Holyfield confident injuries, not age, were his problem
DALLAS (AP) – Smiling and hardly sweating after only 5 minutes and 56 seconds in the ring, Evander Holyfield hoped all his doubters would start believing what he’s been saying the last two months: It really was bad health, not old age, that had caused him to fight so poorly in recent years. Holyfield beat Jeremy Bates in a technical knockout with 4 seconds left in the second round Friday night, overpowering his hand-picked foe for the start of his latest comeback bid after taking only a few hard shots himself.
Holyfield looked pretty good for a 43-year-old who’d lost his last three fights and hadn’t fought anyone in nearly two years, although it was hard to tell much considering his foe was an insurance agent from West Virginia who was six inches shorter and lacked Holyfield’s technical polish.
To Holyfield, though, it was proof he still has what it takes to go from being the only four-time heavyweight champion to the first five-timer – now that he’s healthy, that is.
“I want everybody to know that for the last four or five years, I was injured but I was fighting,” Holyfield said. “Them last three fights, I fought with one shoulder. I was hurt. My back was hurting. I had cramps.”
He said he didn’t blame the injuries at the time because he didn’t want to be accused of making excuses. He didn’t bail out before or during any fights because he didn’t want his kids to be told their daddy was a quitter.
“So I’m happy today to be able to go into training, not injured, and show you that age has nothing to do with it,” he said. “I’m willing to pay the price that’s necessary and I’m looking forward to taking this to the next level. We’ve got big plans.
“Eventually I’ll be the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world – 44, 45, it don’t make no difference,” said Holyfield, who expects to have a title fight next year, then to own all the belts and retire in 2008.
His next fight will be against Sinan Samil Sam of Turkey, fifth in the latest WBC ratings. It’ll likely be in November and almost certainly on pay-per-view. More details, including the site, are expected soon.
Holyfield rocked Bates against the ropes late in the first round and might have put him away then if not for the bell. Early in the second round, Bates (21-12-2) got in a good shot to Holyfield’s face and followed with a blow to his side.
But Holyfield soon cornered Bates and put him away with a barrage of punches to his head and body. There was so little resistance that referee Rafael Ramos stopped the fight rather than let Bates be saved by the bell again.
Holyfield said he was glad the bout was on cable television so a wider audience could see that he’s still “The Real Deal.”
“I know that everybody believed, “He’s there in the ring, he looks good, but he just can’t pull the trigger.’ So they got a chance today to realize I can pull the trigger,” he said, stressing the word “can.”
Holyfield’s reputation was damaged by losses to Chris Byrd, James Toney and Larry Donald, then potentially ruined for good when New York boxing officials revoked his license after the Donald fight, essentially saying he was damaged goods.
He said he would’ve told doctors what was bothering him, but insists they never asked. The irony is that the ensuing 21-month layoff was exactly what his body needed to recover.
“When you really love somebody, respect somebody, you don’t just write them up in the paper and say, “We’ve got to protect this guy from himself,”‘ Holyfield said. “I love myself, I love my family. I’m not going to do anything to endanger myself.”
Holyfield appreciated the loud support of more than 9,000 Dallas fans, who were treated to a rare big-time fight night. It might have reminded him of the way fans took to George Foreman during his march toward the heavyweight title at 45.
“They believed I could do it. It made me kind of nervous because I didn’t want to let them down,” he said. “They were so excited. They acted like I was just in the ring yesterday.
“I’m a winner,” he added. “Every time I don’t win, it bothers me. … I made my goal in 1992 to be the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. Now it’s 2006. But eventually I’ll be able to do what I said I would. That’s what this is all about.”