He handed Wilfred Benitez his first defeat for Ring and WBC honors, then later avenged his first loss to regain the welterweight title by forcing Roberto Duran to surrender in the storied “No Mas” fight. On the way to winning his first title, Leonard went 8-0 against opposition ranked from junior welterweight to middleweight. Blessed with speed, power and killer instinct, Leonard started to test contenders in his 14th bout. Olympic team, Leonard would develop into the biggest star of his time and the best of one of the toughest welterweight fields ever assembled. One of five gold medalists on the famed 1976 U.S. His victories over Thomas Hearns and Marvin Hagler were Ring’s 19 Fights of the Year. Sugar Ray Leonard was Ring’s 1979 Fighter of the Year and 1981 co-Fighter of the Year (with Salvador Sanchez). Ring Magazine Championships: Welterweight (1979-80, 80-82), Jr. James Toney TKO by 9 – (1-) – Cruiser – 01/04įirst Ring Ranking: #8 Welterweight (November 1978) Riddick Bowe TKO by 8 – (1) – Hvy – 01/96 Ossie Ocasio TKO 11 – (8) – Cruiser – KO Mag 11/87ĭwight Muhammad Qawi KO 4 – (2) – Cruiser – KO Mag 03/88Ĭarlos De Leon TKO 8 – (2) – Cruiser – KO Mag 07/88 Rickey Parkey TKO 3 – (4) – Cruiser – KO Mag 09/87 Henry Tillman TKO 7 – (5) – Cruiser – 05/87 While all would feature prominently in the rankings before or after facing Holyfield, Alex Stewart, Ray Mercer and John Ruiz were all unranked when Holyfield defeated them.Īnthony Davis TKO 4 – (10) – Cruiser – 02/86ĭwight Muhammad Qawi SD 15 – (1) – Cruiser – 09/86 Regardless, history recalls Holyfield as a three-time lineal champion in two weight classes, along with partial unification of belts in a third heavyweight title reign and an additional title after the loss to Lewis. The draw in the first Lewis fight, a decision Lewis appeared to deserve, gives a slight boost to Holyfield as the official outcome. If it had been Foreman, Lewis would have been the defending Ring champion by the time of the Holyfield fights. His win over Tyson would not have the man who beat the man would likely have been Foreman then (though current Ring rankings rules could have seen Foreman stripped). Holyfield would have won Ring titles for the victories over Douglas and Bowe as well. The 1987 decision to revert to the “original eight” weight classes discontinued the magazine’s recognition of De Leon before Holyfield got to him. Missing Quality: Changes in policy at The Ring cost Holyfield three Ring Magazine championships. His mark against ranked opposition at heavyweight would end up at 11-7-2. Altogether, Holyfield would feature in Ring’s top 10 at heavyweight from the July 1987 to August 1994 issues and then again from the October 1995 to January 2004 issues. 2 after a controversial draw in the first Lennox Lewis fight. Holyfield would hold the top spot for the last time from the February 1997 to July 1999 issues, dropping to No. Holyfield resumed the top spot after winning the Bowe rematch and regained it again after the first defeat of Tyson in 1996. 1 in the division when he suffered his first loss to Riddick Bowe. Holyfield was 6-0 against ranked heavyweights and was No. The bump was no matter, as Holyfield assumed the top spot after taking the title from Douglas. 1 contender to Mike Tyson and remained ranked right behind the recognized champion until Tyson’s shocking upset loss to Buster Douglas, after which Tyson became No. In the October 1988 issue, Holyfield became the No. 2 in the heavyweight rankings in the September 1987 issue after adding his second cruiserweight belt against Rickey Parkey, ultimately unifying the division against Carlos De Leon. With The Ring not recognizing the cruiserweight division after 1987, Holyfield rose to No. This included one of boxing’s last 15-round epics with Dwight Muhammad Qawi for Holyfield’s first title. Including supplemental ratings from KO magazine, Holyfield was 7-0 against ranked cruiserweights in his first 18 starts. Holyfield’s dominance of the cruiserweight division in the early part of his career helped legitimize the still-young division. Photo / Ring Magazine-GettyimagesĪnother member of the 1984 Olympic team, Holyfield settled for bronze before a decorated professional career in two weight classes. Riddick Bowe and Mike Tyson were Ring’s 19 Fights of the Year. Evander Holyfield was Ring’s 1987, 19 Fighter of the Year.
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