Riddick Bowe vs Evander Holyfield II,
billed as Repeat or Revenge, was a professional boxing match that
took place on November 6, 1993 for the WBA and IBF heavyweight championships.
Background
The
two fighters had previously met a little less than a year before on
November 13, 1992. In what was considered one of the greatest heavyweight
fights of all time, Bowe defeated Holyfield by unanimous decision
to become the Undisputed Heavyweight champion. Bowe's reign as Undisputed
Champion would not last long, as his victory over Holyfield meant
he would have to make the first defense of his newly won titles against
Lennox Lewis, the man who had defeated him at the 1988 Olympics to
capture the Gold Medal. After the two sides could not get a deal done,
Bowe chose to forfeit his WBC title rather than face Lewis, throwing
the belt in the trash at a press conference. Bowe would then go on
to successfully, and easily, defend his remaining WBA and IBF titles
twice, first knocking out 34 year old former WBA Heavyweight champion
Michael Dokes in the first round, and then defeating journeyman Jesse
Ferguson by way of second round knockout. Holyfield, meanwhile, would
have only one fight between his two Bowe fights, a rematch with Alex
Stewart. Though Holyfield looked sluggish throughout the fight, he
nevertheless was able to earn the victory via unanimous decision.
On August 12, 1993 the much anticipated rematch between Bowe and Holyfield
was announced.
The Fight
Like the previous fight, Bowe and Holyfield
would again go the distance, this time with Holyfield earning the
victory in a close fight via majority decision. Bowe started off strong,
winning the first three rounds. Holyfield would storm back to take
rounds 4,5 and 6. In round 7, Holyfield would hit Bowe with a right
hook and Bowe would respond by throwing a powerful combination at
Holyfield, landing several punches in the process. Shortly after this
exchange, the fight was stopped after James Miller crashed into the
ring with his powered paraglider causing a 21 minute delay. After
the delay, the two fighters would finish the remainder of the round
with one judge awarding Holyfield the round, one judge awarding Bowe
the round and one judge awarding a draw. Holyfield
would dominate
round 8, reopening Bowe's wounds with a five punch combination. Knowing
he was behind in the cards, Bowe would become more aggressive in rounds
9,10 and 11, however in rounds 10 and 11, Holyfield would finish the
final 30 seconds of each round by hitting Bowe with several combinations,
winning five of the judges six scores for those two rounds. The two
men would hammer each other in round 12, attacking one another until
the final bell. In the end, Holyfield was announced the winner, becoming
only the third man to regain the heavyweight championship from the
man who defeated him for it. It would also be the only loss in Bowe's
professional career.
The "Fan Man" Incident
In one of the most
bizarre moments in sports history, parachutist James "Fan Man" Miller
would crash into the ring during the second minute of round 7 causing
a 21 minute delay of the fight. Miller was immediately pulled from
the ropes into the crowd by security. He as attacked by both fans
and security, eventually being knocked unconscious by a member of
Bowe's security team. After a short hospital stay, Miller was then
taken to the Clark County detention center and charged with dangerous
flying, being released after paying $200 bail. The "Fan Man" incident
was named Event of the Year by The Ring magazine.