During his prime in the NBA, Shaquille O’Neal was one of the biggest names in the game. He frequently drew star-studded crowds, as everybody wanted to catch a glimpse of the backboard-breaking 7-footer, including the world heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield.
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The former professional boxer joined Shaq on ‘The Big Podcast.’ During the episode, O’Neal revealed how he tried to put on a show when Holyfield was in attendance at one of his games.
“We was playing the Hawks one time when I saw Champ in the stadium. I told them motherf***ers ‘Don’t nobody shoot, champ’s here to watch me play. I’m bout to put on a show for the champ. Anybody shoot getting f***ed up after the game’,” Shaq recalled telling his teammates.
Having spent most of his childhood in Atlanta, it’s quite possible that Holyfield was rooting for the Hawks to take down O’Neal. But that didn’t deter Shaq from trying to impress the four-time world heavyweight champion.
“Every time I was dunking like, I was looking at the champ. And champ never smiled, I was like ‘Damn!’…I definitely was trying to impress you,” the 2000 NBA MVP admitted.
O’Neal also shared how he had learned from the greats to always entertain the audiences that showed up for their games. He wanted to ensure that fans left happy whenever they paid money to watch him play, especially when those in attendance were superstars like Holyfield whom Shaq had tremendous respect for.
Evander Holyfield rated Shaquille O’Neal’s boxing potential
Co-host Adam Lefkoe asked Holyfield if Diesel’s imposing stature would have translated to the boxing ring if he had spent his childhood training as a fighter instead of a basketball player.
“He had the reach, and when people know the balance, the balance to keep that person out, you can hit him…If you started at an early age and have these skills, you could be the very best,” the 62-year-old commented.
O’Neal, in an effort to receive more feedback from the Boxing Hall of Famer, asked him if he watched Shaq’s bout against lightweight boxer Shane Mosley.
“The point of the matter, you should’ve kept him way out there but you let him get too close. But I thought he’s gonna die,” Holyfield quipped about Diesel’s boxing performance.
The fight took place in 2010 as a part of ABC’s show ‘Shaq Vs.’ Mosley, standing at 5’9’’ and 150 pounds was severely disadvantaged. A wider ring was used so Mosley would have more space to move around and ultimately, he used that to his advantage, winning the bout by judge’s decision.
