By Geno McGahee
Last night in an exhibition match, former multiple time heavyweight champion, Evander Holyfield, 44-10-2, 29 KO’s, returned to the ring at age 58 to take on former UFC champion, Vitor Belfort, 1-0, 1 KO. The concern prior to the fight as many watched Holyfield punch the mitts was warranted. He looked very slow and his interviews didn’t give people any optimism either as he slurred his words. This was an exhibition but nobody told Belfort that. This was a fight and it didn’t end well.
Holyfield was in good shape, but he wasn’t moving well. He tried to find some bounce but it wasn’t there and the first two right hands he tried weren’t effective and weren’t very hard. Belfort came in with a tight guard and he was known for his striking in MMA. He carried that punch into this fight and the second he landed, the fight was basically over. A sneaky straight left hand buckled Holyfield. He was shaky. He threw a left hook and fell into the ropes. It was ruled a slip, but Holy’s legs were already gone.
A left uppercut and body shot put Holyfield down. He got up and Belfort unloaded without any return from Holyfield. This was just a shell of a great fighter that should not have been in the ring to begin. The referee stopped the fight. It was arguably quick, but a near 60 year old man getting hit over and over again isn’t something that you want to let go for too long.
Triller is a “boxing” promotion that came together with the return of Mike Tyson. They have showcased Jake Paul as well, but this PPV may be the first indication that they don’t have the staying power that they might think. With Jake Paul being with Showtime and without many marquee names left in boxing at the retirement homes, they may not be able to attract the fans anymore. The boxing fans also want boxing, not the shit music that they force you to sit through just to get to the fights. They tried this sort of stuff before and it comes and goes.
Despite the terrible defeat, Holyfield is still a legend that has shared the ring with some of the biggest names in the history of the game, including Mike Tyson, George Foreman, Lennox Lewis, Riddick Bowe, Michael Moorer, James Toney, Larry Holmes, Ray Mercer and so many more. He fought anyone and everyone and that fighting spirit put him back into the ring last night and hopefully that will be that.
I’m sure Oscar De La Hoya, Belfort’s initial opponent that pulled out of the fight with Covid-19, is thanking his lucky stars for not being in there. Belfort is huge. De La Hoya was a basic junior middleweight and he probably would have been knocked out quickly too. Perhaps he didn’t have Covid-19 and just knew that dropping out was in his best interest.
