Evander Holyfield won a technical split decision over Hasim Rahman last night in a battle of former world champions that was halted in the eighth round after an accidental head-butt.
The fight was stopped one minute and 40 seconds into the eighth round after a cut opened an accidental head-butt opened a cut over Rahman's left eye. Ringside doctor Howard Taylor ordered the fight stopped.
The fight then went to the judges' scorecards with Holyfield ahead 69-64 on two judges' cards and Rahman leading 67-66 on the other, giving Holyfield the victory.
Holyfield rose to 38-5 with two drawn. Rahman fell to 35-4.
Defeated rivals have often accused Holyfield of deliberate head-butts, Mike Tyson among them. But Holyfield had dominated the fight even before the incident.
Holyfield struck in the opening seconds of the sixth round with an extended flurry of punches that backed Rahman into his corner and connected with a solid left later in the round.
Holyfield slipped to the canvas after an exchange early in the seventh, with referee Tony Orlando quickly waving off any notion of a knockdown.
Holyfield responded by pounding Rahman against the ropes for the second time in as many rounds, a furious combination that left Rahman stunned.
The fighters bumped heads during a clinch later in the round and Rahman suffered a cut over the outer edge of his left eyebrow. When the cut began bleeding in the eighth round, Orlando halted the fight and went to the scorecards.