Evander Holyfield says his first victory over Dwight Muhammad Qawi ranks above his wins against Mike Tyson and Riddick Bowe as the greatest night of his career.
Holyfield defeated Qawi by split decision in 1986 to win the WBA cruiserweight title after a brutal 15-round battle. Before that night, he had never fought beyond eight rounds.
“I feel my greatest night in the ring was my fight against Dwight Muhammad Qawi,” Holyfield said. “That was 15 rounds and, at the time, I had not gone past eight rounds.”
The former two-division champion admitted he was already exhausted by the fourth round, leaving him with another 11 rounds against an experienced and difficult opponent.
“That fight was like a marathon,” Holyfield said. “He was so cagey. He had a great defence and he threw lots of punches as well.”
Holyfield later defeated Qawi again by fourth-round stoppage in 1987, but it was their first meeting that he believes tested him more than any other victory of his career.
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