Holyfield-Botha ROUND by ROUND...

Oh, I agree with you. Of course he can do what he wants. It'd just be nice if these guys had an alternative that could maybe keep them in the spotlight/on tv/in front of crowds while also keeping them safe. It'll never happen, of course, but it's an interesting idea that has been successful in other, albeit vastly less physical, non-team sports like golf and tennis.

 

They already tried that about 10 years ago it was called "Legends of Boxing" the first card was Larry Holmes Vs. Bonecrusher Smith
Tim Witherspoon Vs. Greg Page
Billy Costello Vs. Juan Laporte

about a year Later Holmes fought Mike Weaver for the Legends of Boxing Heavyweight title and then about a year after that he(Holmes) defended it against ButterBean

for a while all sorts of potential match ups were being talked about by its promoter and Holmes but they never materiallized.

for some reason it didn't catch on although it was enjoyable imo and with todays heavyweight picture those fights were much more enjoyable to watch and far more competitive I think if the the right promoter got behind it today it might take off depending on who was willing to come out of retirement that is...

 

yeah Holyfield I support this guys comebacks man he always tries his best age aside !!

LOL

I see freddy had to ban a lot of fools LOL

 

Holyfield can still fight

he can still go 12 rounds

always in excellent condition

when put in with guys a level below he always takes care of business


**** the naysayers

 

:roll:

Needs to retire.

 

Larry Holmes is one of the few that spring to mind.

True, the main difference being that Holyfield's prime was at a much higher peak than Botha's! So it evens out.

Yeah, I've respected Botha's blue-collar work ethic and courage under fire in the past. He's very much a Bruno type in that the only guys he lost to were champions (or soon-to-be in Smith's case) and he gave them all a good argument sans the one blow-out (vs Tyson II). Everyone else, he beat.

And he was winning the fight until his conditioning began to fade from the 6th onwards, while Holyfield's conditioning has always been tremendous. He was able to put together the punches in bunches when he needed to turn up the heat and get Botha out of there.

I thought Holy would win on points or late stoppage if he could get his shots together. If Botha had been fitter or even a bit younger, he might possibly have been able to get the decision (that judge that had Holyfield 6-1, talk about pandering to the legend...)

But he wasn't, and he didn't, and Holyfield had it still in the tank when he needed it so congrats to Evander.

Haye and the Klitschkos are horrible match-ups for him, however. Genuinely horrible.

 

I think what Holyfield has lost in reflexes, he partially makes up for in sheer deterimation and dedication. 47 and still in incredible, lean condition.

Some say he really beat Valuev. And to even have it controversial for a 47 year old, against a titleholder (even one as limited as Valuev) is amazing.

With this win Holy may have earned another high profile fight. I'd actully like to see Holy box the ears off of B level fighters like Arreola or Peter. I bet he could do it, too, even at 47.

As someone else said, WAR EVANDER!
:good

 

Holyfield - Post Fight Press Conference Quotes


Evander Holyfield:

“People talk and you act like it doesn’t bother you when they call you old and senile. I’ve been telling people since 1992 when I lost to Riddick Bowe that I was going to be undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. I won 2 but not the third. It’s never been about money. I was brought up poor and never had anything. I was taught to have goals and to never quit.

“Botha gave me an opportunity. People talk about my legacy. It’s about who you’ve fought. They can’t deny me; I fight the best.. I always want to fight somebody to get a little credit if I beat ‘em. When I decided to comeback it wasn’t because I’m the type that says he’s one of the best. This is a new era and I didn’t think I’d be in this era. I was laughing a little when I fought George Foreman. He was 42 and I was 29. I rally didn’t want to fight him. He didn’t beat me but he did become world champion again. What I learned from that fight was George said it wasn’t about age but that I will give my all.

“You can’t let people tell you what you can do. I fight because I want to. I wouldn’t be the person I am without opportunities.”

 

how much is holyfield being paid to do this? it's crazy. he is OLD. it's sad. he will probably be an invalid in 10 years