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“I Got Cracked”: Evander Holyfield Reveals the Hardest Puncher He Has Ever Faced; It’s Not Lennox Lewis, Mike Tyson, or Riddick Bowe

Published 12/10/2023, 1:55 PM EST

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via Imago

Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson fought twice in their boxing career. The former won both fights; one of them via disqualification because Tyson brutally bit his ear. However, it wasn’t Tyson or Lennox Lewis or even Riddick Bowe who punched him the hardest. Who could it be?

For Evander Holyfield, it was none other than George Foreman, whom he faced in 1991. This was discussed by Michael Jai White in a recent interview.

Evander Holyfield couldn’t believe what he was hit with

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YouTuber djvlad was talking to actor-director Michael Jai White on his channel, VladTV when they started discussing Evander Holyfield. Djvlad had recently interviewed the former heavyweight champion as well.

Recollecting his interview with Evander Holyfield, DJ Vlad said to Michael Jai White, “Yeah, well, I asked him about the George Foreman fight, and, of course, he won. But he said that’s the hardest he’s ever been hit.” Then, the clip cuts to a previous interview wherein Holyfield recounted the moment when he was hit by George Foreman. 

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The looping right, a weapon in Foreman’s arsenal, swung wide and struck him with a force that resonated long after the final bell. “I asked them, ‘What did he hit me with?’ I’m like, ‘All I know, I got cracked,'” Holyfield recalled during the interview.

Foreman’s looping right, Holyfield explained, is a sneaky maneuver that often caught his opponents off guard. “A looping right means you don’t see it because he threw it wide, and they come down, bam, like this,” Holyfield explained, emphasizing the suddenness of the strike. “So my hands up, and they come between them, bam, yeah,” said the four-time heavyweight champion. While Holyfield had successfully defeated Foreman, the latter surely left an impact.

Micheal Jai White reflected on his experience meeting Foreman after listening to Holyfield’s testimony. He mentioned being accompanied by a mutual friend of Foreman’s and being in the audience watching his fight against Michael Moorer.

Michael Jai White ringside at Foreman vs. Moorer

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Michael Jai White then shares his ringside perspective of George Foreman and reflects on Foreman’s humanity outside the ring. “We go to his room and he’s still in his trunks and everything else, on his knees, praying with his family and these are just folks, man.” To which DJ Vlad replied, “Ya and Holyfield’s the same way.”

Both the interviewer and Michael Jai White reflected on the gentlemanly nature of the two legendary heavyweights and their humanity despite being known to the world as professional brawlers. The interviewer, at one point, even referred to the four-time heavyweight champion as “a class act.”

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What do you think about George Foreman as a heavyweight champion? Do you think he is the hardest hitter boxing’s ever seen? Tell us in the comments below.

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Written by:

Simona Pereira

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"When life gets tough, put on your boxing gloves." Your friendly neighborhood Boxing writer at EssentiallySports who is deeply immersed in the electrifying world of boxing! I find myself captivated by the raw drama and warlike tendencies that make boxing so utterly thrilling. Each jab, each punch, and every knockout moment fuels my excitement and inspires my words.
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Edited by:

Gokul Pillai