Hall nod another Vegas thrill for Bowe
It came in their second fight, at the outdoor arena at Caesars Palace on a chilly November night in 1993, the same night when James “Fan Man” Miller came crashing down into the ring on a powered paraglider.
Bowe said he thinks he would have defeated Holyfield if not for the Fan Man’s interference.
“Absolutely would have won,” Bowe said. “I didn’t see (Fan Man) initially, and Evander was trying to get out of the way. I thought Evander was trying to dodge my punches. He was avoiding the guy from hitting him in the ring.
“I would have beat Evander hands down. My record would be up there with Rocky Marciano.”
Bowe avenged the loss by knocking out Holyfield in the eighth round in 1995 at Caesars Palace.
“Evander was supposed to win that night,” Bowe said. “Then he pointed his thumb toward the canvas, and I said, ‘Oh, hell no!’ That woke me up.”
Bowe has had many ups and downs in and out of the ring. He lacked disciplined when it came to his work ethic, and spent 18 months in prison for domestic violence.
The 48-year-old, who resides in Orlando, Florida, knows he’s not perfect but hopes to make his family proud when he’s honored Saturday.
“My daughter can say her daddy RAY MANCINI
Mancini was one of the most popular fighters in the 1980s. The Italian from Youngstown, Ohio, was a lightweight champion. He won the lightweight belt by defeating Arturo Frias at the Aladdin in Las Vegas in 1982.
Unfortunately, Mancini is remembered for his title fight against Kim Duk-koo in 1982 at Caesars Palace. The South Korean sustained brain damage from the 14-round brawl and died a few days later at age 23. That fight led to bouts being cut from 15 to 12 rounds.
Mancini, 55, finished his career 29-5 with 23 knockouts. RICARDO LOPEZ
Lopez, 50, went 51-0-1 with 38 knockouts and is regarded as one of the greatest Mexican fighters ever. “Finito” successfully defended his WBC strawweight belt a record 21 times. He also held a light flyweight championship. PERNELL WHITAKER
Whitaker, 52, was one of the greatest defensive boxers ever and held world titles in four weight classes. “Sweet Pea” was a 1984 Olympic gold medalist.
He’s most known for a controversial 1993 fight with Julio Cesar Chavez that was ruled a draw; many observers thought Whitaker won. Whitaker, 40-4-1 with 17 knockouts, also had bouts against Oscar De La Hoya and Felix Trinidad. FREDDIE LITTLE
Little became the first Nevadan to win a world title when he defeated Stanley Hayward for the WBA-WBC super welterweight title in 1969 in Las Vegas. Little later became a member of the Nevada Athletic Commission.
Now 80, Little went 51-6 with 31 knockouts. Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal. com or 702-383-0492. Follow him on Twitter: @ gmanzano24