Fearless classic prediction, Holyfield UD Valuev

My problem with Holyfield is that he'll look terrible for a stretch, say after the Lewis fights, and then win a big fight, as against Rahman in 2002. On the other hand, he can look very dangerous for a stretch (the run up to the Ibragimov fight) and then totally worthless (the Iggy fight) against an opponent that he could beat if he applied himself. He has had a bad habit, throughout his career, of not trying when faced with a winnable fight.

Holyfield's third glove isn't going to work. Chagaev laid down a brilliant blue-print to beat Valuev, but it was dependant on being active, young and mobile AS WELL as skilled. Valuev works more than Holyfield; he's stronger than Holyfield; he's much taller; he's got the kind of chin and height which means Holyfield could land 10 left hooks flush without putting him down. Valuev would give Holyfield trouble even in Holyfield's prime; in his twilight years, it's going to be yet another undignified fight from someone who should have retired eight years ago.

 

Although i can't really see it happen at this stage, i do think following Chagaev's gameplan is Holyfield's best hope.


By the way, i think the seeming inconstancy of going from good victories over Savarese, Maddalone, Oquendo and Bates to the one-sided loss to Sultan is mostly because of the class difference between those groups. He has been pretty erratic in performance-wise in general, though.

 

That's certainly the common sense/logical view....but the world loves an underdog, especially a little, old guy thrown in against a giant!

My head says Valuev by a landslide...but gimme me an upset anyday!!

 

I really REALLY hope Holyfield loses. Let's say if he wins...which he might because Valuev is beatable. That means we'll possibly wind up seeing Holyfield vs Chagaev or even worse a Holyfield vs Klitschko match.

At least Valuev stands a small chance at defeating those guys.

 

I agree. He should combine it with as much spoiling and tomfoolery (feinting, complaining to the ref, the dreaded walk-away of impenetrable power etc.) as possible to compensate for the difference in work-rate. Valuev is athletic for a big man and is effective when he finds his plodding rhythm, but both Ruiz and Chagaev showed that he's not good at piling on the pressure when it's needed. Valuev is largely a one-gear boxer.

Sadly, these days so is Holyfield, and it's a spluttering first-gear that causes him to stall when he picks up the pace.

Perhaps, but there was no doubt that even in his depleted state, Holyfield could have beaten Iggy if he still had the fire inside. It's gone and only stubborness remains.

 

Holyfield will try to slip Valuev's punches and score inside. I think Valuev will hold during those moments and this will tire Holyfield during the late rounds. I can see Holyfield being reasonably competitive at times, especially if he's physically and mentally as good as he can possibly be for his advanced years. It's a very tall order for him. He's not got the reflexes or sharpness to score consistently and effectively with the jab like he could do in his prime. And with Valuev's height and reach, it makes matters even worse.

 

Interestingly, Ibragimov seems to have lost that fire as well. Roger Mayweather made him more of a boxer which worked great against Briggs, but the aggressive incarnation that we saw against Whitaker and Ahunanya would've at least given Wlad a fight.... and most importantly, the crowd a fight.

 

It's a Photoshop job. Unless Valuev's spotted something absolutely AWESOME behind Evander, look at his line of sight.

Top of Holyfield's head came up to about the top of Valuev's neck. I'll see if I can dig up the original pic.

 

Here we are.

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I like the Russian to win an easy dec or late stoppage. I was impressed with the accuracy and speed of his jab against Ruiz,he carries his weight well for such a big man and is reasonably mobile for a giant.Evander has gone,Valuev does not punch his weight so it will be a long night ,Holyfield does not have the stamina to press Valuev constantly ,and when he gets close ,all the giant has to do is use his weight on him.Its a cynical fight that should not happen Holyfield seems determined to go on until he is a walking vegetable ,thats his choice ,but commissions have a moral duty to save people from themselves.The Raham Wlad fight was the latest mismatch but at least there was an excuse [late sub] ,there is no such excuse for this match.

 

"A very tall order" ,love that line!

 

I rate Holyfield's chances in this fight.

Holyfield's problem as an old fighter is his reaction speed, the ability to pull the trigger at every opportunity. He doesn't let his hands go because he knows the other guy is going to be somewhere else by the time he throws. It's what happens to old fighters. But he's up against a slow-motion opponent, and one who's not exactly known for his workrate either.

I wouldn't be at all surprised to see him outpoint Valuev.
And if he then goes on to fight Wlad Klitschko he deserves the chance more than Rahman did, and is bound to put up a stiffer fight too.
Let's stop worrying about Holyfield's health, he's not THAT bad that we have to ponder whether he's gonna get killed in every fight. Guys like Hasim Rahman, James Toney, Sam Peter and Fres Oquendo suck too, but they're still breathing.

 

None of them are 46 ,going on 47.

 

It shouldn't be about age, it's about how good they are. Holyfield's getting flak for supposedly not being good enough to win a title any more, but there are numerous others hanging around who aren't good enough either. Holyfield's still capable of beating loads of fighters, and he wants to fight. I doubt there are more than 25 heavyweights in the world even Holyfield's worst critics would truly bet on against him, so he's up there in a high percentile.
If he passes the medical tests and wants to box there's no good reason to single him out as "at risk". In fact he's one of the few heavyweights out there who takes it seriously enough to come to every fight in tip-top shape.
What people really hate about Holyfield is he believes in himself and wont admit defeat.

Anyway, his a grown man and he's just doing his job. He doesn't need defending by people like me. It's best to ignore the negative people.