ROUND BY ROUND

Round-by-round description of the Evander Holyfield-Michael Moorer heavyweight championship fight at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center.

ROUND 1

Holyfield opened with two jabs, then two more. Moorer got in a right jab at 30 seconds. Both missed jabs. There was little action the first minute. Moorer landed a right to the head, Holyfield countered with a right. Moorer got in a left. Holyfield landed a left to the head. Holyfield landed a left to the head at the halfway point. Holyfield got in a right to the head at 2 minutes. They exchanged head blows at 2:15. Moorer hurt Holyfield with a right hand that sent him into the ropes. Moorer landed several more punches before Holyfield fought off the ropes.

AP GIVES ROUND TO MOORER

ROUND 2

Moorer landed a right to the chest, Holyfield a right-left and Moorer came fighting back in a brief flurry. Moorer got in a left to the head at 30 seconds. Moorer got in a right jab, Holyfield missed a right. They exchanged punches before tying up at 1 minute. Moorer landed a sharp right jab. He seemed the sharper puncher. Holyfield missed and Moorer counted with a right jab at midpoint. Action slowed for more than 30 seconds. Moorer got in a sharp right to the face, then another. Holyfield was warned for a low blow. Moorer landed a grazing right uppercut at 20 seconds, then a right. Holyfield was missing.

MOORER’S ROUND

ROUND 3

Moorer got in a short right to the jaw at 20 seconds. They were feinting and posing the first minute. Holyfield landed a good left hook to the body and Moorer came back with two jabs. Holyfield got in a good right at 1:10, then another. Holyfield landed a hook to the body and to the head. Moorer fired back and they went toe to toe at mid-ring. Referee Mitch Halpern stopped the fight and called the doctor to examine a cut over Holyfield’s right eye. Holyfield got in a right, Moorer a left. It appeared to be a bad cut. They exchanged hard punches at 2 minutes. Moorer got in a right to the body and a left to the head. Action slowed until Moorer got in a good left. Holyfield landed a good right and then another.

HOLYFIELD’S ROUND

ROUND 4

Moorer got in four right jabs to open the round. Neither man did much until Holyfield dug two punches to the body. Moorer landed a right to the head and a right to the body, then a left to the head. Moorer landed three jabs 1:15 into the round, then dug a left into the stomach. Holyfield seemed tired. Moorer got in a right to the jaw. Holyfield landed a left to the head and right to the head. Moorer came back with two punches. Action slowed. Moorer got in two right jabs. Holyfield landed two good right leads. Moorer came back with a jab. Moorer landed a right to the head, then another. Holyfield got in a good hook and Moorer landed two rights and a left to the body.

HOLYFIELD’S ROUND

ROUND 5

Both opened cautiously. The crowd chanted “Holyfield! Holyfield!” Moorer got in two jabs, Holyfield missed a right and Moorer landed two lefts. Moorer landed a right to the body and a left to the head. Moorer got in two right jabs and a right to the head at 1 minute. Moorer got in three head punches that seemed to lack power. Holyfield dug a left to the body at mid-round. Moorer came back to the body. Moorer got in a right-left to the head. Moorer dug both hands to the body at 2 minutes and they briefly clinched. Moorer got in a right-left to the head at 2:20 that might have hurt Holyfield. Moorer landed a left-right again. Holyfield knocked Moorer down with a right at 2:35 of the round. Moorer got up at 7 and fought back.

HOLYFIELD’S ROUND

ROUND 6

Moorer opened with a jab. Moorer picked up Holyfield as Holyfield tried to grab him. The two then touched gloves. It was a battle mostly of jabs the first minute. Holyfield got in a good left hook at the minute mark. Moorer got in a jab and a left to the head at 1:20. Action slowed. It had been fast-paced for a heavyweight fight. Moorer got in a jab to the jaw and they clenched. Moorer got in a left to the jaw. Moorer got in a right jab with 25 seconds left. Moorer landed a left to the head, then a short left. Holyfield landed a left high to the head.

MOORER’S ROUND

ROUND 7

Moorer opened with a series of jabs and a left to the head. Neither did much the first minute. Holyfield landed two jabs and a right-left hurt Moorer at 1:07. Moorer was wobbly and two rights by Holyfield made him rocky. Holyfield dug a left to the body, but Moorer was still up, mainly because Holyfield appeared tired. Holyfield put Moorer on one knee with a right uppercut at 1:55; he was up at 8. Holyfield was all over Moorer. A right at 2:20 dropped Moorer, who was up immediately. Holyfield was working him over and Moorer was trying to fight back. He landed a right to the side of the head.

HOLYFIELD’S ROUND

ROUND 8

Moorer came out jabbing and Holyfield backed away. Holyfield seemed to be pacing himself. They exchanged head punches. Holyfield dug into the body at the minute mark. Holyfield grabbed Moorer a couple of seconds before they were broken up. Holyfield landed a left to the head and a right to the body. Moorer was flicking jabs with little sting behind them. Holyfield left a good left and right hand to put Moorer down. He was up at 7. A right hand at 2:19 rocked Moorer again and he wouldn’t go down. Moorer was wobbly, but hanging in. A big right uppercut put Moorer down at 2:56. He was up at 7. Halpern stopped the fight between rounds on the advice of the ring physician, Dr. Flip Homansky.

HOLYFIELD’S ROUND, WINS BY TKO