On March 13, 1999 Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield met in a unification bout of the heavyweight championship at Madison Square Garden in New York. It was the biggest fight in years in the heavyweight division, and I ordered the pay-per-view card without hesitation.
For me, the three weeks prior to the fight had been trying and stressful. My 72 year old mother had contracted bacterial meningitis, which is the deadliest type, and can be fatal if not treated with antibiotics within 24 hours of diagnosis. Thankfully, by God’s grace and mercy, she survived the initial critical period, had a three week hospital stay, and made a full recovery. The day she came home was March 13, the day of the big fight, so I was so thrilled to have her home, and anything else was gravy.
During the pre-fight buildup, Lennox Lewis had called Evander a hypocrite for having gotten another woman pregnant while his own wife was carrying a baby at the same time. Holyfield was an outspoken Christian, was never ashamed of his faith, and it was one of the reasons many fans loved him. Lewis’ words angered Evander, and unbeknown at the time, was why he claimed God had spoken to him, and told him he would knock Lewis out in the third round. The so called ‘prophecy’ Holyfield had received was headline news, and talked about during the pre-fight show the night of the fight by the HBO announcers.
All of this stuff only added to the hype, and as I sat down to watch the action, was voting for Evander. I did however, know beating the 6’5″ talented Lewis would be extremely difficult, and if I was a betting man, would have laid my money on Lennox.
FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM AT kensoldtimeboxingchat
LISTEN TO MY PODCAST ON SPOTIFY AT kensoldtimeboxingchat
