Evander Holyfield has gone toe to toe with some of the biggest punchers of his generation – but one stands out above the rest.

During an illustrious career stretching from 1984 to 2011, ‘The Real Deal’ achieved undisputed supremacy in the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions.

He unified all the major cruiserweight belts in 1988 by dispatching Cuban technician Carlos de Leon and then did the same at heavyweight two years later when he flattened Buster Douglas at the Convention Hall in Atlantic City.

In the first defence of his undisputed heavyweight crown in April 1991, Holyfield defeated George Foreman over the distance in a fight billed ‘The Battle of the Ages’.

At the time, Foreman was 42 years old and was fighting for the heavyweight world titles for the first time since making a miraculous return to the ring in 1987 following a ten-year hiatus.

Despite being well past his best, Foreman still possessed an almighty punch, which Holyfield can attest to.

“He hit me one time in the 11th round, and I came back to the corner and I said, ‘Did he knock all my teeth out?’

“They told me, ‘You alright’. And I knew in the game of boxing they will tell you anything.

“So in the 12th round, I held him a lot.