Evander Holyfield vs. Michael Moorer II
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Date | November 8, 1997 | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | Thomas & Mack Center in Paradise, Nevada | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Title(s) on the line | WBA/IBF Heavyweight Championships | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Tale of the tape | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Boxer |
 Evander Holyfield |
Michael Moorer |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | "The Real Deal" | "Double M" | |
| Hometown | Atlanta, Georgia, US | Brooklyn, New York, US | |
| Pre-fight record | 34–3 | 39–1 | |
| Recognition | WBA Heavyweight Champion | IBF Heavyweight Champion |
Evander Holyfield vs. Michael Moorer II was a professional boxing match contested November 8, 1997 for the WBA and IBF Heavyweight championships.
After Riddick Bowe vacated the WBC Heavyweight title in 1992 followed by George Foreman being stripped of both the WBA and IBF Heavyweight titles in 1995, the heavyweight boxing division was in limbo as three different men laid claim to each of the three major heavyweight championships in 1997. Evander Holyfield and Michael Moorer held the WBA and IBF Heavyweight titles respectively, while Lennox Lewis held the WBC version of the title. In an effort to unify the three titles, the WBA and IBF organizations announced a unification bout between Holyfield and Moorer set for November 8, 1997.
The two men had previously fought each other on April 22, 1994 for Holyfield's WBA, IBF and Lineal Heavyweight championships. In a close fight, Moorer earned an upset victory over Holyfield to become the first southpaw to win a major Heavyweight title. However, his reign would not last long as he was defeated by 45-year-old George Foreman via 10th-round knockout in his first defense of the titles. Foreman, however, would eventually be stripped of both the WBA and IBF titles after refusing to fight Tony Tucker and Axel Schulz respectively. The vacant WBA title was then won by Bruce Seldon, who then lost the title to Mike Tyson. Tyson's first defense was against Holyfield, who earned an upset victory by 11th-round technical knockout to regain the WBA Heavyweight title. He would then successfully defend the title in a rematch with Tyson after Tyson was disqualified in the third round for biting Holyfield's ears. Meanwhile, Moorer would face Axel Schulz to determine who would win the vacant IBF Heavyweight title, winning the contest by spit decision. He would successfully defend the title twice before his rematch with Holyfield.
...
Wikipedia