The great friendship between Riddick Bowe and Evander Holyfield

We all know that boxing is a brutal sport. Fighters can die and be maimed in the ring. There were several examples of this. Many fighters make public displays of their dislike of their opponents in preparation for fights. Some boxers actually don’t like their opponents. This is why a friendship between two fighters, who have competed against each other professionally, is really something to celebrate.

Two-time World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Riddick “Big Daddy” Bowe and four-time World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield fought each other three times, including twice for world titles from 1992 – 1995 in one of the most fascinating rivalries in world heavyweight boxing and the other two winning Top Heavyweight boxing. Their competition was all the more interesting as they were friends from their amateur days.

Now that Bowe and Holyfield have retired, they are still good friends. You can see them on TRU SCHOOL SPORTS on YouTube, engaging in fun and playful banter in the gym, touching on topics such as their epic fights with each other in the ring, “Big Daddy’s” interest in fighting Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury or Deontay Wilder for $15 million, and even their marital behavior before fights. Every time you see Bowe and Holyfield talking to each other in these videos, you can’t help but be struck by the respect and affection they have for each other after all these years. Bowe calls Holyfield his “brother” and “Champ” during these conversations, while Holyfield calls “Bowe” his “best friend”. These videos are something to behold.

Although some heavyweight opponents do express some respect for each other, it usually comes in the immediate aftermath of fights. The winner is always on a high and usually thanks his opponent for fighting him, praises him for being a tough opponent, and that’s it! The fighters then go their separate ways, never to see each other again. There has never been and probably never will be anything close to the great friendship between Riddick Bowe and Evander Holyfield.

We do not expect to witness such a friendship. The cynics will say that fighters can’t be friends with their opponents, the argument being that how can you be friends with a person you potentially want to knock out? These commentators will then support their thinking on this subject by saying that heavyweight boxers who are friends with each other make a point of avoiding each other in the ring. We know for a fact that the Klitschkos never fought each other, even though they competed professionally at the same time. They apparently made a promise to their mother that they would never meet in the ring. But this is understandable, since Vitali and Wladimir are brothers!

Sports, and not just boxing, are more competitive than ever these days and are losing their human element. That’s why a friendship like that between Riddick Bowe and Evander Holyfield is something to cherish. They are role models in the sports world.

Let’s hope these two great warriors continue their good-natured verbal chatter for many years to come!