BG

Evander Holyfield scored five knockdowns en route to avenging his defeat to Michael Moorer #OnThisDay in 1997. Three years earlier, Moorer had beaten Holyfield by majority decision to become the heavyweight division's first southpaw world champion. Their second meeting, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, served as a unificaiton between IBF champion Moorer and WBA titlist Holyfield. Moorer made a competitive start and troubled Holyfield with his jab, but the fight changed in the fifth round when 'The Real Deal' landed a right hand that sent his opponent to the canvas. Holyfield dropped Moorer twice more in the seventh before scoring another two knockdowns in the eighth. Remarkably, he kept getting back to his feet despite taking serious punishment. After the fifth knockdown, Moorer survived until the bell, but the ringside doctor advised referee Mitch Halpern to stop the contest before the ninth. Holyfield was full of respect for the courageous Moorer post-fight. "He was able to get back up each and every time and that just shows the courage and the heart that he has," Holyfield reflected. "He came to win and when you have a guy that came to win, it's always going to be a good fight. There's no quitting."