Holyfield entered the ring undefeated at 28-0 as the WBA, WBC, and IBF heavyweight champion. In this ring stands the undefeated 31-0 Bowe, who is 30 pounds lighter than the champion and intends to use every bit of that.
Although he had lost to George Foreman and Larry Holmes, critics doubted that those victories were comparable to older opponents. His struggle with Bert Cooper also raised doubts about whether the champion was starting to slip.
Bowe's size and reach started paying dividends early on. He used his 30-pound weight advantage and eight-inch reach limit to dominate most exchanges, forcing Holyfield to fight inside.
The challenger mixed in right hands and body combinations, winning most of the exchanges while forcing Holyfield to fight with Bowe's speed. Holyfield had success with short counts and flurries, but Bowe landed consistently through the first nine rounds.
Holyfield's right eye was swollen in the middle of the session, but he continued to advance despite the heavy punishment.
The battle reached another level in the tenth.
Bowe surprised Holyfield with a right uppercut and followed up with a steady attack that put the champion in serious trouble. Holyfield landed a flurry of punches without landing before connecting late in the round with combinations that backed up Bowe for a while. The spectacular exchange won The Ring magazine's Ring of the Year award in 1992.
Bowe regained control in the eleventh, hurting Holyfield again before scoring the only goal of the war with a right hand. Holyfield hit the count and survived, but going into the final round he needed a knockout to retain his titles.
The champion threw forward for the twelfth time with everything he had left, but Bowe remained steady. Using the jab, movement, and well-timed elbows, he slowed down Holyfield's attacks with desperation and sealed the biggest win of his career.
The judges scored the fight 117-110, 117-110, and 115-112, giving Bowe a unanimous decision and handing Holyfield the first loss of his professional career.
The victory made Bowe the undisputed heavyweight champion, but his reign did not live up to the expectations of many. Rather than face mandatory challenger Lennox Lewis, Bowe famously relinquished the WBC title by throwing the belt in the trash can, a decision that has followed him throughout his career. Although he successfully defended the WBA and IBF titles before splitting two fights with Holyfield, many believe that the first fight represented Bowe's peak.
Holyfield lost the titles that night, but his willingness to stand up and trade as a heavyweight naturally added to his reputation as one of boxing's toughest champions.
Their first meeting earned The Ring magazine's Fight of the Year award in 1992 and remains one of the heavyweight championship fights of the modern era.
