After the ridiculous draw in the first fight between the two champs, a rematch was set for November 13, 1999 at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. The bout would once again unify all three belts, and create one world heavyweight champion.
The fight for me came eight days before I was going to run in the Philadelphia Marathon. It also happened eight months after the first, with my mom now fully recovered, and in excellent health once again after her battle with meningitis.
I ordered the pay-per-view, and this time my brother and two younger sisters came to watch the action as well. Everyone was a Holyfield fan, and there wasn’t a doubt who everyone was pulling for. Evander had trained hard as usual and came in at a spectacular 217 lbs. Lewis was big and solid at 242 lbs. as well, setting the stage for a competitive bout.
Evander fought much better this time, without the ridiculous prophecy hanging over his head. He in fact won most of the middle rounds with his aggressiveness, and rocked Lewis a few times. Lennox kept his cool, closed the fight strong, and won a fair unanimous decision. No robberies this time, and Holyfield was gracious in defeat. It left me with a good taste in my mouth, after the first mess, and also left boxing with one heavyweight champion of the world.
If Evander had to lose to anyone, I was glad it was Lennox, who was likeable, not to mention a great fighter. I looked forward to whoever he fought the in 2000, and also knew ‘The Real Deal’ would be back in action as well.
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