Evander Holyfield vs. Dwight Muhammad Qawi II

Last updated
Evander Holyfield vs. Dwight Muhammad Qawi II
DateDecember 5, 1987
Venue Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
Title(s) on the line IBF cruiserweight titles
Tale of the tape
Boxer Evander Holyfield Dwight Muhammad Qawi
Nickname The Real Deal The Camden Buzzsaw
Hometown Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Camden, New Jersey, U.S.
Pre-fight record 16–0 (12 KO) 28–4–1 (17 KO)
Age 25 years, 1 month 34 years, 11 months
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) 5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Weight 187 lb (85 kg) 190 lb (86 kg)
Style Orthodox Orthodox
Recognition WBA and IBF
Cruiserweight Champion
IBF
No. 1 Ranked Cruiserweight
Result
Holyfield defeated Qawi via 4th round KO

Evander Holyfield vs. Dwight Muhammad Qawi II was a professional boxing match contested on December 5, 1987 for the WBA and IBF cruiserweight titles. [1]

Contents

Background

On August 15, 1987, Evander Holyfield would make the third successful defense of his WBA cruiserweight title and first of the IBF version by defeating Ossie Ocasio via 11th-round knockout, while on the undercard Dwight Muhammad Qawi would knockout former cruiserweight champion Lee Roy Murphy to earn the IBF's number one ranking, setting up a rematch from the previous year between the two. In their previous meeting, Qawi and Holyfield would go the distance with Holyfield earning a close split decision victory and becoming the new WBA cruiserweight champion. [2] Qawi would then get an opportunity at rematch, facing Ossie Ocasio in an IBF "eliminator" bout with the winner facing the winner of the Holyfield–Parkey unification fight (which Holyfield would win via TKO in the third round), but he would lose a controversial majority decision and Ocasio would get a shot at Holyfield instead. [3] However, due to the controversial nature of the loss, the IBF gave Qawi another chance at a title shot and he was matched up with Lee Roy Murphy [4] with the winner earning the next shot at Holyfield, provided he defeat Ocasio after the Qawi–Murphy bout. After Qawi and Holyfield earned TKO victories, the rematch was set.

It would be one of the last 15-round title bouts to be sanctioned. [5] The WBA did not sanction the fight, hence if Qawi won, the WBA title was to be declared vacant. [6]

The fight

In contrast to their previous fight, Holyfield would defeat Qawi in the fourth round by technical knockout. With almost a minute left in the round, Holyfield dropped Qawi on the seat of his trunks, though Qawi quickly got back up and continued the fight. Qawi attempted to fight back, but after missing a right hook, Holyfield countered with a right hand of his own that caught Qawi flush and sent him down again. Qawi was unable to answer the 10-count, giving Holyfield the victory by knockout at 2:30 of the round. [6]

Aftermath

At a post match news conference afterward, Qawi's adviser Rock Newman announced that he was retiring, saying "Dwight said that his legs were not there tonight, that Holyfield is a very, very good champion, and that he was even stronger than Dwight thought he would be." [6]

Fight card

Confirmed bouts: [7]

Weight ClassWeightvs.MethodRoundTimeNotes
Cruiserweight190 lb Evander Holyfield (c)def. Dwight Muhammad Qawi KO4/15 Note 1
Welterweight147 lb Mark Breland def.Javier SuazoUD10/10
Light middleweight154 lb Darrin Van Horn def.Joe SummersUD10/10
Middleweight160 lb Reggie Johnson defSidney OutlawUD6/6

^Note 1 For WBA and IBF Cruiserweight titles.

Broadcasting

CountryBroadcaster
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Showtime

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ossie Ocasio</span> Puerto Rican boxer (born 1955)

Osvaldo "Ossie" Ocasio is a Puerto Rican former boxer who held the World Cruiserweight Championship from 1982 to 1984. He was also a Top Contender and Heavyweight Challenger in 1979. He scored notable wins against Former Cruiserweight Champion Dwight Muhammad Qawi as well as beating Top Heavyweight Contender Jimmy Young and Heavyweight Contender Pierre Coetzer, as well as drawing with Future Heavyweight Champion Michael Dokes. Nicknamed "Jaws", his peculiar nickname was the result of him accidentally biting another boxer during a sparring session.

Carlos De León, also known as "Sugar" De Leon, was a Puerto Rican boxer who made history by becoming the first cruiserweight to win the world title twice. Subsequently, he kept breaking his own record for the most times as cruiserweight champion by regaining the title on two further occasions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evander Holyfield</span> American boxer (born 1962)

Evander Holyfield is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1984 and 2011. He reigned as the undisputed champion at cruiserweight in the late 1980s and at heavyweight in the early 1990s, and was the only boxer in history to win the undisputed championship in two weight classes in the "three belt era", a feat later surpassed by Terence Crawford, Naoya Inoue and Oleksandr Usyk, who became two-weight undisputed champions in the four-belt era. Nicknamed "the Real Deal", Holyfield is the only four-time world heavyweight champion, having held the unified WBA, WBC, and IBF titles from 1990 to 1992, the WBA and IBF titles again from 1993 to 1994, the WBA title a third time from 1996 to 1999; the IBF title a third time from 1997 to 1999 and the WBA title for a fourth time from 2000 to 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boxing in the 1980s</span> Overview of boxing in the 1980s

Boxing in the 1980s was filled with important fights, events and personalities that shaped the sport. Boxing in the 1980s was shaped by many different situations, such as the continuous corporate battles between the different world sanctioning organizations, the void left by Muhammad Ali as the sport's ambassador and consequent search for a new boxing hero, the continuous presence of Don King as the sport's most famous promoter, the surge of rival promoters as Bob Arum, Butch Lewis and Murad Muhammad, and major rule changes. In 1986, Mike Tyson emerged as a fresh new face in the heavyweight division, which had seen a decline in champion quality level after Ali's retirement and, later on, after longtime WBC ruler Larry Holmes' prime. In addition, the IBF and WBO began operating.

Dwight Muhammad Qawi is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1978 to 1998. He was a world champion in two weight classes, having held the WBC and Ring magazine light heavyweight titles from 1981 to 1983, and the WBA cruiserweight title from 1985 to 1986. Qawi was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2004.

Cruiserweight, also referred to as junior heavyweight, is a weight class in professional boxing between light heavyweight and heavyweight. Before the advent of the current cruiserweight class, "light heavyweight" and "cruiserweight" were sometimes used interchangeably in the United Kingdom.

As in the 1980s, the 1990s in boxing's popularity focused on all divisions. When 1980s legends Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, as well as others retired, newer superstars filled the void: Pernell Whitaker, Julio César Chávez, in the early 1990s, Oscar De La Hoya, Félix Trinidad, Roy Jones Jr. and Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the mid to late 1990s.

Lee Roy Murphy is a retired American professional boxer. He held the IBF cruiserweight title from 1984 to 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield</span> Boxing competition

Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield, billed as Finally, was a professional boxing match fought between Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson for the WBA heavyweight championship on November 9, 1996, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Paradise, Nevada. The bout was Tyson's first defence of the WBA title that he had won from Bruce Seldon on September 7 of that year.

Pierre Coetzer is a former heavyweight boxer from Pretoria, South Africa. Coetzer's most notable fights include those against Johnny du Plooy, Riddick Bowe, Frank Bruno, and George Foreman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Byrd vs. Evander Holyfield</span> Boxing competition

Chris Byrd vs. Evander Holyfield was a professional boxing match contested on December 14, 2002 for the vacant IBF heavyweight championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nikolai Valuev vs. Evander Holyfield</span> Boxing competition

Nikolai Valuev vs. Evander Holyfield was a professional boxing match contested on 20 December 2008 for the WBA heavyweight championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dwight Muhammad Qawi vs. Evander Holyfield</span> Boxing competition

Dwight Muhammad Qawi vs. Evander Holyfield, billed as "Pandemonium" was a professional boxing match contested on July 12, 1986 for the WBA Junior Heavyweight championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evander Holyfield vs. Henry Tillman</span> Boxing match

Evander Holyfield vs. Henry Tillman, billed as "The St. Valentine's Day Massacre", was a professional boxing match contested on February 14, 1987, for the WBA cruiserweight championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evander Holyfield vs. Rickey Parkey</span> Boxing match

Evander Holyfield vs. Rickey Parkey was a professional boxing match contested on May 15, 1987 for the WBA and IBF cruiserweight title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evander Holyfield vs. Ossie Ocasio</span> 1987 boxing match in Saint-Tropez, France

Evander Holyfield vs. Ossie Ocasio was a professional boxing match contested on 15 August 1987 for the WBA and IBF cruiserweight title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evander Holyfield vs. Carlos De León</span> Boxing match

Evander Holyfield vs. Carlos De León was a professional boxing match contested for the undisputed cruiserweight championship. The bout took place on April 9, 1988 at Caesars Palace in Paradise, Nevada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evander Holyfield vs. James Tillis</span> Professional Boxing Match

Evander Holyfield vs. James Tillis was a professional boxing match contested on July 16, 1988. The fight is notable for being Holyfield's first in the heavyweight division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evander Holyfield vs. James Toney</span> 2003 boxing match

Evander Holyfield vs. James Toney, billed as "The War on October 4", was a professional boxing match contested on October 4, 2003.

Jim Kevin "Jimmy" Ellis is an American former professional football player in the National Football League (NFL) with the Los Angeles Raiders. He is also a former professional boxer who fought in the Heavyweight division.

References

  1. "Evander Holyfield vs. Dwight Muhammad Qawi (2nd meeting)". boxrec.com. BoxRec. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  2. Holyfield Wins Title, Beating Qawi by Decision, LA Times article, 1986-07-13 Retrieved on 2020-02-02
  3. Former World Boxing Association champion Ossie Ocasio set himself..., UPI article, 1987-05-15 Retrieved on 2020-02-02
  4. For Lee Roy Murphy, All that Glitters Rest in 1 Rugged Fight, Chicago Tribune article, 1987-08-13 Retrieved on 2020-02-02
  5. , Boxing News 24 article, 1987-08-13 Retrieved on 2020-02-02
  6. 1 2 3 Phil Berger (6 December 1987). "Holyfield Knocks Out Qawi in 4th". New York Times. ATLANTIC CITY. Archived from the original on 24 May 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  7. "BoxRec - event".
Preceded by Evander Holyfield's bouts
5 December 1987
Succeeded by
Preceded by Dwight Muhammad Qawi's bouts
5 December 1987
Succeeded by