24.05.06 - By Matt Stein: According to the latest boxing news, Evander Holyfield, 43, is talking of making yet another boxing comeback, saying that he believes that he still can win another heavyweight title. However, in light of the fact that he hasn't won a fight in four years, when he defeated Hasim Rahman in June 2001, I'd have to put the likelihood of success seriously in doubt. In fact, in Holyfield's (38-8-2, 25 KO's) last nine fights, dating back to 1999, his record is a paltry two wins, five losses and two draws. Not good. Frankly, I think of one his draws against Lennox Lewis, was indeed, actually a loss, in my opinion, considering the one-sided nature of the fight, where Lewis seemed to easily dominate Holyfield. Yet, despite Holyfied's recent poor showings, for some bizarre reason, he refuses to give up, perhaps thinking of the great, George Foreman, who won a heavyweight title at the ripe old age of 45. However, Foreman was a special case, as he was gifted with an incredible combination of size, power, and an ability to take a hard shot, which more than compensated for his advanced age.
With Holyfield, however, he only has the chin and determination to keep moving forward. Clearly, as his recent recent efforts suggest, it's not enough to fight off the young Lions of the sport, or, even the old ones, as his last fight in November 2004, a 12-round lop-sided decision loss to the, then 37-year-old, Larry Donald, would indicate.
So, why after winning countless heavyweight titles and earning millions in the ring, does Holyfield continues to push forward, despite the evidence that he would be better off getting out of the ring and hanging up the gloves? Does Holyfield know something that we don't? Like many other people, I'd like nothing more than to see him win one more heavyweight title, yet given the apparent decline of his skills, wouldn't it be better for him to get out, with his marbles intact? Why take the risk when you don't have to?
Many people, and this writer included, felt that Holyfield started to go down hill, way back in November 1992, in his first fight against Riddick Bowe. In fact, many people at the time already thought that Holyfield, then 29-years-old, had been in far too many ring wars and was ready for retirement. No doubt, he still had a lot of his basic skills intact, yet, in my opinion, he wasn’t the same fighter that he was two years earlier, in 1990, when he knocked out James “Buster” Douglas in the 2nd round. At that point in time, Holyfield was in his prime and was a non-stop punching machine, perhaps unbeatable in any era of boxing. However, following that fight, Holyfield fought three very tough bouts against George Foreman, Bert Cooper and Larry Holmes, in which Holyfield absorbed huge amounts of punches, despite winning all three bouts. For me, when I look back at the demarcation point for the decline in Holyfield’s ability, those three fights stand out vividly, for he no longer seemed to be the same fighter afterwards.
In a perfect scenario, it would have been brilliant if he had left the ring at that point, since he had already made millions and didn’t need to continue on into his thirties and forties, even though he found success.