Is Holyfield’s Time Finally Up?

By Garth McLennan

E it finally time for Evander ‘The real deal’ Holyfield to hang up the gloves? The former four-time world title holder lost a unanimous decision to WBO champion Sultan [bragimov on October 13 in his quest to become a five-time world heavyweight champ.

Holyfield retired in 2003 but returned to the ring in 2004 at 42 years old, losing to Larry Donald for his third consecutive defeat. Holyfield returned to face heavy criticism, which was furthered after he was barred from fighting in New York due to deteriorating abilities. This ruling was passed despite Holyfield passing the physical and medical exams. Think Rocky VI on a larger scale.

After his initial loss to Donald, Holyfield was victorious in his next four matches. However, the critics didn’t go away as his opponents weren’t exactly the cream of the boxing crop. Despite this though, Holyfield was to battle Ibragimov for what would have been his fifth world heavyweight title. No one has ever captured five world heavyweight championships before, and Holyfield has vowed to not call it quits until he becomes the first. Whatever you think of him, you - cannot deny the man’s tremendous heart and passion.

Holyfield, who has a career record of 42-9-2, with 27 KOs, is 44, with his dream of winning a fifth world crown fast evaporating. The Ibragimov fight may have been one of his last opportunities. However that is unlikely to deter Holyfield, who has had a fabulous career.

Evander Holyfield represented the US at the 1983 Pan American games, winning the silver medal. In

1984, he won a bronze medal in the LA Olympics, competing in the light- heavyweight division. He likely would have finished higher had the referee not made a bad call. The ref told the fighters to break when they shouldn’t have, and Holyfield, who failed to hear the call, floored his opponent, Kevin Barry,

and was disqualified. The referee later apologized, but the damage was done. The same year, Holyfield won the national Golden Gloves championship. After turning pro, Holyfield quickly

best cruiserweight match of the 80s. After several impressive fights, Holyfield was named the number one contender.

In one of the biggest upsets in history, unheard of pugilist Buster Douglas had

won the WBA shocked MikeTyson cruiserweight for the heavyweight crown in what “Wh championship. has been called atever YOU Hotyficld had the greatest accepted a_ large

cruiserweight bout of the 1980s against Dwight Muhammad Qawi. He would then become the only man in boxing history to unify the cruiserweighttitles from different boxing councils, defeating WBC’s cruiserweight champ, Carlos De Leon in, 1988. Holyfield would vacate the titles to pursue Mike Tyson’s heavyweight championship as he moved up the weight class.

Holyfield would establish a reputation swiftly as a heavyweight, as he beat former world champions in two of his first three matches. This included a classic clash against Michael Dokes, which Ring magazine would call the greatest heavyweight bout of the 1980s. It was Ring magazine that gave Holyfield’s match with Qawi the distinction of the

think of him, you cannot deny the man’s tremendous heart and passion.”

cash donation to let Douglas fight Tyson before him. Holyfield was the first combatant to battle Douglas for the title, and he defeated him easily, knocking him out in the third round. Holyfield’s first title defence was against the legendary George Foreman, and he successfully defended his title. Holyfield held the belt until November 1992, when he lost the championship in the first of three battles with the undefeated Riddick Bowe. It was Holyfield’s fist loss as a heavyweight. He regained the title from Bowe in November of 93, in a bizarre match in which a man attempted to parachute down to the ring. This ended Bowe’s 35-match undefeated streak after a 12-round decision. After this, Holyfield was named ABC’s Wide World of Sport’s 1993 athlete of the year.

He would then drop the title to Michael Moorer in his first defence after suffering a dislocated shoulder in the match.

Holyfield would capture his record tying third heavyweight title by besting Mike Tyson in 1996 ina huge upset. In the Tyson rematch, the fight would become infamous for Tyson taking a chunk out of Holyfield’s ear after repeated head butts from the champ. Tyson was disqualified.

Holyfield would battle Lennox Lewis to a controversial draw in a title-unification match in 1999. In the rematch, Holyfield lost the title fight by a unanimous decision. After Lewis was stripped of the title in 2000, Holyfield met the new champion, John Ruiz, winning the belt back. He would lose the title in a rematch, and the third fight between the two resulted in a lacklustre draw.

Holyfield would make his last attempt at a fifth title before retiring when he fought Chris Byrd, but he lost in a 12- round judgment.

So now here he is the fading star who came painfully close to capturing a fifth title in Moscow on the 13. However, if this look back on Holyfield’s career has taught us anything, it is that he is a true fighter, one of the greatest of all time. He just keeps coming back, like all great champions do, and that is reason enough to never bet against what this guy can accomplish.

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