Evander Holyfield vs. Alex Stewart II

Evander Holyfield vs. Alex Stewart II, billed as "Only the Strong Survive" was a professional boxing match contested on June 26, 1993.

Only the Strong Survive
DateJune 26, 1993
VenueConvention Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey
Title(s) on the lineNone
Tale of the tape
Boxer Evander Holyfield Alex Stewart
Nickname "The Real Deal" "The Destroyer"
Hometown Atlanta Georgia, U.S. London, England
Purse $2,000,000 $400,000
Pre-fight record 28–1 32–4
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 212 lb (96 kg) 228 lb (103 kg)
Style Orthodox Orthodox
Recognition 2-division undisputed world champion
Result
Holyfield defeats Stewart by unanimous decision (119–109, 118–110, 118–110)

Background

In his previous fight on November 13, 1992, Evander Holyfield had suffered his first professional loss to Riddick Bowe, ending his 2-year reign as undisputed heavyweight champion. Following the loss, Holyfield parted ways with long-time trainers Lou Duva and George Benton and replaced them with Emanuel Steward. Holyfield claimed he made the switch to help "rekindle his enthusiasm for boxing." Steward also made the decision to reduce Holyfield's sparring sessions in an effort to keep Holyfield fresh, stating "He's got to start a whole new career if he's going to continue boxing".[1] In the months after the loss, Holyfield mulled a comeback, but in April 1993, he would reach an agreement with Bowe for a rematch later in the year. As part of the contract, both fighters agreed to have one fight before the rematch. Bowe announced that he would defend his heavyweight championship against Jesse Ferguson in May, while Holyfield decided to meet Alex Stewart in a rematch of their 1989 fight in June.[2]

The fight

In contrast to their thrilling 1989 fight, Holyfield controlled almost the entire fight as Stewart offered little offense. A right uppercut landed by Holyfield towards the end of the first round opened a cut beside Stewart's left eye, though it was not as severe as the cut he suffered in the 1989 fight. The fight would go the full 12 rounds with Holyfield winning lopsidedly on all three of the judge's scorecards with 2 scores of 118–110 and one score of 119–109.

Emmanuel Steward blamed the lackluster fight on Stewart, stating "He acted like he didn't want to fight. I was looking for this great war, I was nervous. Then he comes out and looks like he wants to go to bed." Stewart was also critical of his own performance. "Of course this wasn't one of my better performances, I couldn't throw punches, I couldn't get off. I thought I could fight a defensive fight until about the sixth round and then try to go for the kill, but I couldn't get any combinations or anything at all. I have to apologize to everyone because I did not fight a very good fight." [3]

Fight card
Weight Class Weight vs. Method Round Time Notes
Heavyweight 200+ lb Evander Holyfield def. Alex Stewart UD 12/12
Middleweight 160 lb Vinny Pazienza def. Lloyd Honeyghan TKO 10/12
Super featherweight 130 lb John John Molina def. Manuel Medina UD 12/12 Note 1
Middleweight 160 lb Raúl Márquez def Tommy Small UD 8/8
Lightweight 135 lb Ivan Robinson def Leon Bostic UD 6/6

^Note 1 For IBF Super Featherweight title

References
  1. Holyfield Yearns For Title Belt Despite Misery It Brought Him, Las Vegas Sun-Sentinel article, 1993-06-26, Retrieved on 2020-03-30
  2. Holyfield Plans to Return in a Flurry, NY Times article, 1993-04-01, Retrieved on 2020-03-30
  3. Holyfield Knocks Out McDonagh, UPI article, 1993-06-27 Retrieved on 2020-03-29
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