A brief chronology of the 1990s heavyweight division (Boxing Documentary)

this is Rummy's corn [Music] at the conclusion of 1989 these with the top rated heavyweights according to Ring Magazine there are 10 names on the list but for most boxing fans only one name mattered the one at the top Mike Tyson was the baddest man on the planet at just 23 years old he was the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world having successfully unified the titles of all three major sanctioning bodies Tyson utilized an explosive style and devastating knockout power to capture the imagination of the boxing public his dominance from the late 80s was expected to continue well into the 90s the first heavyweight matchup of interest in the 90s was billed as the preacher and the puncher about that took place between former world champion George Foreman and former world title challenger Gerry Cooney all fighters had been on the comeback trail and neither was expected to make any serious noise but when they squared off against each other the boxing world took notice Foreman stopped Cooney in the second round dropping him once just before finishing him off with a powerful short left hook it was a victory that brought a lot of positive attention to big George's comeback efforts when undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson defended his titles against Buster Douglas it was expected to be nothing more than a mere formality in the lead-up to a highly anticipated showdown between Tyson and Evander Holyfield but instead of the early knockout for Tyson that most were expecting we got what was to this day arguably the biggest upset in the history of professional sports a perfect storm scenario involving the death of Buster Douglas mother and an overconfident Mike Tyson paved the way for the odds defying performance from Douglas who stopped Tyson in the 10th round the image of Tyson reaching for his mouthpiece as he was being counted out remains one of the most surreal moments in sports ever captured on film Buster Douglas had just become the new undisputed heavyweight champion of the world four months after losing the Douglas Mike Tyson made his return to the ring when he faced Henry Tillman in a match billed as the road back this card also featured big George Foreman on the undercard Foreman stopped jose Adilson Rodrigues in the second round of their fight to continue his winning streak on the comeback trail and in the main event Tyson made quick work of Tillman he stopped them towards the end of the first round with a big right hand and Tyson showed the boxing world he still had the ferocious power to be a force in the heavyweight division a lot of people still viewed Tyson is the best heavyweight in the world believing that he simply had an off night against Douglas when undisputed heavyweight champion Buster Douglas took on challenger Evander real-deal Holyfield it was immediately obvious that thug 'less wasn't as physically fit or mentally prepared as he'd been nine months earlier when he shocked the world against Mike Tyson Holyfield on the other hand appeared to be extremely well prepared physically and he quickly proved that he was also extremely well prepared mentally Holyfield stopped Douglas in round 3 with a beautifully timed counter right hand Evander Holyfield had just become the new undisputed heavyweight champion of the world he made boxing history by becoming the first box of ever unify all the major titles in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions rocky 5 was released in theaters on November 16 1990 it was by far the worst film in the rocky franchise the character of Tommy was portrayed by real-life up-and-coming prospect Tommy Morrison who received widespread attention in the boxing community for his role in the film the last notable fight of 1990 was the contest between Iron Mike Tyson and Alex Stewart it was billed as the hard way back but it wound up being an easy night's work for Iron Mike Tyson dropped Stewart three times in the first round prompting a halt to the bout with the three knockdown rule in effect with the victory placing it secured back-to-back first-round knockouts following his stunning loss at the hands of Buster Douglas at the conclusion of 1990 these were the top rated heavyweights according to Ring Magazine Evander Holyfield was the reigning undisputed heavyweight champion of the world but many observers still believed that Mike Tyson was the best in the division billed as the fight of the year the first significant heavyweight bout 1991 was between top rated contenders Mike Tyson and razor ruddock it wound up being a fiercely competitive matchup with both boxers landing some really nice power shots the fight was ultimately stopped towards the end of round 7 following a big combination from Tyson which prompted referee Richard Steele to call a halt to the contest despite the fact Roddick had remained on his feet so the fight concluded on a somewhat controversial note and most observers felt that Tyson and Roddick had unfinished business undisputed heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield defended his titles against former world champion George Foreman in a fight billed as the battle of the ages many onlookers believe that the 42 year old Foreman was simply too old and that he didn't belong in the ring with a young champion like Evander Foreman ultimately proved that he did belong making a pretty good account of himself in a losing effort Holyfield had made the first successful defense of his titles and Foreman proved that even at his advanced age he still had what it took to compete at the highest level Mike Tyson and razor ruddock would meet again in a fight billed as the rematch they were looking to settle unfinished business following the controversial stoppage in their first meeting and they were also fighting for the right to face undisputed heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield it was another hard-fought bout between Tyson and ruddy and this time there was no controversy the fight went the distance and Tyson won a unanimous decision on the scorecards so it looked as if the highly anticipated showdown between Holyfield and Tyson would finally happen just a little bit later than expected compliments of Buster Douglas on July 22nd Desiree Washington filed a complaint accusing Mike Tyson of rape a matchup featuring two undefeated up-and-coming heavyweights Ray Mercer and Tommy Morrison was billed as test of courage and that proved to be a fitting name for this classic encounter Morrison started the fight off strong and he looked good early but in the fifth round Mercer stopped Morrison with one of the most fierce and vicious knockout combinations the sport has ever captured on film it was an absolutely brutal assault Mercer lived up to his merciless moniker as he launched one big bomb after another with staggering precision Mercer's menacing Display of power made big waves on the heavyweight scene November 8th 1991 was the date that Mike Tyson was supposed to challenge Evander Holyfield for the undisputed heavyweight championship but Tyson had a pull out of the fight a few weeks before it was scheduled due to a rib injury with Tyson on the shelf for a rib injury Holyfield needed an opponent and his original replacement was Francesco Damiani but he suffered a foot injury just days before the fight so his a last-minute replacement Holyfield wound up defending his crown against Bert Cooper Cooper put forth a surprisingly spirited effort and he actually gave the champion a good run for his money but Holyfield ended matters in the seventh when he fired off a lengthy combination which prompted referee Mills Lane to call a halt to the contest at the conclusion of 1991 these were the top-rated heavyweights according to Ring Magazine Evander Holyfield was still the reigning undisputed heavyweight champion of the world fans were eager to see a mega bout between Holyfield and former champion Mike Tyson but Tyson's looming rape trial left things a little uncertain [Music] billed as the last stand undefeated contender Ray Mercer squared off against former heavyweight world champion Larry Holmes the winner of this fight was slated to get a crack at undisputed champion Evander Holyfield Holmes was once again on the comeback trail after having already twice retired previously and most observers weren't expecting much from the former champion against Mercer but the eastern assassin turned back the clock and he used every trick he knew to out craft outsmart and outbox is much younger opponent Holmes was awarded a unanimous decision victory and all of a sudden Larry found himself right back in the thick of things on March 26 1992 former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson received the six year prison sentence which he began serving in April of that year undisputed heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield defended the championship when he took on former world champion Larry Holmes and about billed as class of champions Holyfield proceeded to outwork and out-hustle his much older challenger and route to a unanimous decision victory it was the third time Holyfield had successfully defended the undisputed championship and for Holmes it was his third unsuccessful bid to regain the title since he suffered his first professional loss at the hands of Michael Spinks seven years earlier in a fight billed as the right for the fight razor ruddock squared off against undefeated contender Lennox Lewis in a WBC title eliminator that was the first matchup in a four-man tournament the winner of this bout was slated to get a crack at the winner of the upcoming title fight between Evander Holyfield and undefeated challenger Riddick but entering this four-man tournament ruddock is widely viewed as the favorite to win this largely stemmed from his two performances against the now incarcerated Iron Mike Tyson but despite expectations Roddick was no match for Lewis Lewis put on a magnificent display of power dropping Roddick three times inside of two rounds with the third knockdown prompting referee Joe Cortez to waive the fight off Lewis made a huge statement and officially earned himself a crack at the title against the winner of Holyfield bow which was now just two short weeks away in an instant classic in a fight that would ultimately be viewed as one of the best heavyweight title fights in the rich history of boxing Riddick Bowe captured the undisputed heavyweight championship when he defeated Evander Holyfield by unanimous decision in an absolute battle for the ages it was a tremendous back-and-forth action fight with a lot of dramatic shifts in momentum the epic 10th round is famously regarded as one of the greatest rounds of action ever it was a brave and gutsy effort from both fighters and a real crowd-pleaser for boxing fans around the world Riddick Bowe had just become the new undisputed heavyweight champion of the world about a month after becoming the undisputed champion Riddick Bowe and Lennox Lewis were unable to reach an agreement Oh fake Aidid the WBC title literally throwing the title belt into a trash can on December 14 1992 the WBC declared that Lennox Lewis was their new heavyweight champion at the conclusion of 1992 these were the top rated heavyweights according to Ring Magazine riddick bowe is the reigning unified WBA IBF champion and he was widely regarded as the best in the division Lennox Lewis was the WBC champion even though he did not win that title inside the ring merciless Ray Mercer was featured on the undercard of a heavyweight championship bout between unified WBA IBF champion Riddick Bowe and former Titleist Michael Doakes Mercer had what was expected to be a tune-up bout against Jesse the boogeyman Ferguson the plan was to set the stage for a big showdown between Bo and Mercer later that year but the boogeyman had other plans and he was able to control most of the fight and was awarded a unanimous decision victory in a huge upset there were allegations that Mercer had attempted to offer a mid-fight bribe to the boogeyman to take a dice Mercer was charged and ultimately acquitted of bribery charges the following year meanwhile riddick bowe took care of business and impressive fashion as he battered Doakes in a total mismatch stopping the former champion by technical first-round knockout Lennox Lewis made the first successful defense of his WBC title when he took on former Titleist Tony Tucker in a match billed as star-spangled glory Lewis dropped Tucker twice and route to a unanimous decision victory it was a good performance from Lennox but since Lewis had never won a title inside the ring he was still living in the shadow of the universally recognized champion Riddick Big Daddy Bo billed as the heavyweight the be unified wva IBF heavyweight champion riddick bowe took on Jesse the boogeyman Ferguson this one was expected to be a one sided mismatch and that is exactly what it turned out to be the only reason Ferguson even received the opportunity was because he had already derailed plans for beau to face Ray Mercer the boogeyman was no match for Big Daddy beau the reigning heavyweight champion made quick work of Ferguson dropping him to end the first and finishing him off not long into the second Oh now had two successful title defenses but both were against lightly regarded challengers former heavyweight world champion George Foreman and Tommy Morrison would square off against one another and about billed as star spangled battle which was totally lacking in originality giving the fact that the bout between Lennox Lewis and Tony Tucker just a few months earlier was called star spangled glory Morrison abandon his typically aggressive style instead deciding to stick move and box against his older slower opponent the strategy work and Morrison was awarded a unanimous decision victory against big George WBC heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis took on fellow British boxer Frank Bruno who in the lead-up to the bout described the champion as being quote not British noting that Lewis had fought under the Canadian banner at the Olympics Games this led to some heightened tensions that manifested during the bout where both fighters put forth a spirited effort in round 7 Lewis staggered Bruno with a big left hand which led to a flurry of unanswered shots that ultimately led to Bruno's demise it was the second successful defense of the WBC belt for Lewis but he was still widely regarded as nothing more than your belt holder and he remained deep in the shadow of Riddick Big Daddy bow the highly anticipated rematch between unified WBA IBF heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe and former undisputed champion Evander Holyfield took place almost exactly one year after their first encounter and it was fittingly billed as Ricky or revenge Holyfield teamed up with trainer Emanuel Steward for the rematch and this time around instead of trying to fight fire with fire Holyfield played to his own strengths more as he attempted to outbox the bigger champion this fight is infamously known for the incident involving the so called fan man which caused the 21 minute delay in the action it was a close and competitive affair and when the judges final scorecards were read Holyfield would narrowly edged Bo out by a razor-thin majority decision Evander Holyfield had just become the new unified WBA IBF heavyweight champion of the world making him a two-time champion meanwhile trainer Emanuel Steward began what would become an impressive run of success in heavyweight championship contests at the conclusion of 1993 these were the top-rated heavyweights according to Ring Magazine Evander Holyfield was the reigning unified WBA IBF champion and he was widely regarded as the best in the division Lennox Lewis was the reigning WBC champion when unified WBA IBF champion Evander Holyfield went up against Michael war he was facing his mandatory challenger for both sanctioning bodies Holyfield and more battled it out in a competitive affair and the judges ultimately scored the bout as a majority decision victory for the Challenger Holyfield was hospitalized after the bout and diagnosed with a heart condition he retired five days later although his retirement would be short-lived as the result of a misdiagnosis meanwhile Michael Moore had just become the new unified WBA IBF heavyweight champion of the world he made boxing history by becoming the first-ever southpaw to become heavyweight champion WBC heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis made the third successful defense of his title with a dominant performance against Phil Jackson Lewis dropped Jackson three times the last of which resulted from a tremendous combination prompting referee Arthur Mercante the senior to call a halt to the contest with the victory it appeared that Lennox Lewis was finally beginning to emerge from the shadows of Riddick Bowe and the now retired Evander Holyfield in June Lewis and Bowe had finally agreed to terms for a bout that was anticipated to take place the following year and either March or April that summer beau had his first bout since dropping his titles to Holyfield his opponent was Buster Mathis jr. in the fourth round Mathis dropped one knee and beau proceeded to land a big right hand while he was down Mathis couldn't continue and the bout was ultimately ruled a no contest by referee Arthur Mercante the senior when Oliver McCall challenged Lennox Lewis for the WBC title most observers weren't giving the Emanuel Steward train injure much of a chance this was expected to be nothing more than a tune-up bout for Lewis in the lead-up to his highly anticipated showdown against riddick bowe in the second round Lewis attempted to bro a right hand which McCall countered with a crisply timed right hand of his own that dropped the champion Lewis beat the count and rose to his feet on very unsteady legs he looked extremely wobbly and the referee decided he had seen enough and called a halt to the match it was over Oliver McCall had just become the new WBC heavyweight champion of the world in a bout billed as one for the ages unified WBA IBF champion Michael Moore took on former world champion George Foreman throughout most of the contests the 26-year old champion was able to easily control the action against his 45 year-old challenger in round 10 Foreman started finding the mark with his right hand before ultimately delivering the big right hand that would make boxing history when he dropped his younger foe for the 10 count at 45 years old Foreman had become the oldest fighter to ever win a world heavyweight title this historic win would start a chain reaction of events that would soon lead to a state of disarray in the heavyweight landscape against all the odds George Foreman had just become the new unified WBA IBF heavyweight champion of the world becoming a two-time champion in the process at a press conference for a fight between four undisputed heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe and undefeated challenger Larry Donald the two had exchanged words before beau suddenly struck Donald with a two punch combination the fight itself wasn't nearly as explosive the former champion outclassed Donald to earn himself a unanimous decision victory at the conclusion of 1994 these were the top rated heavyweights according to Ring Magazine George Foreman was the reigning unified WBA IBF champion while Oliver McCall was the reigning WBC champion with Foreman's advanced age and McCall sudden rise from obscurity the division was seen as a wide open playing field adding to the uncertainty and making things even more interesting was the fact that former undisputed world champion Mike Tyson was expected to be released from prison sometime soon early in the year George Foreman was stripped of a WBA version of the heavyweight title the WBA title was then up for grabs when Bruce Seldon defeated Tony Tucker for the vacant strap that fight was part of a doubleheader that featured another heavyweight title bout in the main event when WBC heavyweight champion Oliver McCall made the first successful defense of his belt when he defeated former longtime champion Larry Holmes by a close but unanimous decision in a fight billed as celebration IBF champion George Foreman took on virtually unknown challenger axel Schultz on this night the 46 year old champion really started showing his age Shultz fought a smart fight and was able the trouble Foreman with his movement and quickness Foreman was declared the winner by two of the three judges with the third judge scoring the bout a draw rendering a majority decision victory for the champion this was a highly controversial decision where many people felt Schultz deserved but not given the controversial nature of the outcome the IBF ordered an immediate rematch to take place Foreman would instead relinquish his claim on the IBF belt rendering it vacant former undisputed heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson made his long-awaited return to the squared circle following his prison sentence when he took on unknown journeyman keener McNealy this was Tyson's first bout since he won his rematch against razor ruddock more than four years earlier as expected Tyson made quick work of McNelly stopping his overmatched opponent in the first round Iron Mike Tyson was officially back when wvc heavyweight champion Oliver McCall took on perennial contender Frank Bruno the winner would be contractually obliged to take on Mike Tyson Bruno used an intelligent jab to set the pace and he proved to be the busier and stronger fighter on this night Bruno emerged victorious winning a comfortable unanimous decision on the scorecards Frank Bruno had just become the new WBC heavyweight champion of the world former WBC champion Lennox Lewis took on Tommy Morrison and a matchup that had been brewing for some time before finally taking place Louis dominated Morrison dropping him four times the last of which prompted referee Mills Lane to wave it off in round six the following February Morrison tested positive for HIV effectively ending his career in professional boxing for Lewis this was his third consecutive victory all inside the distance since losing his title to Oliver McCall the previous year in a fight billed as the final chapter former undisputed heavyweight world champions Riddick Bowe and Evander Holyfield did battle for the third and final time in the rubber match of what would ultimately be known as one of the greatest trilogies in heavyweight history this was the only time these two had squared off without any major world titles on the line the fight was a brutal affair with a couple of significant shifts in momentum along the way Holyfield dropped beau hard in the sixth round and beau would return the favor in round 8 when he caught an attacking Holyfield with a big right hand counter Holyfield beat the count but the damage had already been done Poole is an assassin riddick bowe proceeded to quickly drop Holyfield again prompting referee Joe Cortez to stop the contest a month later Axl Schultz faced Francois Botha for the vacant IBF title otha was awarded a split decision victory but following the fight he tested positive for a banned substance is about which Schultz was then declared a no contest and the IBF title was once again vacant the cap off the year former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson had his second bout since being released from prison when he took on Buster Mathis jr. Tyson dropped Mathis in round 3 after landing a couple of really nice uppercuts Mathis was unable to beat the count and Tyson had now scored his second consecutive knockout victory during his comeback at the conclusion of 1995 these were the top-rated heavyweights according to Ring Magazine Bruce Alvin was the reigning WBA champion Frank Bruno was the reigning WBC champion the IBF title was vacant and George Foreman still had a rightful claim as the lineal heavyweight champion meanwhile even though he wasn't officially recognized as a world champion by any of the major sanctioning bodies riddick bowe is widely considered the best heavyweight on the planet HBO's night of the young heavyweights provided boxing fans an up-close look at six highly touted prospects of the time in the first bout david suah electrified the audience with an explosive knockout win against John Ruiz the bout lasted just 19 seconds it was a great win for Sula whose devastating Display of power made boxing fans take notice in the next bout the highly touted Shannon Briggs squared off against Darrell Wilson going into the bout many observers viewed Briggs as the heir apparent to the heavyweight throne but Wilson had other plans Wilson scored a surprising upset victory with a third-round technical knockout in the main event of the evening polish contender Andrew Golota was pitted against the Nell doc Nicholson after a sluggish first round Galata dominated the action outclassing Nicholson with a blend of skills and power before the bout was stopped at the end of the eighth round with the victory Colada had established himself as a serious contender but some questions still remain largely stemming from the fact the Lauda had deliberately head-butted Nicholson even though he was clearly winning the fight when WBC heavyweight champion Frank Bruno had his rematch with former undisputed champion Mike Tyson the roles were reversed with Tyson in the role of the Challenger their first encounter was just over seven years ago and given Tyson's dominant effort stopping Bruno in five rounds the first time most observers were expecting a similar outcome this time and those embracing the majority outlook were quickly proven correct in the third round Tyson unleashed a massive combination of unanswered punches which prompted referee Mills lien to call a halt to the action Mike Tyson had just become the new WBC heavyweight champion of the world the victory made him a two-time champion this being the first time he held that distinction since suffering his shocking loss at the hands of Buster Douglas more than six years earlier on the main event of an HBO triple header Lennox Lewis faced off against Ray Mercer and what would turn out to be a very entertaining encounter Louis was the WBC number one contender at the time but Tyson's promoter Don King paid Louis's sum of four million dollars in step aside money as part of this deal Lewis was scheduled to face Riddick Bowe later that year in September beau and Lewis were each permitted interim fights before their big date with Lewis taking on Mercer and beau scheduled to face Andrew Golota the two former gold medalists battled it out in ten grueling rounds of action they traded hard shots throughout the contest with many momentum shifts along the way Lewis ultimately escaped with a razor-thin majority decision victory and this was a somewhat controversial call where a lot of people believed Mercer had deserved the win Lewis maintained his mandatory status and at the same time Mercer stock had risen with the strong show six weeks later former unified champion Michael Moore took on Axl Schultz for the vacant IBF strap this was the third fight in a row Schultz competed for this belt the first time he had dropped the controversial decision to George Foreman the second time he had lost against Francois Botha for the bacon belt but when both the tested positive for steroids afterwards that one was declared a no contest Schultz would once again fall short for his efforts losing a split decision this time around michael moore had just become the new IBF champion of the world making him a two-time heavyweight champion when former undisputed heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe faced Andrew Golota in a fight billed as Big Daddy's home it was expected to be a stepping stone from Bowe leading into the longtime highly anticipated showdown between him and Lennox Lewis all that stood in the way was galata but the polish contender proved to be more polished and skilled than most were expecting even though he wasn't a champion beau was still widely regarded as the best heavyweight in the world but galata was consistently winning the battle of the jabs and he used the septa Lee quick hand speed to rattle beau with short blistering combinations Galata was also doing a good job working the body but he was having trouble keeping his punches above the belt line Gallardo was worn for throwing low blows in round su and also again in round 3 he was deducted a point for a low blow in round 4 then another point in round 6 and then yet another a third point in round 7 whenever galata wasn't breaking the rules he was dominating both but galata couldn't resist throwing low and another low blow later in the seventh round caused Bo to double over in pain prompting referee Wayne Kelly to disqualify Andrew Golota after the fight was called off a member of Bo's corner attacked Kawada and a riot ensued at Madison Square Garden at the time of the disqualification the Lauda was ahead on all three judges scorecards when WBC champion Mike Tyson face WBA champion Bruce Seldon in about billed as the championship part soo it wasn't officially recognized as a unification bout the WBC didn't sanction the back so only Selden's WBA title was on the line Tyson made quick work of self stopping him in the first round - cries of fix from the disappointed crowd in attendance Mike Tyson had just become the new WBA heavyweight champion of the world and would shortly after relinquish his claim to the WBC crown rather than face their number one mandatory contender Lennox Lewis instead Tyson was looking in the direction of a fight that had been very long in the making a little over two months after winning the WBA title Mike Tyson took on challenger Evander Holyfield in a battle of former undisputed champions the fight was duly billed as finally a reference to the three prior occasions when it would be showdowns between Tyson and Holyfield were derailed first following Tyson shocking upset loss at the hands of Buster Douglas next because of a rib injury suffered by Tyson and then again when Tyson was sentenced to prison Tyson had started the fight aggressively per his trademark but Holyfield soon made adjustments and was able to out think an out muscled Tyson this trend continued as the rounds progressed and Holyfield started countering Tyson's wild shots with crisply timed counters the fight was ultimately stopped after a barrage of unanswered shots from Holyfield in round 11 Evander Holyfield had just become the new WBA heavyweight champion of the world scoring a major upset to become a three-time heavy a champion a feat that had only been achieved previously by Muhammad Ali on the undercard IBF champion Michael Moore had made a successful defense when he scored a 12th round stoppage against Francois Botha there was heightened security for the rematch between former undisputed champion Riddick Bowe and Andrew Golota as a result of the riot that erupted at the conclusion of their first encounter in Madison Square Garden the rematch was supposed to resolve matters and settle unfinished business but instead the fight wound up turning into a brutal repeat of their first encounter that left fans with more questions than answers the fight was an absolute war with back-and-forth action that saw both fighters hit the canvas after dropping beau with an absolutely brutal combination in round five Galata had seized control of the momentum and proceeded to batter beau with a snappy jab and short powerful combinations that rocked beau time and time again once again Galata had trouble fighting inside the rules he was warned and penalized several times throughout the fight before ultimately being disqualified once again in round nine following a vicious three-punch combination below the belt wide at the time of the disqualification Galata was once again ahead on all three judges scorecards just as he had been the first time he was disqualified against beau it was a strange ending to one of the most bizarre rivalries in boxing history at the conclusion of 1996 these were the top-rated heavyweights according to Ring Magazine Evander Holyfield was the reigning WBA champion Michael Moore was the reigning IBF the WBC title was vacant and George Foreman was technically still the lineal Heavyweight Champion even though it had been over a year since he held a major world title in January 1997 former undisputed heavyweight world champion Riddick Bowe enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve he ended up being allowed to leave after just ten days of training and what announced his retirement from professional boxing a few months later he was 29 years old almost two and a half years after their first encounter Lennox Lewis and Oliver McCall would meet again in a rematch the WBC title which had been recently vacated by Mike Tyson was officially on the line this time around Emanuel Stewart was in the other corner of Lennox Lewis the two had been working together ever since Stewart trained and prepared McCall to beat Lewis in their first fight McCall had been having personal and legal troubles outside the ring leading up to the fight and these problems followed him into the ring that night as the rounds progressed McCall began behaving in a bizarre manner refusing to throw punches turning his back to Lewis refusing to return to his corner and at one point even breaking down into tears after a couple of rounds of this unusual display referee Mills Lane had decided he had seen enough and called a halt to the contest in round five Lennox Lewis had just become the new WBC heavyweight champion of the world becoming a two-time champion in the process when rising contender David suah went up against relatively unknown prospect Oleg mascius a lot of people were comparing suah to a young Mike Tyson but to is struggled with the inexperienced prospect and masky have appeared to dominate much of the fight by controlling the action with his jab and keeping sua at range it was a game effort from mascius but to his power eventually bailed him out when he caught mass kiev with an excellent combination that included several mean left hooks two months later sua would return to action when he took on another promising prospect by the name of aitai de Buci - an IV of boots he traded clubbing shots for 12 action-packed rounds to the delight of boxing fans everywhere the two combatants would set a copy box record for punches thrown in a heavyweight bout 1730 punches IB Buchi also set the coffeeboxx record for most individual punches thrown with 975 it was an extremely competitive affair that could have gone either way but the judges ultimately ruled in favor of Ivo Buchi awarding him the unanimous decision where Ike's high-volume punchy won the day over to is more powerful but less frequent onslaught in about billed as the sound and the fury reigning WBA heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield had his highly anticipated rematch against former undisputed champion Iron Mike Tyson this fight would infamously go on to be known as the bike fight after Tyson Holyfield not once but twice he bit him twice and following the second bite there was some mayhem and confusion referee Mills Lane ultimately disqualified Tyson and this seemed to enrage the former champion as chaos ensued as a result of his actions Tyson's boxing license was revoked by the Nevada State Athletic and he was fine three million dollars after Lennox Lewis regained the WBC heavyweight title in his bizarre rematch with Oliver McCall he made one successful defense against Henry Aachen one day before squaring off against highly regarded contender Andrew Golota galata was coming off back-to-back disqualification losses against the now retired Riddick Bowe but despite the losing efforts a lotta had exhibited a great deal of skill talent and aggression Lewis and galata both seemed fairly evenly matched going in and observers were split on who they believed would win to the surprise of many it took Lewis only 95 seconds to secure a first round stoppage over the feared polish fighter it was a tremendous display of speed power timing and accuracy from the champion Lewis was never able to secure the highly coveted professional bout between him and longtime rival Riddick Bowe but he did just obliterate the man who effectively sent Bo into retirement in a heavyweight title unification bout WBA heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield an IBF champion Michael Moore squared off in a rematch Moore had won their first encounter by a majority decision Holyfield was able to avenge his earlier loss dropping more four times in the process the fight was stopped after the eighth round when ringside physician Flip lamanski had decided Moore should not continue it was a technical knockout victory for Evander and this built on the momentum he had established following his back-to-back victories over the now suspended Iron Mike Tyson when lineal heavyweight champion George Foreman took on Shannon Briggs it had been two and a half years since Foreman officially held a major world title after vacating the the F title he had two nondescript decision victories against Crawford Grimsley and Lou Savarese meanwhile Briggs was trying to rebuild his career following the major setback he suffered at the hands of Darrell Wilson the previous year over the course of 12 rounds according to Compubox foreman out landed briggs and had a considerably better connect rate but the official judges did not see things Foreman's way and Briggs was awarded a majority decision victory the decision was controversial and many observers believed Foreman had done enough to deserve the way this turned out to be the final fight in the long and illustrious career of big George Foreman Shannon Briggs had just become the new lineal heavyweight champion of the world at the conclusion of 1997 these were the top rated heavyweights according to Ring Magazine Evander Holyfield was the reigning unified WBA IBF champion Lennox Lewis was the reigning WBC champion and Shannon Briggs was the lineal heavyweight champion Holyfield and Lewis had established themselves as the top two heavyweights in the world and a showdown between the two seemed all but inevitable in a fight billed as March badness WBC heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis went up against the lineal heavyweight champion Shannon Briggs it was an explosive action-packed fight Briggs was able to hurt Lewis early on and he followed that up with a furious assault in an effort to end things quickly Briggs seemed on the verge of a major upset but Lewis persevered and regained his composure Lewis would turn the tide in his favor when he scored two brutal knock downs in the fourth round breaks fought on bravely but Lewis would drop Briggs hard a third time in the fifth round somehow Briggs managed to beat the count but at this point the damage had already been done Lewis would continue his relentless assault and Briggs collapsed for a fourth and final time before the referee called the stop to the contest with the victory Lennox Lewis had just become the new lineal heavyweight champion of the world unified WBA IBF heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield defended his titles against IBF mandatory Vaughn beam in a bout billed as the power and the glory Holyfield and previously been scheduled to face his WBA mandatory Henry aachen one day but I can one day was diagnosed with hepatitis B and that fight was ultimately cancelled for his part he made a pretty good account of himself against the champion and Holyfield didn't seem as sharp as he'd been in his previous three victories against Michael Moore and twice against Mike Tyson Holyfield dropped an off-balance being with an uppercut in the 10th and he went on to win a unanimous decision this was the third consecutive defense for Holyfield since reclaiming a portion of the heavyweight crown in his first bout against ice one week later in a match billed as battle of the Giants WBC heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis took on his relatively unknown mandatory challenger Zeljko maverick Louis was able to control the action for most of the fight but maverick proved to have a solid chin and an awkward style he was able to make Lewis look extremely uncomfortable at times and he had more than his fair share of successful moments during the fight all three judges scored the bout in favor of Lewis but the champion had looked less than spectacular while earning himself a unanimous decision a month later Lewis and Holyfield to come to terms and were scheduled to meet the following year and looked as if we would finally have an undisputed heavyweight world champion for the first time since Riddick Bowe back in 1992 after winning a gold medal in the super heavyweight division at the 1996 Olympics Vladimir Klitschko turned pro and compiled an impressive record to start his professional career he was widely viewed as the greatest up-and-coming young prospect in boxing Vladimir's first and still only fight in his home country of ukraine was against journeyman ross purity Klitschko dominated purity but as the rounds progressed Klitschko's inexperience began to show and he started to look visibly tired inside the ring pure-d had endured tremendous punishment up until this point but he was able to rally back and turn the tables to take advantage of Klitschko state of exhaustion Klitschko's corner ultimately threw in the towel representing a major setback for the promising young prospect in an IBF heavyweight title eliminator David Sewell was pitted against undefeated Hasim Rahman who has struggled badly against Rahman who was able to control the distance by staying at range and using an intelligent jab the power plunging Samoan was having difficulties getting inside the jab which is where he wanted to be in order to find opportunities to land his devastating power shots - it did eventually catch up the rahman landing a big left hook that rocked him with just seconds left in the 9th round till followed this up with a flurry and landed another huge left hook which the referee ruled had come after the bell Rahman never really recovered from that and Toole was able to end matters in the 10th to become the new IBF mandatory challenger at the conclusion of 1998 these were the top rated heavyweights according to Ring Magazine Evander Holyfield was the reigning unified WBA IBF champion Lennox Lewis was the reigning WBC champion and also the lineal heavyweight champion Holyfield and Lewis were headed for a showdown for heavyweight supremacy former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson made his first return to the ring following his suspension from the bike fight his opponent was Francois Botha at one point early in the fight Tyson had grabbed the hold of both his arm which briefly caused things to get a little out of hand before referee Richard Steele could finally separate the two boxers Tyson looked extremely rusty on this night and also put forth a very spirited effort as he clearly outbox Tyson for the first four rounds Olfa continued fighting well in the fifth but as the round was drawing to a close Tyson landed a quick bomb of a right hand that sent both the crashing down oppan was unable to beat the camp and Mike Tyson's comeback got off to a bizarre but winning started when unified WBA IBF heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield took on WBC and lineal heavyweight champion Lennox Louis it was a fight for all the marbles the winner of this Batman's with a newly crowned undisputed heavyweight world champion or would it Lewis and Holyfield both fought with a fairly cautious approach that lasted the full 12 round ratio this approach favored Lewis who was able to score more consistently by using his jab and staying on the outside Holyfield needed to take more chances to win and he didn't Lewis clearly out Buxton with a safety-first approach the judges however saw things differently and the fight was inexplicably ruled a draw as a result of the controversy both boxers kept their respective titles even though the large majority of viewers believed Lewis did more than enough to deserve the victory when rising prospect viele Klitschko took WBO champion herby hide let's go at amassed an impressive undefeated record with all 24 of his victories coming inside the distance the WBO is still considered a minor title at this time the elder cliffs Co made a huge statement stopping hide in the second round Vitaly Klitchko had just become the new WBO title holder which helped improve the stock of his family name following his brother's unexpected loss to Ross purity Mike Tyson returned to action when he took on Orlin Norris in a fight that would only last one round after the bell sounded to end the first tyson landed a left hand that dropped norris referee Richard Steele deducted two points from Tyson for the infraction prior to the start of round su Norris told ringside physician Flip Polanski that he had injured his knee during the fall and that he could not continue the bout was ruled a no contest and Tyson once again found himself in a spotlight of controversy Hasim Rahman and Oleg masse Kiev battled it out in a fight where each boxer was looking to rebound and make a statement both had suffered fairly recent losses at the hands of David sulla in fights they had been winning it was an entertaining match where Rahman and mass Kiev were both looking to accomplish similar things to be effective they both traded back and forth with each man having moments of success in round II mass Kiev landed a monster blistering overhand right that sent Rahman through the ropes and over the announcers table were a monitor and other equipment came crashing down on the Fallen fighter a little bit of chaos broke out but Rahman was unable to beat the 20 count resulting in an impressive knockout win for mass Kiev that sent waves throughout the heavyweight landscape a week later unified WBA IBF heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield had his rematch with WBC and lineal heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis in many ways this fight was eerily similar to the first encounter with the exception that Holyfield did a little bit better this time around and took a few more chances along the way Lewis seemed content simply out pointing Holyfield and given the controversial verdict in their first encounter Lewis incredibly had no real sense of urgency the fight was more competitive this time around and even though Holyfield fared a little better he still was unable to do enough to win the fight Lewis was named the winner by unanimous decision and Lennox Lewis had just become the new undisputed heavyweight champion of the world one week after Lennox Lewis had become the undisputed heavyweight world champion the last big heavyweight matchup for the 90s took place between Michael grant and Andrew Golota grant was undefeated and considered by many to be the heir apparent of the heavyweight crown now in the sole possession of Louis the lada meanwhile had racked up six victories in a row following his first round loss to Louis two years earlier Galata represented a big step up in class for grant and it showed in the opening round when galata dropped grant with a thunderous right hand Galata dropped grant once again in the opening stanza and he went on to outbox Grant and dominate most of the action in a roughhouse affair grant would go on to drop galata in the 10th round and after rising to his feet before the 10-count Galata informed referee randy newman that he did not wish to continue and michael grant was awarded a 10th round technical knockout when at the conclusion of the 1990s these were the top rated heavyweights according to rain magazine Lennox Lewis was the reigning undisputed heavyweight champion of the world the 90s had ended like they had started with an undisputed champion Mike Tyson was the dominant force entering the 90s and Lewis was the dominant force ending the 90s for a variety of reasons the two never squared off against each other during that amazing heavyweight era the two did eventually meet in 2002 Lewis dominated Tyson before ultimately stopping him in round eight while the 1990s were technically over the clash between Louis and Tyson acted as a symbolic final chapter that brought an unofficial ending to the 90s heavyweight landscape the 1990s was an amazing time for heavyweight boxing it may not have been the greatest decade in boxing history but if it wasn't it's on a very short list I'd like to personally thank each and every boxer who made the 1990s such a magical time to be a fan of heavyweight boxing thanks for all the memories [Music] you

Channel: Rummy's Corner

Views: 4,178,731

Rating: 4.7998314 out of 5

Keywords: boxing, boxing documentary, heavyweight boxing, Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield, Riddick Bowe, George Foreman, Michael Moorer, Shannon Briggs, David Tua, Andrew Golota, Ray Mercer, Larry Holmes, Oleg Maskaev, Hasim Rahman, Ike Ibeabuchi, Razor Ruddock, Oliver McCall, Tommy Morrison

Id: GF2jfzBaDWo

Length: 62min 56sec (3776 seconds)

Published: Mon Feb 13 2017

Reddit Comments

[u/OkMess9901]

Cracker video by Rummy this. Hope he does more like this.

[u/bone_druid]

Everyone else got fight faces, meanwhile lennox buster and george look like they takin a pic with their mom at her birthday party

[u/Gigantonigro]

Have seen it probably around a dozen times. It‘s honestly surprising how after a lot of time of broken up titles in the nineties they finally got unified again at the end of it.

[u/lucabrasi911]

One of the best video around. I suggest you guys watch another video from the same channel, it's a phone Interview with the great Manny Steward, I believe it's about 1 hour and a half long but I swear it feels like 5 minutes. Starts with Dempsey and ends with an interesting prophecy and some good points on Fury.

[u/EfficiencyItchy5658]

Golden years for heavyweight boxing

[u/Bobo_Balde2]

Mostly nostalgia and being made out to be a lot better than it was by people who did not live through the time period

[u/Paper_Rain]

The golden era of boxing that'd never return. Enjoy the nostalgia for what it is.

[u/guesschess]

It's the era I grew up watching. Boxing really is going through a talent lull right now.

[u/guesschess]

There were some weird/fishy fights and decisions back then.