http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/more_sport/article4913090.ece What the hell? Holyfield accepts offer to fight Valuev in December? I wouldn't ever say that I was a huge fan of Holyfield's fighting style, the wade in through his opponent's punches face-first, lead with the top of his head, bury his face in the chest, throw hooks from 4 inches away and clinch technique, but I was always a massive fan of his tenacity, stamina, determination, athleticism and will. Holyfield should have retired after his bouts with Lewis, 10 years ago. Now he's a shell of his former self, and risking permanent, debilitating injury every time he steps in the ring. Now he's choosing to risk his health against a seven-foot-tall behemoth by the name of Nikolai Valuev. Someone, please step in a put a stop to this sideshow, this potential disaster. That's just my first objection. My second is that Holyfield has done nothing to warrant a shot at Valuev's title, even if it is an interim title while Chagaev is the 'champion in recess'. Holyfield isn't even in the WBA's top 15. Then again, I don't suppose much can be said for the WBA's ranking system when one considers that they put a boxing master like Kali Meehan as their #1 challenger, and rank Golota 4th with Ruiz 6th and Devaryll "Bore You To Sleep" Williamson 7th. Regardless, there are cats out there like Taras Bidenko, Alexander Dimitrenko, Chris Arreola and Dennis Boytsov all ranked in the WBA top 15 that all can make reasonable claims at deserving title shots at Valuev either right now, or in the near future. Wasting the WBA's time by putting his interim title up against a geriatric like Holyfield is an utter joke, and a dangerous one at that. Perhaps Valuev realizes he's just keeping the WBA strap warm for the much more slender waists of the Klitschko brothers, and wants to cash in on some name-recognition before he, inevitably, surrenders the title.
