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I found this article on the net about Holyfield vs Dokes
Scour through the boxing history books and you’ll probably find no mention of Evander “Real Deal” Holyfield’s hellacious war with Michael “Dynamite” Dokes of 11 March, 1989, at Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas for the admittedly dubious WBC Continental Americas heavyweight title.
Although heavyweight title classics like Louis-Conn I (1942) and Ali-Frazier III (1975) have been absorbed in boxing fans' collective consciousness, the 1989 showdown has remained more of a cult item: forgotten by most, cherished by a small minority. This is a pity, considering the brutal finish and sustained action perfectly complemented its more celebrated predecessors.
This obscurity isn’t altogether surprising, given that the fans and media were infatuated with undisputed champion Mike Tyson. But 1989’s “Date With Destiny” (as the fight was billed) doesn’t even receive mention among non (world) title classics such as the wild 1976 Foreman-Lyle affair, which also pitted an all time great heavyweight against a very good one.
But whereas Big George and Big Ron traded haymakers and staggered around like flagging barroom brawlers for five rounds, Holyfield and Dokes sustained a gruelling pace for almost double the time and traded solid blows with assurance. If the former fight was marked by carelessness, the latter was professionalism personified. Needless to say, it was a vastly superior fight because the stakes were much greater.
While both Foreman and Lyle had been beaten by Muhammad Ali in their previous contests and were definitely past their peak, Holyfield was undefeated and Dokes had lost only once. Both men were as hungry as ever and had a great deal to prove.
Evander was only 2-0 at heavyweight following his two year stint as undisputed cruiserweight champion. His reign was initiated by a 15 round split decision over Hall of Famer Dwight Muhammad Qawi for the WBA title, a fight so punishing Evander lost 15 pounds.
All of his subsequent opponents were blown away, outgunned and outclassed by an improving Evander. After stopping the likes of former Olympic team-mate Henry Tillman and IBF champion Ricky Parkey, Holyfield had such a powerful aura that seasoned professionals such as Ossie Ocasio and WBC king Carlos DeLeon went into defensive shells to delay the inevitable (TKO11 and TKO 8).
Evander’s first two heavyweight opponents likewise provided little resistance. Shop-worn former WBC champion Pinklon Thomas was given an effortless beating, likewise with James “Quick” Tillis. Thomas and Tillis had been stopped on their feet rather than demolished, so Holyfield’s heavyweight punch was unproven. In addition, Evander hadn’t been hit hard and often since the first Qawi fight: how would he react to a heavyweight punch? At the time nobody could be sure he was the “Real Deal” north of 190 pounds.
Dokes pummelled the dangerous Mike Weaver within a round to capture the WBA belt in 1982, and showed signs of decline after being held to a draw in a rematch. By the time he fought Gerrie Coetzee a year later, Dokes was addicted and under the influence of *******. It affected his performance and he was stopped in round 10 of the year's biggest upset.
Michael Dokes suffered a great deal following the defeat, and his condition was distressing to all those around him. Prior to the Holyfield fight, his manager and friend Marty Cohen commented "He was in the depths of hell, the bowels, and the bottom of the ocean. I cried. I was sad (for him)."
Dokes took a year off in 1986 to sort himself out (just as Evander hit the big time), got himself in good shape and clawed his way back to contendership. After 8 successive wins (seven by KO) against decent opposition he earned Ring magazine's Comeback of the Year award. His pre fight promise; "Evander, this is guerrilla warfare" was spoken with quiet confidence and dignity. The crossroads fight was his last shot at redemption.
30 year old Dokes, 6’ 3” and a solid 225 pounds, promised an early knockout and started fast, but Evander, 6’ ½ and 208 matched him. Dokes threw heavy, accurate hooks to Holyfield’s slim waist, who in turn surged back with crisp jab-cross-hook combinations. Dokes pressured the body with fluid combinations, and Holyfield used his superior reflexes to land more punches.
The second was as fierce as the first; as the men matched one another jab for jab, hook for hook. Dokes’ body shots were becoming vicious, as he raked Evander’s ribcage. Holyfield in turn countered with a crisp right cross that sent sweat spraying, and then forced out a solid left hook, jab-cross flurry.
Evander started pot -shotting with straight punches, and Dokes rolled underneath them, but the "Real Deal" proved he was an able technician by adjusting with the right uppercut. The action was back in close, so Dokes snuck pinpoint shots below Holyfield’s tucked in elbows. Holyfield, under serious fire, took his attack upstairs effectively.
If the first two stanzas were fiercely competitive, the third was an explosion. The classy box-fighting continued as Holyfield countered solid jabs with jarring right crosses. After Dokes lost his mouthpiece (not caused by a punch), he went on the rampage. Dokes blasted away with impressive speed, and another short burst ended with a left hook that twisted Evander’s head.
Holyfield, angry, responded with a six punch salvo, but Michael jumped right back on top with beautiful, correct hooks inside. Evander was beginning to look sloppy, and after taking another evil barrage inside he was flustered. He couldn’t hit back like he did earlier in the round, and seemed hurt. Dokes kept leaning on the smaller man and pounded him, but Holyfield stood off a little and gave himself room to land some wicked punches of his own at the end of the round.
The fourth was far quieter, as each man sought to recover from his tremendous early efforts. As before, Holyfield's speed was telling at a distance but when things settled Dokes was at home on the inside. Evander used his young legs to his advantage, and forced the older Dokes - whose legs were the only sign of his age - to come after him. Dokes needed to get inside but couldn't.
Dokes, slightly behind on points, needed another big round like the third - and got one. For the first two-and-a-half minutes Michael beat on Evander. Catching Holyfield on the ropes, Dokes slammed him to the body and head with wonderful variety. His textbook shots stunned Evander, and Michael - a master of the short punch - rocked Holyfield with a close-quarter jab. A follow up had Holyfield looking shaky, but Evander did the smart thing by countering with the right uppercut when the older man leaned in.
Dokes was a driven man, however, and resumed command with hurtful shots. But with 30 seconds to go, Evander’s incredible recuperative powers were evident. With Michael punched out Holyfield smartly jumped on him, forcing out crisp shots from all angles and answering any doubts about his ability to take heavyweight shots.
Before the sixth, Sterling McPherson told Dokes in the corner “Don’t let this son-of-a-***** back you up!” As if in reply Evander made “Dynamite” pay with a triple left hook series, followed by uppercuts and crosses. Now Dokes looked flustered. Holyfield was beginning to grind him down.
Dokes asserted himself with a double left hook to the body and head, and Evander sneaked a right cross through his defence. Dokes fought with a great rhythm; Evander, equally effective, was forcing his shots out a little. Holyfield jabbed but Dokes worked well off the counter. After a few low blows Dokes was deducted a point by Richard Steele to end an otherwise even round.
The seventh would prove to be one of the most thrilling of the fight. The two determined warriors pummelled one another to open the round, but a jarring hook by Evander knocked Dokes’ mouthpiece out and put him on wobbly legs for the first time. Michael demonstrated incredible toughness by rallying back with a four punch combination.
At the 1:20 mark the men traded evenly, their faces clamped into gritty expressions as bombs were exchanged. Both gladiators unloaded their full repertoires, and after a heavy Dokes combination Evander stung him with left hooks and right hands. True to form, Dokes - wobbly - was eager to return fire at the bell.
Just as it seemed the older man had faded, Dokes raised his game to start the eighth with a sickening left hook followed by a blistering eight punch salvo. The shots were so fluid and efficient that Michael appeared like a finely tuned machine. Evander kept moving forward, though, and Dokes slammed a beautiful left hook under the left elbow.
Fighting with his back to the ropes, Dokes turned Holyfield and placed a left hook under the right elbow this time. As they drifted back to the centre, Evander forced a scything right uppercut followed by the left hook, but at 1:30 Dokes pounded Holyfield with a six punch flurry and pummelled him in the centre of the ring.
With a minute to go they engaged in a feverish exchange, Holyfield with the right cross and Dokes preferring the lead hook. Evander then took over, jarring a tiring Dokes with a left-right-left, and then catching his man coming in with the right uppercut.
Scour through the boxing history books and you’ll probably find no mention of Evander “Real Deal” Holyfield’s hellacious war with Michael “Dynamite” Dokes of 11 March, 1989, at Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas for the admittedly dubious WBC Continental Americas heavyweight title.
Although heavyweight title classics like Louis-Conn I (1942) and Ali-Frazier III (1975) have been absorbed in boxing fans' collective consciousness, the 1989 showdown has remained more of a cult item: forgotten by most, cherished by a small minority. This is a pity, considering the brutal finish and sustained action perfectly complemented its more celebrated predecessors.
This obscurity isn’t altogether surprising, given that the fans and media were infatuated with undisputed champion Mike Tyson. But 1989’s “Date With Destiny” (as the fight was billed) doesn’t even receive mention among non (world) title classics such as the wild 1976 Foreman-Lyle affair, which also pitted an all time great heavyweight against a very good one.
But whereas Big George and Big Ron traded haymakers and staggered around like flagging barroom brawlers for five rounds, Holyfield and Dokes sustained a gruelling pace for almost double the time and traded solid blows with assurance. If the former fight was marked by carelessness, the latter was professionalism personified. Needless to say, it was a vastly superior fight because the stakes were much greater.
While both Foreman and Lyle had been beaten by Muhammad Ali in their previous contests and were definitely past their peak, Holyfield was undefeated and Dokes had lost only once. Both men were as hungry as ever and had a great deal to prove.
Evander was only 2-0 at heavyweight following his two year stint as undisputed cruiserweight champion. His reign was initiated by a 15 round split decision over Hall of Famer Dwight Muhammad Qawi for the WBA title, a fight so punishing Evander lost 15 pounds.
All of his subsequent opponents were blown away, outgunned and outclassed by an improving Evander. After stopping the likes of former Olympic team-mate Henry Tillman and IBF champion Ricky Parkey, Holyfield had such a powerful aura that seasoned professionals such as Ossie Ocasio and WBC king Carlos DeLeon went into defensive shells to delay the inevitable (TKO11 and TKO 8).
Evander’s first two heavyweight opponents likewise provided little resistance. Shop-worn former WBC champion Pinklon Thomas was given an effortless beating, likewise with James “Quick” Tillis. Thomas and Tillis had been stopped on their feet rather than demolished, so Holyfield’s heavyweight punch was unproven. In addition, Evander hadn’t been hit hard and often since the first Qawi fight: how would he react to a heavyweight punch? At the time nobody could be sure he was the “Real Deal” north of 190 pounds.
Dokes pummelled the dangerous Mike Weaver within a round to capture the WBA belt in 1982, and showed signs of decline after being held to a draw in a rematch. By the time he fought Gerrie Coetzee a year later, Dokes was addicted and under the influence of *******. It affected his performance and he was stopped in round 10 of the year's biggest upset.
Michael Dokes suffered a great deal following the defeat, and his condition was distressing to all those around him. Prior to the Holyfield fight, his manager and friend Marty Cohen commented "He was in the depths of hell, the bowels, and the bottom of the ocean. I cried. I was sad (for him)."
Dokes took a year off in 1986 to sort himself out (just as Evander hit the big time), got himself in good shape and clawed his way back to contendership. After 8 successive wins (seven by KO) against decent opposition he earned Ring magazine's Comeback of the Year award. His pre fight promise; "Evander, this is guerrilla warfare" was spoken with quiet confidence and dignity. The crossroads fight was his last shot at redemption.
30 year old Dokes, 6’ 3” and a solid 225 pounds, promised an early knockout and started fast, but Evander, 6’ ½ and 208 matched him. Dokes threw heavy, accurate hooks to Holyfield’s slim waist, who in turn surged back with crisp jab-cross-hook combinations. Dokes pressured the body with fluid combinations, and Holyfield used his superior reflexes to land more punches.
The second was as fierce as the first; as the men matched one another jab for jab, hook for hook. Dokes’ body shots were becoming vicious, as he raked Evander’s ribcage. Holyfield in turn countered with a crisp right cross that sent sweat spraying, and then forced out a solid left hook, jab-cross flurry.
Evander started pot -shotting with straight punches, and Dokes rolled underneath them, but the "Real Deal" proved he was an able technician by adjusting with the right uppercut. The action was back in close, so Dokes snuck pinpoint shots below Holyfield’s tucked in elbows. Holyfield, under serious fire, took his attack upstairs effectively.
If the first two stanzas were fiercely competitive, the third was an explosion. The classy box-fighting continued as Holyfield countered solid jabs with jarring right crosses. After Dokes lost his mouthpiece (not caused by a punch), he went on the rampage. Dokes blasted away with impressive speed, and another short burst ended with a left hook that twisted Evander’s head.
Holyfield, angry, responded with a six punch salvo, but Michael jumped right back on top with beautiful, correct hooks inside. Evander was beginning to look sloppy, and after taking another evil barrage inside he was flustered. He couldn’t hit back like he did earlier in the round, and seemed hurt. Dokes kept leaning on the smaller man and pounded him, but Holyfield stood off a little and gave himself room to land some wicked punches of his own at the end of the round.
The fourth was far quieter, as each man sought to recover from his tremendous early efforts. As before, Holyfield's speed was telling at a distance but when things settled Dokes was at home on the inside. Evander used his young legs to his advantage, and forced the older Dokes - whose legs were the only sign of his age - to come after him. Dokes needed to get inside but couldn't.
Dokes, slightly behind on points, needed another big round like the third - and got one. For the first two-and-a-half minutes Michael beat on Evander. Catching Holyfield on the ropes, Dokes slammed him to the body and head with wonderful variety. His textbook shots stunned Evander, and Michael - a master of the short punch - rocked Holyfield with a close-quarter jab. A follow up had Holyfield looking shaky, but Evander did the smart thing by countering with the right uppercut when the older man leaned in.
Dokes was a driven man, however, and resumed command with hurtful shots. But with 30 seconds to go, Evander’s incredible recuperative powers were evident. With Michael punched out Holyfield smartly jumped on him, forcing out crisp shots from all angles and answering any doubts about his ability to take heavyweight shots.
Before the sixth, Sterling McPherson told Dokes in the corner “Don’t let this son-of-a-***** back you up!” As if in reply Evander made “Dynamite” pay with a triple left hook series, followed by uppercuts and crosses. Now Dokes looked flustered. Holyfield was beginning to grind him down.
Dokes asserted himself with a double left hook to the body and head, and Evander sneaked a right cross through his defence. Dokes fought with a great rhythm; Evander, equally effective, was forcing his shots out a little. Holyfield jabbed but Dokes worked well off the counter. After a few low blows Dokes was deducted a point by Richard Steele to end an otherwise even round.
The seventh would prove to be one of the most thrilling of the fight. The two determined warriors pummelled one another to open the round, but a jarring hook by Evander knocked Dokes’ mouthpiece out and put him on wobbly legs for the first time. Michael demonstrated incredible toughness by rallying back with a four punch combination.
At the 1:20 mark the men traded evenly, their faces clamped into gritty expressions as bombs were exchanged. Both gladiators unloaded their full repertoires, and after a heavy Dokes combination Evander stung him with left hooks and right hands. True to form, Dokes - wobbly - was eager to return fire at the bell.
Just as it seemed the older man had faded, Dokes raised his game to start the eighth with a sickening left hook followed by a blistering eight punch salvo. The shots were so fluid and efficient that Michael appeared like a finely tuned machine. Evander kept moving forward, though, and Dokes slammed a beautiful left hook under the left elbow.
Fighting with his back to the ropes, Dokes turned Holyfield and placed a left hook under the right elbow this time. As they drifted back to the centre, Evander forced a scything right uppercut followed by the left hook, but at 1:30 Dokes pounded Holyfield with a six punch flurry and pummelled him in the centre of the ring.
With a minute to go they engaged in a feverish exchange, Holyfield with the right cross and Dokes preferring the lead hook. Evander then took over, jarring a tiring Dokes with a left-right-left, and then catching his man coming in with the right uppercut.
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