Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, June 28, 1993 TAG: 9306280067
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. LENGTH: Medium
Holyfield easily outpointed Alex Stewart at the Convention Center in a dull bout that didn't end until early Sunday morning.
Holyfield saw his performance as the kind of patient, controlled effort that would enable him to regain the title he lost on points to Bowe Nov. 13. Many ringsiders saw it as something else.
"I'm very good at assessing fighters and I'm assessing Holyfield as a shot fighter," said Rock Newman, manager of heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe. "I would encourage Evander Holyfield to retire."
Holyfield, of course, disagreed.
"I thought I fought a pretty good fight," said the 30-year-old Holyfield, who wants a rematch with Bowe in November.
Bowe will fight Nov. 5, Newman said, "but I think it's fairly slim that it will be against Holyfield."
Newman would like Bowe's second defense to be against Tommy Morrison, a decision winner over George Foreman June 7.
There has been talk about Morrison challenging Lennox Lewis for the WBC title in February. However, most fans want to see Bowe, recognized as champion by the IBF and WBA, fight Lewis.
"If we had our preference, we'd fight Lewis next," Newman said.
The two camps, however, have spent more time charging each with ducking one another than they have negotiating seriously.
"I think Evander is entitled to a rematch, because Rock and Riddick Bowe agreed to give him one," promoter Dan Duva said. "All you ask is for people to keep their word.
"Sometimes you make a deal and it doesn't turn out to be the best deal, but you still keep your word."
Bowe watched part of the long pay-per-view card, but left the arena a little more than an hour before Holyfield's fight to watch it on television.
A lot of fans started leaving after the 10th round of the match ended at about 12:45 a.m. Sunday.
"I came out and fought a fight that it will take to win the heavyweight championship of the world again," Holyfield said.
His performance, however, was sluggish. He looked old and tired, sometimes almost disinterested.
Holyfield's winning margin of 10 points on one official scorecard and eight points on the other two cards owed as much to what Stewart didn't do as to what Holyfield did.
Stewart had fought courageously with a bad left hand when he was stopped on a cut in the eighth round by Holyfield in an action-packed fight Nov. 4, 1989.
"Today, my offense just wasn't there," said Stewart, who turned 29 Saturday.
Holyfield, who earned at least $2 million, weighed 218 pounds, the heaviest of his career. Stewart, who got $400,000, weighed 228 pounds.
Keywords:
BOXING
by CNB