Evander Holyfield vs. Michael Moorer II victory, rumors of the long-awaited unification match between Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis. After the Holyfield–Moorer II fight, Lewis would also pick up the "Lineal" Heavyweight championship by defeating Shannon Briggs, the man who had dethroned George Foreman to win the title. With both Holyfield and Lewis now holding all of the major titles, the highly anticipated unification bout looked like it might finally take place. Holyfield would make his mandatory defense against Vaughn Bean, defeating him via unanimous decision, while Lewis faced mandatory challenger Željko Mavrović, also winning his fight via unanimous decision. After these victories, the Holyfield–Lewis fight
Boxing in the United States sport as way of increasing moral and physical character. John L. Sullivan became the first American heavyweight champion in 1882 under bare knuckle boxing rules and again in 1892 becoming the first gloved era. He was defeated by James Corbett, often referred to as the father of modern boxing due to his innovative scientific technique, in 1892. Jack Johnson was the first African American heavyweight champion. Ring magazine was founded in the mid 1900s, and it began listing of championships and winners. The National Boxing Association changed its name in 1962 and became the World Boxing Association. The new organization