Evander reconsidered retirement after his loss to Riddick Bowe in November of 1992, and signed to fight Alex Stewart on June 26, 1993 in Atlantic City. Evander bulked up to 212 lbs., and appeared bigger than that because he was so muscular. As far as the fight was concerned, the thing I remember most about that night, was how long it took for the main event to start. By the time both guys entered the ring, it was well after midnight, and I was fighting off sleep. The fact that the fight was one-sided snooze-fest didn’t help matters any further either. Holyfield won an easy twelve round decision, and was pretty much guaranteed another shot at Bowe in a rematch scheduled for the fall.
The return bout with Bowe was set for November 6, 1993 at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas once again. This time Evander weighed in at a spectacular 217 lbs., and appeared huge compared to the first go round. Bowe weighed in at 246 lbs., eleven pounds more than in November, but at 6′ 5″ tall, he could handle it.
The fight itself was evenly matched, but this time Evander hurt Bowe on several occasions. Unfortunately, many remember this fight for the idiotic hang glider who crashed the ring in the seventh round, causing a 21 minute delay. After the bout resumed, Holyfield and Bowe traded equally, and by the end of the fight, I knew it would be a close call either way.
The split decision went to Evander, and he once again was the heavyweight champion of the world. Bowe was gracious in defeat, and that impressed me a lot. Riddick was a likeable sort, and he and Evander developed a friendship that remains today.
Now that Evander was champ again, I was curious who he would fight next. As the year 1994 began, there was plenty to be excited about as a boxing fan.
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