Evander Holyfield is getting back in the boxing ring at 58 years old, and he has confidence in himself to get the job done.
To keep right up with the growing trend of retired fighters coming out and boxing other retired fighters, Evander Holyfield is now ready to enter the mix. Holyfield was one of the greatest in his day, but his day was over two decades ago.
Now, Holyfield is getting ready to step into the squared circle again and face off against former UFC fighter Vitor Belfort. Holyfield is coming in on short notice to replace Belfort’s original opponent, Oscar De La Hoya. Despite people being wary of Holyfield’s skills at 58, he has no reservations.
“I feel good about it,” Holyfield told Mike Heck of MMA Fighting. “I was training and was in shape enough that I feel that I could do it. They talked to my manager and he said, ‘Let me ask Evander.’ I said I would do it, and then I had to ask the question: ‘How in the world was this guy gonna do this with Oscar and then come in and do it with me? Does he know that we’re different?’”
Holyfield’s age could be a factor in this fight but also the fact that he last fought professionally ten years ago. For this bout, the location was recently moved since the California State Athletic Commission would not give Holyfield permission to fight. Florida, on the other hand, was fine with it. The fight will be eight rounds, two minutes each at heavyweight.
Holyfield respects Belfort for taking the chance and trying out a new sport at 44 years old, but he knows that boxing is where he is king. Holyfield is getting all this confidence from the fact that he is one of the best to ever have boxed. And when it comes down to this sport, he can rely on his years of training.
“I kind of feel that you’ve got to have a lot of confidence to get in the sport and get it with me when I’ve been doing it a lot longer. I’ve been doing boxing since I was 8 years old. I know good and well I ain’t gonna come down and try to wrestle them guys. I don’t want to have to watch out for a foot or a chokehold, someone grabbing my arm and breaking my arm. I just said, ‘I want to take a chance.’ Realistically, if you’re coming into boxing, you’re really coming into my field,” he added. “I just want everyone to know that you have to be smart with what you want to do.”
The Triller Fight Club’s Legends 2 event will take place this Saturday, Sept. 11 at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, FL. The co-main event for this event will be Anderson Silva vs. Tito Ortiz.
Do you think Evander Holyfield still has what it takes to be victorious in the boxing ring?
