's gonna land enough of those to make this strategy pay off.
00:40:07Two guys who won't take no for an answer inside.
00:40:14Oh, missing with the uppercut.
00:40:16Holyfield missing with the counter left.
00:40:20I'm not sure what Evander Holyfield is trying to prove, but I don't think he proved it with
00:40:34an uppercut.
00:40:35You're wearing him down, Bo.
00:40:37Uh-huh.
00:40:38Keep sliding a little bit to the left, a little bit to the right.
00:40:42Keep throwing those uppercuts with the right hand and the left hand.
00:40:47Watch for him.
00:40:48Look for that one big shot.
00:40:49Right.
00:40:50Get under the knee.
00:40:51Bang.
00:40:52He wanted to move, but he can't move.
00:41:01There you see Holyfield throwing an uppercut.
00:41:04Riddick both normally throws more uppercuts, and here you can see them on the belt.
00:41:11But as I was saying that Bo throws more uppercuts in one fight than many fighters throw in their careers, and this kind of tactic by Holyfield seems made for him.
00:41:24Yeah.
00:41:25Maybe Holyfield knows something we don't.
00:41:29Punch that numbers show the pattern of the first two fights reemerging.
00:41:32Bo throwing more, Holyfield choosing his spots judiciously and landing at a higher rate.
00:41:38Hard right hand by Bo.
00:41:41Holyfield comes back with a left, and again, they begin round four trading shots in the middle of the ring.
00:41:48in the middle of the ring.
00:41:49Crowd rises as Holyfield seems to stun Bowe
00:41:53with a left hook.
00:42:01Bowe's right hand was blocked.
00:42:04Uppercut missed inside.
00:42:06Boy, that was some furious exchange, guys.
00:42:09I mean, you don't see big men doing that very often.
00:42:14But this is what these guys have done,
00:42:15and this is they're now in the 28th round of their fight.
00:42:20Bring out, bring out, bring out, bring out, bring out,
00:42:22bring out, bring out, bring out, let's go.
00:42:34Hard for Bowe to establish his jab
00:42:36when Holyfield stays so close inside.
00:42:38Maybe that's part of what Evander is thinking
00:42:41with this strategy, but on the other hand,
00:42:42he's paying a heavy price for it.
00:42:45Evander Holyfield is no way, in my mind, fighting smart.
00:42:49It's the first time in his career I saw him
00:42:51look toward the ropes to maybe lay on the ropes
00:42:54and wait a little bit.
00:42:55That's not Evander Holyfield.
00:42:58He's never looked for the ropes to hide.
00:43:04Evander took a lot of punches against Mercer
00:43:07and was caught in that fight.
00:43:08He's been caught in four of his last six bouts,
00:43:12and that becomes a concern when your head is in there
00:43:15against the other guy's head all night,
00:43:17as has so far been the case for Evander.
00:43:22Uppercut lands.
00:43:26Come on, get those on the ground there. Come on.
00:43:28Holyfield is laying on Riddick Bowe,
00:43:32trying to recuperate and get his air back together.
00:43:34Come on. Come on.
00:43:35Let me tell you, he's not recuperating
00:43:37in the old Evander Holyfield.
00:43:39He's taking too much time to get his breathing rhythm
00:43:42back again.
00:43:44Bowe has a habit.
00:43:45Bowe has a habit.
00:43:46You saw it there, of beginning to slap
00:43:48when he throws punches in numbered combinations,
00:43:51three, four punches at a time.
00:43:52Bowe's last couple of punches will be slaps.
00:43:55But the straight right hand is usually pretty heavy.
00:44:00The crowd isn't into this fight
00:44:04as it was in the first couple of fights
00:44:06because much of the action, most of the action,
00:44:09is at such close quarters that it's really hard to see,
00:44:14back of 10 or 12 rows, what's going on.
00:44:17Bowe landed a straight right.
00:44:19Holyfield came back with a counter left.
00:44:22Four rounds in the books.
00:44:25Bowe's last two rounds in the books.
00:44:28Tommy, Tommy, chill out, chill out, chill out, man.
00:44:31It's okay.
00:44:32I believe you.
00:44:33Huh?
00:44:34No, man.
00:44:35No, no, no, no.
00:44:36No, man.
00:44:37Get a little bug in your mouth, that's all.
00:44:38Okay.
00:44:39Drop your hand, bro.
00:44:40Drop your hand right down the finger.
00:44:41I'm gonna breathe.
00:44:42This is a good time for the doctor to get in and ask
00:44:44how he's been to Holyfield some questions.
00:44:46How you feeling here?
00:44:47How's that water, Carl?
00:44:48How's that water, Carl?
00:44:49How's that water, Carl?
00:44:50How's that water, Carl?
00:44:51How's that water, Carl?
00:44:52How's that water, Carl?
00:44:53How's that water, Carl?
00:44:54How's that water?
00:44:55How's that water, Carl?
00:44:56Here's this furious exchange early in the round
00:45:01with both fighters connecting.
00:45:03Holyfield, a nice left hand there.
00:45:08This is a strategy that could just wear the smaller man down,
00:45:12but it may be the only way that Holyfield can do it,
00:45:15and you saw him land his own low blow.
00:45:19And, frankly, George Evander Holyfield in the corner between rounds
00:45:23looked more exhausted than I've ever seen him at this stage of a fight.
00:45:26I was about to say the same thing.
00:45:28He looked almost like he got old between rounds,
00:45:32but we may be misreading him.
00:45:37To use an old expression, he just looked all stove in between rounds.
00:45:40Harold Letterman, quickly, can you give us your scorecard?
00:45:43Larry, 39-37, three rounds to one, Riddick Bowe.
00:45:47I gave the first round to Evander Holyfield on a jab,
00:45:50but Riddick Bowe's dominated ever since.
00:45:52I thought I really hurt Evander with a right hand in the fourth round.
00:45:55I had the same score, Harold.
00:45:58Four trading shots in the center of the ring.
00:46:02This is a very dangerous fight, as far as I'm concerned,
00:46:07for Evander Holyfield.
00:46:09It's not looking good.
00:46:11Talk about the healing he received.
00:46:14This man is not able to catch a second win.
00:46:17He's not able to get his recaptured breathing again.
00:46:20Doesn't look good.
00:46:21So you think there's at least a chance
00:46:23that the stiff heart condition which followed the Moorer fight
00:46:26was not in fact misdiagnosed
00:46:28and that he's being bothered in some way now
00:46:30just as he was against Michael Moore.
00:46:33It's terrible.
00:46:34He's even more so now.
00:46:35He can't catch a deep, uh, another win.
00:46:37All right, break out, break out, break out, break out.
00:46:38Let's go.
00:46:40Look at there.
00:46:41We're establishing what George Foreman's opinion is here.
00:46:45All right.
00:46:46All right, break out, break out, break out, break out.
00:46:48Come on, break out.
00:46:49If I'm his corner, I throw in the tower.
00:46:51If I'm the Holyfield's corner, I throw in the tower.
00:46:54Low blow, and Cortez penalizes Bowe a point.
00:46:59One point.
00:47:00Low blow.
00:47:01One point.
00:47:02Low blow.
00:47:03One point.
00:47:04Low blow.
00:47:05Get enough going over there.
00:47:06Hold time.
00:47:08Got to stop it.
00:47:09Right?
00:47:10Got to stop it.
00:47:11You got some time.
00:47:12You got some time.
00:47:13Let me know when you're ready.
00:47:16Ain't no need for no of that.
00:47:18There ain't no need for no of that.
00:47:20I told you.
00:47:21Twice already.
00:47:22One point already.
00:47:24Evander Holyfield can have as many as five minutes to recover from this.
00:47:28And now he says he's ready to go.
00:47:33Flip Bomanski, a Nevada State Athletic Commission doctor, is sitting in Holyfield's corner.
00:47:38Holyfield taking a couple of heavy shots.
00:47:40Stop!
00:47:41Stop!
00:47:42Holyfield is really hurting.
00:47:43He looks like he's ready to go.
00:47:45He looks like he has nothing to get back.
00:47:47He just became 33 going on 53.
00:47:52Evander Holyfield has never been knocked out in his professional boxing career.
00:47:57Keep the punches up.
00:47:58Keep him up.
00:47:59Keep the punches up, guys.
00:48:00An extremely concerned George Foreman is presently on his feet, suggesting to Joe Cortez that
00:48:07he thinks a stoppage wouldn't be inappropriate.
00:48:10Yeah, but...
00:48:12Now Holyfield comes back with a right hand.
00:48:15George, you're sitting back down.
00:48:17The problem, of course, is, is that you just can't underestimate Holyfield and what happens
00:48:23if he gets a second win.
00:48:25His reputation...
00:48:26His reputation...
00:48:27His reputation...
00:48:28His reputation...
00:48:29This man is not gonna get a second win.
00:48:30This man is gonna end up in a pine box.
00:48:31He's got heart trouble.
00:48:32It's evident he cannot get his breathing together.
00:48:34He can't recuperate.
00:48:35If he had not had this...
00:48:38Doctors examine him...
00:48:40Well, I can't refute the doctors...
00:48:44Who claim it was misdiagnosed.
00:48:47But here he is.
00:48:48Hard right hand by Holyfield.
00:48:49Here he is.
00:48:50And remember, of course, that he got medical clearance from the Mayo Clinic and other established
00:48:55medical authorities before the Nevada State Commission would license him for the bount.
00:49:00Bo is not hurting Holyfield.
00:49:01Holyfield is being hurt inside himself.
00:49:04What?
00:49:05Pick him up.
00:49:06Abandon look at him.
00:49:07How are you doing out there for you?
00:49:08Good.
00:49:09Up in here, baby.
00:49:10Good.
00:49:11Good.
00:49:12Good.
00:49:13Good.
00:49:14Good.
00:49:15Good.
00:49:16Good.
00:49:17Good.
00:49:18Good.
00:49:19Good.
00:49:20Good.
00:49:21Good.
00:49:22Good.
00:49:23Good.
00:49:24Good.
00:49:25Good.
00:49:26Good.
00:49:27Good.
00:49:28Good.
00:49:29Good.
00:49:30Good.
00:49:31Good.
00:49:32He's done. I hope he doesn't get hurt. I scored that round even though a point was taken away from Bo I gave him a 9-8 round because I think he gave such a licking to Holyfield.
00:50:02Down goes Bo. First knockdown of Riddick Bowe's career. How can you ever count this man out? He is just amazing.
00:50:20Bowe's out on his feet. If Evander can find him, he might finish it. It was a left hook that did the damage. Evander Holyfield, not known as a knockout punter, trying to finish the big man here.
00:50:42Can Bo show the resilience that Holyfield showed in their first fight? Can he survive this?
00:51:00Who would have thunk it? Just when it looked as though Holyfield was ready to give up, he's got Bo almost out on his feet.
00:51:10And now Holyfield seems to have run out of gas.
00:51:19Bo getting himself back together.
00:51:22Got an excellent chance now to make it out of the round.
00:51:27And maybe even to turn it around the way Holyfield did on him in round 10 of the first fight.
00:51:33Here comes Bo.
00:51:40I would never, ever believe that I would see this of almost a mirror image of what we saw before.
00:51:47Come on, come on, come on.
00:51:48Bo looking at Cortez to ask for help.
00:51:51He says, Evander, hit me on the back of the head with a left hand.
00:51:54Come on, get him out of there. Come on, get him out of there. Come on, let's go.
00:51:56That's the first time Bo is down as a professional.
00:52:00Come on, don't be holding. Don't be holding.
00:52:01And he is showing some stuff that we haven't seen before in terms of his heart and will.
00:52:10And it's a good thing he got into great condition for this fight.
00:52:16Holyfield punches without snap now. What do you make of this, George?
00:52:19George, you seem as stunned as everyone else.
00:52:21No, I'm not stunned.
00:52:22I mean, Evander Holyfield is fighting on pure, pure courage.
00:52:28Dangerous courage, in your view.
00:52:30Dangerous, dangerous, dangerous.
00:52:32No, no, no, get up, get up, get up, get up.
00:52:39Ten seconds left in round six.
00:52:42Holyfield mounts an attack again.
00:52:46Bo can't seem to stop the left hand.
00:52:49Evander misses with a right.
00:52:50Here we go, here we go.
00:52:51Here we go, here we go.
00:52:53Here we go again.
00:53:04Keep your hands up and don't walk into him with your hands down.
00:53:08Redick, you okay?
00:53:11All right.
00:53:11All right.
00:53:12Okay?
00:53:14An exhausted Evander Holyfield fights back.
00:53:19A left hook on the chin.
00:53:21That was not the one, although perhaps it contributed to the final blow.
00:53:26And there it is.
00:53:27That left hook.
00:53:31Down goes Bo.
00:53:33Down goes Bo.
00:53:36An amazing turnabout.
00:53:38When you've been watching fights as long as we have, you're hesitant in suggesting that something
00:53:46like this could happen again.
00:53:48So we are as startled as anyone else.
00:53:51Round 31.
00:53:54And that time there was no doctor in Holyfield's corner between rounds.
00:54:08But Evander still seems to be struggling to regain his breath.
00:54:15Come on.
00:54:16There you go, Holyfield.
00:54:18Let's go ahead.
00:54:19Let's go ahead.
00:54:20Let's go ahead.
00:54:20Let's go ahead.
00:54:20Let's go ahead.
00:54:20Gargantuan effort from both men.
00:54:22Let's go.
00:54:23Come on.
00:54:23Give me clean rounds.
00:54:26Holyfield in round six landed 30 of 41 punches, and most of them were power shots.
00:54:32Get them out.
00:54:35Get them out, get them out, get them out, get them out, get them out, let's go.
00:54:37Hold it, hold it if you don't hold that hand.
00:54:39Keep them up, keep them up, keep them up, keep them up, this guy.
00:54:42Body, body, body.
00:54:44Both men seeming to try to get a little bit of a rest here, George.
00:54:48Boy, I wouldn't want to get a rest this way.
00:54:55Make me clean round, guys.
00:54:56Come on, work out of there.
00:54:57Your hands are free, guys.
00:55:01Get the punches up.
00:55:05Get the punches up.
00:55:08Let them out, let them out, let them out.
00:55:10More than a minute into round seven, one short left hook from Bowe, the most significant
00:55:14punch of the round.
00:55:15Now, get those dimes up.
00:55:16Don't knock him up.
00:55:16Don't knock him up.
00:55:17Don't knock him up.
00:55:17Get those dimes out.
00:55:17Let them loose, guys.
00:55:19Let them loose.
00:55:19Let them loose.
00:55:20Let them loose.
00:55:21Let them loose.
00:55:24Let them loose.
00:55:26All right, break out, break out, guys, break out, break out, let's go.
00:55:46Uppercut landed again for Holyfield.
00:55:49Watch your heads inside, watch your heads.
00:55:52All right, get him out, let him out, let him out, let him out.
00:55:56Don't be home.
00:55:58Come on, get him out, get him out.
00:56:05Now they begin to trade again.
00:56:08Both men finding some of the snap in their punches
00:56:11in this last minute of round seven.
00:56:14Let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go.
00:56:19Throughout the second of their three fights, Evander Holyfield
00:56:23effectively stole rounds by flurrying in the last 30 seconds.
00:56:26Get him out of there.
00:56:27Let's see if that's what he has in mind here.
00:56:29Let's go, let's go.
00:56:30Let's go.
00:56:31George Foreman, you're curiously quiet.
00:56:34Yep.
00:56:35The old saying is sometimes more is less.
00:56:39And less is more.
00:56:40Care to explain?
00:56:41You just don't feel as though you should comment on what you're watching.
00:56:43Is that it?
00:56:44It's, it's, uh, this is a dangerous situation, and, uh,
00:56:47there's no intelligence that I can get out of it at this point.
00:56:49Holyfield has had this diagnosis, and he is showing it, and he's showing it.
00:57:07Oh.
00:57:08You stand right in front of this guy.
00:57:10We can't walk on that anymore.
00:57:12You cannot stand in front of this guy.
00:57:13You can't stand in front of this guy.
00:57:14You can't stand in front of him.
00:57:15All you got to do is step around him.
00:57:16Step around him.
00:57:17Step around him.
00:57:18I'm gonna do a step around it.
00:57:19Step around it.
00:57:20Hey, look.
00:57:21When you do five firing sets, not one or two, three and four.
00:57:24Hey, shorten that hook up, okay?
00:57:26Don't aim for his head.
00:57:27Aim for his shoulder.
00:57:28You got me?
00:57:29All right.
00:57:30All right.
00:57:31Keep the punches of his body going.
00:57:33Fetch a little upper cut.
00:57:35A little upper cut and hook.
00:57:37All right.
00:57:38Come on, Cal.
00:57:39Okay.
00:57:40All right.
00:57:41You got his shirt up.
00:57:42You didn't make him move.
00:57:43All right.
00:57:44You did it once.
00:57:48He looked as though somebody might have brushed some smelling salts across Bo's nose.
00:57:56Harold, how do you have the score after seven rounds?
00:58:02Larry, four, two, one even in rounds.
00:58:05Sixty-six, sixty-five in points.
00:58:07Riddick Bo by one point.
00:58:09Larry, I gave Evander an extra point in round six for the knockdown.
00:58:13But I still scored that other end round five, nine to nine.
00:58:16I scored it even.
00:58:17I'll tell you.
00:58:18This is tremendous stuff.
00:58:19Hard right hand inside by Holyfield.
00:58:22And now down goes Evander.
00:58:24Left hand by Bo.
00:58:26A right hand inside as Holyfield lunged to get back at him.
00:58:31Seven.
00:58:32Did the trick.
00:58:33I don't think he's gonna make it.
00:58:34Nine.
00:58:35No, he made it.
00:58:36How do you feel?
00:58:37How do you feel?
00:58:38How do you feel?
00:58:39Take his hand forward.
00:58:40Take his hand forward.
00:58:41How does he feel?
00:58:42Take his hand forward.
00:58:43Wonderful.
00:58:44Terrific.
00:58:45That's it.
00:58:46That's it.
00:58:47That's it.
00:58:48That's it.
00:58:49That's it.
00:58:50That's it.
00:58:51What a fight.
00:58:52Once again, they even exceed the highest expectations we had.
00:59:02Well, it took a long time to get to this fight tonight.
00:59:19Was it worth it?
00:59:20Very first time.
00:59:21Should have oxygen in that corner now.
00:59:22I know that.
00:59:26Oh, making his way now around his circle of supporters as Evander Holyfield wakes up to the realization
00:59:48of the very first knockout of his career in rapid fire succession there.
00:59:55He was knocked down for the third and then the fourth time in his career.
01:00:03Burt Cooper did it.
01:00:04Bowe did it in their first fight and then Bowe produces two more knockdowns of Holyfield tonight.
01:00:09The other first in the fight is, of course, the first time that Bowe has ever been knocked down.
01:00:14Everybody pray.
01:00:15Everybody.
01:00:16Everybody.
01:00:17Everybody.
01:00:18Everybody.
01:00:19Everybody.
01:00:20Prayer of thanks for Riddick Bowe.
01:00:23I don't see any oxygen in Holyfield's corner yet, but he's sitting up, alert, talking.
01:00:37At least outwardly, appears to Nisey standing up.
01:00:42And that's Dr. Flip Pomansky who's right there with him, observing at close range.
01:00:48And we'll take another look at the end of the fight.
01:01:02There's the hard right hand that Holyfield landed in there and then the right hand by Bowe and down went Holyfield.
01:01:09I'm not even sure Riddick knew that he had landed that hard a shot.
01:01:12That was the first knockdown.
01:01:15And another look at the first knockdown.
01:01:17George, this short right.
01:01:21That's the right.
01:01:28The right.
01:01:30The left.
01:01:31I wasn't sure that Evander would make it up from that one.
01:01:33Eventually, he did.
01:01:34And referee Joe Cortez let him come back across the ring.
01:01:37And that's all it took to put the finishing touches on the knockout.
01:01:44Ladies and gentlemen, here at the site where legends are made, Caesar's Palace, a round of applause for two warriors in the heavyweight division.
01:01:58Fight number three was everything we wanted it to be.
01:02:03Referee Joe Cortez calls a halt to the bout at 58 seconds in the eighth round.
01:02:10The winner by TKO victory.
01:02:12And now reigns supreme as the best heavyweight in the world.
01:02:16Ready?
01:02:17Big Daddy!
01:02:18Boy!
01:02:19We love you, man.
01:02:20We love you.
01:02:21We love you.
01:02:22We love you.
01:02:23We love you.
01:02:24We love you.
01:02:25We love you.
01:02:26We love you.
01:02:27We love you.
01:02:28We love you.
01:02:29We love you.
01:02:30We love you.
01:02:31We love you.
01:02:32We love you.
01:02:33We love you.
01:02:34We love you.
01:02:35We love you.
01:02:36And the final statistical breakdown.
01:02:50And you can see that Riddick Bowe threw more than twice as many punches as Evander Holyfield in the fight.
01:02:59Holyfield, throwing mostly power shots from the second round on,
01:03:03landed at the rate of 60%.
01:03:06That's why both fighters sustained so much damage.
01:03:10Jabs, you knew that Riddick Bowe would throw more.
01:03:13Ultimately, he used them to set up power shots,
01:03:16but look at Holyfield.
01:03:1858 out of 95 jabs landed as, once again,
01:03:21Bowe proved very easy to hit.
01:03:24And now let's go into the ring with Larry Merchant.
01:03:31All right, thank you, and thank you for all boxing fans, fellas.
01:03:36Riddick, what's on your mind at this moment with this man?
01:03:39I want to thank this great champion because without him it wouldn't be possible.
01:03:43He gave me all the inspiration in the world, and I love you, man.
01:03:46Anybody got a butt for him?
01:03:48You know, speaking of inspiration,
01:03:51I thought of that tenth round in the first fight
01:03:53when he had you down.
01:03:55Did you think you could survive that knockdown?
01:03:59Did your mind flash back to what had happened in the first fight?
01:04:02Oh, no.
01:04:02I keep telling you guys, when I'm faced with adversity,
01:04:06whatever the word is, I always become better because of it.
01:04:08And once I got him, I got to get this guy, you know?
01:04:11Because in my mind, like he says, you know, he can get me.
01:04:13I was always feeling I can get him, but man, I tell you, I love you, man.
01:04:16I love you, man.
01:04:17All right, Evander, you came out and was very effective here.
01:04:21We're going to take a look at the knockdowns here.
01:04:24When you knocked down Bo, what happened there?
01:04:26Well, you know, I called him with a good left hook and a right hand,
01:04:30and I was trying to get another right hand before he fell to make sure he was down.
01:04:33You know, he just, you know, the whole fight, the whole fight,
01:04:38he was just, he was strong, and I got real on really, real quick,
01:04:44and it was just, on the chance I had, it was a knockout punch.
01:04:47I couldn't, you know, have to stand the back.
01:04:49It even looked in around the fifth round or so that you just were bone-tired and weary
01:04:55and, pardon me for saying it, just old.
01:04:58Well, you know, not so much old and stuff like that.
01:05:00I think the point out there, with both skills and tactics and stuff,
01:05:06it was just hard to get in,
01:05:07and it just, I just couldn't fight him with everything I had and stuff like that
01:05:12because he was able to keep me out with the jab,
01:05:15and he was able to hit me with shots,
01:05:17and stuff like that where I was just too conscious of his power,
01:05:20which would kind of drain me from my energy.
01:05:22Well, you explained why couldn't you finish him after he was down and hurt.
01:05:26I was too strong.
01:05:27I was just too strong.
01:05:28I had a determination.
01:05:29I felt like he fell, you know,
01:05:31but I'm telling you, he had a terrific left hook,
01:05:32and he really surprised me with it.
01:05:34Were you just bone-tired there as well?
01:05:36I was bone-tired.
01:05:38Even though it was the early in the round?
01:05:39Yeah, I was bone-tired.
01:05:40You know, I lost a lot of energy throughout the whole fight.
01:05:45You're stretching yourself as though something hurts you now, Evander.
01:05:49What is it?
01:05:50My shoulder's hurting.
01:05:51You know, it's just, you know,
01:05:53it's just every shot I had that I had to swing with all my bite
01:05:56to try to get him off balance and things like that,
01:05:58and he was the best man,
01:06:01and, you know, ain't nothing I can take away from him
01:06:03because it's not like I wasn't prepared.
01:06:05He just, just better.
01:06:08Well, thank you for this night,
01:06:10and thank you for your career in the Holyfield.
01:06:13All right, Riddick.
01:06:14All right, let's go at it.
01:06:15He comes out in the first round
01:06:16and starts beating you to the jab.
01:06:19What's in your mind then?
01:06:21Well, I'll tell you, I was going to be calm, cool,
01:06:22like to see what he had to offer,
01:06:23and then go into my act, and that's exactly what I did.
01:06:26All right, and then he started to lean on you
01:06:28and fight you on the inside,
01:06:30which seemed like the worst kind of strategy.
01:06:32What were your thoughts then?
01:06:33I think the body shots took their toll,
01:06:35and it really started hurting me.
01:06:36Every time I didn't want a shot,
01:06:37I would have a win.
01:06:38Oh, oh, oh, oh, so I pretty much did with that attack
01:06:41and started throwing the uppercuts and the left hooks.
01:06:43Were you looking across the ring,
01:06:44and could you see how out of it he seemed to be getting?
01:06:48Oh, yeah, especially when you're sitting on the stool,
01:06:50and I knew that if I maintained my composure,
01:06:51eventually I would get him,
01:06:52but he has a sharp left hook ball.
01:06:54He's a problem with that shot there.
01:06:55So because you saw that,
01:06:57did you get careless and come out with your hands down
01:07:00when he knocked you down?
01:07:02Back in the bootleg, but actually,
01:07:04I wasn't even thinking about it.
01:07:05It was a shot he threw, and he caught me with it.
01:07:07First time down, what flashed through your mind?
01:07:11I mean, I knew I was down,
01:07:12and when I looked up, I said,
01:07:13I knew I was going to be down.
01:07:14Hey, this thing, this don't look right.
01:07:16And so I got up and said,
01:07:17I got to get him down.
01:07:18He just made me that much more.
01:07:19I tell you, Van always bring the best out of me.
01:07:21My first time down, I got up,
01:07:22and I did what I had to do.
01:07:23All right, let's take a look at the end of the fight now,
01:07:25and you can describe what you did
01:07:28and what you were thinking at that time.
01:07:30At this particular point, to me, he was real strong,
01:07:32and I said, well, he's winging,
01:07:33and he's taking the chance,
01:07:35and that left hook caught him,
01:07:36and it was a pretty decent shot.
01:07:37I didn't want to hit him because I thought the ref
01:07:39was pretty hard on me,
01:07:40so I just pretty much took my time,
01:07:42and I seen him going down.
01:07:43And when he stayed there for that period of time,
01:07:45I just knew that when he got up, I would get him.
01:07:47It doesn't matter the time at this particular point.
01:07:49This 240 pounds, I guess it's 213,
01:07:51or wherever he was.
01:07:52It was no match once I got him in trouble.
01:07:57All right, now he's hurt.
01:07:59What's on your mind?
01:08:00I'm thinking to hit him with another right hand,
01:08:01uppercut, left hook, or whatever,
01:08:03but I knew it was just a matter of time before he went down.
01:08:05And as you can see, he just didn't have it after that.
01:08:08Because he was wearing from the body shots
01:08:10and doing the work that he did,
01:08:11and then once he got knocked down, trying to get up,
01:08:13I think it took a lot out of him.
01:08:15Can you summarize what your thoughts are
01:08:18and the three fights with this guy
01:08:20and how you have come through it?
01:08:22Your conditioning tonight helped you survive that round, certainly.
01:08:26Oh, no question.
01:08:27No question.
01:08:27And how has this trilogy been for you?
01:08:30Will this be something that's with you for the rest of your life?
01:08:34Oh, no question.
01:08:35I mean, Evander's a great competitor,
01:08:37and like I said, without Gonzalez and Evander Holyfield,
01:08:41at this particular point, I don't know where I would be
01:08:43because they brought the best out of me,
01:08:45and I needed this challenge,
01:08:46and I just had to take my hat up to him.
01:08:48He told me a weird lesson in the second fight,
01:08:50that in order to beat a guy like Evander,
01:08:51don't never under mess anybody,
01:08:53underestimate him,
01:08:54but you have to be in great shape,
01:08:55and that's what I did.
01:08:56That's what I learned from these three fights.
01:08:57One last thing.
01:08:58Are you going to fight Lennox Lewis next at last?
01:09:00I mean, right now I ain't fighting nobody.
01:09:03I'm going home.
01:09:04I'm going to go see my kids.
01:09:05I've been missing them,
01:09:07and I just want to go home now.
01:09:09I want to say hi to all my people in Georgia,
01:09:11and the man has been great,
01:09:12and I wish Evander Holyfield all the luck in the world.
01:09:14Thank you very, very much, Riddick Boat.
01:09:15Now back to you, Jimmy.
01:09:18All right, thank you very much, Larry Merchant.
01:09:19I'm holding the three official scorecards in my hands,
01:09:22and it's academic now,
01:09:24but nevertheless, interesting, George Foreman,
01:09:26that after seven rounds,
01:09:28before that eighth round,
01:09:29all three judges had Evander Holyfield ahead
01:09:32by the same score, 66-65.
01:09:35So the one point that Joe Cortez had deducted for low blows
01:09:39was up to the moment of the knockout,
01:09:42the margin of difference in the fight
01:09:43in favor of Evander Holyfield.
01:09:45Now I know you're upset.
01:09:46We're going to have to have faith
01:09:48that Evander will get himself treated
01:09:50and taken care of in the best way possible.
01:09:52Your final thoughts about what you saw here
01:09:55and what Riddick Boat accomplished.
01:09:57Well, he won the fight,
01:09:59but let me tell you,
01:10:01he didn't win against a guy
01:10:02who was physically able to be in the ring fighting him,
01:10:05and I will say that until forever.
01:10:07It was a good fight,
01:10:08but no one in there right mind
01:10:10can say that Evander Holyfield was even 60%.
01:10:13This guy is sick.
01:10:15He needs to be in the hospital even right now,
01:10:17and the commission, the doctors,
01:10:19they should have been in there
01:10:20with the collar thing that checks your heart with your ear.
01:10:24They should have been in there the second round,
01:10:26and I want to talk to Mr. Mayo down at the clinic.
01:10:28So you made it clear throughout the fight
01:10:30you don't believe you were watching
01:10:32a fully whole and healthy Evander Holyfield.
01:10:34No, no, no.
01:10:34And the commissioners themselves,
01:10:36they gave me a talk about the condition of his heart.
01:10:39These doctors right here,
01:10:41they know that this guy cannot catch his breath.
01:10:43Even after he knocked him down,
01:10:44he couldn't even get a breath to finish him.
01:10:46He just didn't have it.
01:10:48It's dangerous for my beloved sport of boxing
01:10:50to see things like this happen.
01:10:52One more question about your beloved sport of boxing.
01:10:55You are still technically a heavyweight champion
01:10:59in the sense that you won a title from Michael Moore
01:11:01and haven't lost a fight since then.
01:11:03Riddick Bowe has said
01:11:04that he'd love to have the kind of money
01:11:05that would come from fighting you.
01:11:07You've told me in the past you wouldn't fight him.
01:11:09Does it stay that way?
01:11:10You don't fight him?
01:11:11No, I've never told you that in the past.
01:11:12Yes, you have.
01:11:13You told me that after the Gonzalez fight on camera.
01:11:15Oh, that's the commentator.
01:11:16Oh, I see.
01:11:17Commentators don't fight.
01:11:19We talk.
01:11:20Would you fight Riddick Bowe?
01:11:21Can we just get along?
01:11:22Would you fight Riddick Bowe?
01:11:23We can get along, yes.
01:11:25I think Riddick Bowe just couldn't even beat
01:11:27a guy who was really sick tonight.
01:11:29He better sit down and think about, you know,
01:11:31he was knocked down by a guy
01:11:32who wasn't even 60% of himself.
01:11:3450% of himself, he's a great fighter,
01:11:36but Evander Holyfield is sick
01:11:38and you can't get away from that.
01:11:39Riddick Bowe is a great, good fighter.
01:11:41As someone who, whether it matters or not,
01:11:43is going to be 47 years old on January 19,
01:11:46and I know because we're the same age,
01:11:47would you fight Riddick Bowe?
01:11:50Even if I'm 100 years old,
01:11:51I've been designated the heavyweight champ of the world,
01:11:53meaning I can whip all these guys.
01:11:55That's what that distinction says now.
01:11:57I'm 0 for 3 in trying to get an answer to that question.
01:12:00Thank you very much.
01:12:01Talk is cheap, you know.
01:12:02That's why I'm doing this right now.
01:12:03Well, when you're talking, it's more expensive.
01:12:06Larry, your final thoughts on everything that happened
01:12:09and your conversations with the two fighters in the ring.
01:12:13Well, I have a slightly different view than George,
01:12:16although I think that the heart condition
01:12:18obviously was something that came
01:12:21with the type of fighter that Evander Holyfield is.
01:12:25All the training he did all over the years,
01:12:28all of the hard fighting he did over the years.
01:12:31We saw in the Ray Mercer fight
01:12:33that although he is as brave as ever,
01:12:36that he's just not the fighter he was.
01:12:38And a fighter who has fought his kinds of fights
01:12:40gets old fast,
01:12:42and we commented on that early in the fight.
01:12:44We could see it almost happening before our eyes
01:12:47like some kind of Hollywood magic
01:12:50in which a man suddenly grows a white beard
01:12:54and it gets longer and longer.
01:12:56And yet, despite all of that,
01:12:57he almost pulled it out.
01:13:00But he didn't.
01:13:01We had a great fight.
01:13:03And I trust that Evander Holyfield
01:13:05won't be around for this kind of activity much longer.
01:13:10And I just want to, once again,
01:13:12salute a great warrior.
01:13:15Yeah.
01:13:15And thank him for all the thrills
01:13:17that he provided over the years.
01:13:18Along with our congratulations, of course, to Riddick Bowe,
01:13:21who moves his record up to 37-1
01:13:24and adds a credential that no other fighter can claim to have,
01:13:29a knockout victory over Evander Holyfield.
01:13:32So once again, it was a thrill-packed, exciting fight
01:13:36in which both fighters landed a lot of power shots.
01:13:39Riddick Bowe ultimately landing the decisive blow,
01:13:42a hard right hand that put Evander Holyfield down
01:13:46for only the third time in his career
01:13:47and led ultimately to a 58-second TKO of Holyfield
01:13:52in the eighth round.
01:13:55Riddick Bowe wins the battle
01:13:57between the two best active heavyweights in the division.
01:14:02Bowe Holyfield 3, the main event,
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