‘Don’t hold back’ – Evander Holyfield left WWE champion ‘seeing stars’ as real punch ended match

Fans thinking of boxing cameos in WWE no doubt think first of Mike Tyson at WrestleMania in 1998.

The Baddest Man on the Planet was part of a months-long storyline that saw him paired with D-Generation X before aiding Stone Cold Steve Austin to the WWE title in Boston.

Tyson then left Shawn Michaels laying in the middle of the ring with a stern punch in what remains one of the most talked-about boxer spots in wrestling history.

It isn’t the only one. Tyson appeared many more times in WWE; Lennox Lewis once made a cameo at SummerSlam, Ricky Hatton even dabbled in a match on an episode of Raw and let's just say Floyd Mayweather earned big.

One classic moment sometimes allowed to slip under the radar was that of Evander Holyfield’s knockout punch to a top wrestling champion in 2007.

Former world heavyweight champion Holyfield once stepped through WWE ropes and delivered a blow that left even seasoned wrestling fans blinking in disbelief.

It was August 2007, and WWE was experimenting with its Saturday Night’s Main Event revival on NBC – a nostalgic throwback to the ‘80s era of prime-time wrestling specials.

On this particular episode, they booked a boxing exhibition between Holyfield and then-WWE superstar Matt Hardy, as part of Hardy’s rivalry with upstart United States champion Montel Vontavious Porter.

MVP, at the time, was a cocky, trash-talking heel (wrestling bad guy) with a penchant for flaunting his ‘superior’ abilities at every turn.

He had been locked in a feud with Hardy, and as part of their ongoing competition – which had already included everything from basketball shootouts to beer-drinking contests – MVP was booked into a scripted boxing match with his sworn enemy.

Real-life medical complications meant MVP wasn’t able to compete in the match – a heart issue had been detected and needed to be investigated.

His condition was woven into the storyline, and he was taken from the match – so he brought in a ‘replacement’ - Holyfield.

The former undisputed cruiserweight and heavyweight champ walked to the ring at Madison Square Garden to a mixed reaction – the Garden is a famously loyal wrestling crowd.

Holyfield, ever the professional, took the execution of the bout seriously, punishing Hardy to the extent he showed mercy on his opponent and lobbied for the match to be stopped, such was the tag team specialist’s state.

MVP, busy chirping and chuntering at ringside, wasn’t keen to see Hardy’s punishment ended too swiftly, so charged into the ring and began trying to motivate Holyfield to keep going.

Hardly one to suffer fools, Holyfield ignored MVP’s ‘advice’ and turned to walk away – at which point the wrestler put his hands on the boxer to spin him round, and got decked for his troubles.

A stern right hand to the top of Porter’s head left him laying and officials scrambling to wave the match off to end the madness before things got worse.

Speaking years later, MVP confirmed that, while the storyline and match went as planned, the punch was very real.

“I told Holyfield, ‘Don’t hold back if it comes to it,’” he said on The Sessions with Renée Paquette.

“I said if it comes down to it, and you feel it, just go. And he did. I saw stars. I’ve been hit hard before, but that was something else.”

“Holyfield hit him so hard I thought we were gonna need a resurrection, not a rematch,” he joked in a 2021 tweet.

In comparison to the Tyson punch that’s firmly etched in wrestling folklore, WWE rarely acknowledges the Holyfield match these days, but it proved a memorable moment and one that gave the company a much-needed mainstream PR spike at a time when it was still reeling from the horrific Chris Benoit tragedy.

MVP would recover, of course. He went on to hold more titles in WWE and New Japan, returned for a much-loved veteran run alongside Bobby Lashley in the Hurt Business, and became one of the industry’s most respected promo men.

But for a few seconds at the Garden, he was just another man who underestimated Evander Holyfield’s right hand.

It might’ve looked like a throwaway comedy segment on the surface but, even in WWE, when Evander Holyfield hits you, you stay hit.