Comments Thread For: Past-Prime Evander Holyfield is Still Right To Fight

[BIGPOPPAPUMP]

by Lyle Fitzsimmons - Sorry folks, but the outrage-o-meter is still buried at zero.

While writers, fans and analysts are still panning Evander Holyfield's aim for a last crack at undisputed heavyweight recognition, I’m still not buying it.

It’s not that I think he’s got more chance than me against division-topping names like Klitschko, Klitschko and Haye – which is to say not much chance at all – but I can’t go solely on that inkling to deny him a pass to keep fighting his perception of the good fight.

If an assessment that a great fighter is beyond prime were the sole litmus to prevent careers from continuing, a lot of the sport’s history would have been written differently.

In most cases the past-vintage competitor would have been spared needless beatings and the long-term damage they prompt. But in some others, a righteous blockade would have snuffed out some of the game’s most memorable moments.

Exhibit A: George Foreman.

Try as I might, I can’t recall reading a single wordsmith two decades ago defending “Big George’s” right to campaign as a 40-ish novelty, several D.C. administrations after he’d last won a title belt.

The analysis changed little while he padded the resume with names like Zouski, Crabtree, and Lakusta, leaving most to opine a proposed 1991 match with Holyfield was a shade shy of black-on-black crime. [Click Here To Read More]

[PinoyZoi]

I hope the best of his career, dont want to see him end up with parksinson's for fighting for too long

[Larry the boss]

no...no he isnt

[Russian Crushin]

Holyfield cant take a punch anymore

He was hurt whilst blocking a punch against williams

[LeadUppercut]

by Lyle Fitzsimmons - Sorry folks, but the outrage-o-meter is still buried at zero......

I get Lyle's point about where Evander stands with the current HW scene.....
..... but I'm not sure if I ever want to see him lace em up again.

This is gold.....
" If you are gonna stand on a hill and call yourself the champion, there shouldn't be anyone else on that hill but you, right? "

[Rockin']

Whether we like it or not Holyfield is a free man in a free country. Why should we decide whether or not he can fight, it's his trade and it's what he knows.

Granted, Holyfield is up there in age but look at the man, he is more physicaly fit and prepared to fight than most of the Heavyweights that I've seen lately.

Holyfield has a world of experience over most fighters. Granted, he may be slower and not as sharp in the ring as he was back in the 90's but he is a fighter and that's what he does.

Every fighter knows the risk they take each time that they step into the ring to go to war. They've seen the older fighters with more or less signs of pugilistica dimensia, but they still step into throw again and again.

We can say that we want to save Holyfield from this or that catastrophic event, but he is his own man and will make his own mind up when he is ready to hang up his gloves. A man has aged as we all do, a man has continued training and staying competitive in his recent bouts. Who are we, our any commision to say that he can no longer work in his chosen profession.

Construction is a hard and dangerous job. Heavy lifting, long hours and in general just a dangerous trade. If a man is say 63 and is able to handle the lifting and long hours while plying his trade who would we be to say that he may no longer make a living basing the whole judgement on his age rather than his abilities.

Should he possibly recieve cat scans and mri's before he fights again? I say yes he should considering his age and previous wars through the years. This would be done simply as a precautionary measure to assure his saftey and that the image of the sport will not be tarnished should something tragic happen.

In the end it is Holyfields life. He has stepped into the ring so very many times and he knows what it is all about as no commision ever will. Ban him from fighting, I say no way. Have proper testing done to insure that he is in proper health to fight, I say certainly yes. You can dictate to your children what they are to do. Holyfield is a man with a trade and nobody should be able to dictate to Holyfield when his career should end or when he should fight or not fight, assuming he passes all health tests.

Holyfield has fought from such an early age, he knows the sport and he knows his abilities. With such a shallow pool of talent in the Heavyweight division he may truely believe that he can bring the belt home again, I believe that he truely believes that he can. Get him checked by good doctors and assuming that he is in the proper health to fight he should be allowed to fight just as the aged construction worker should be allowed to build. This is America, the land of the free, where dreams can come true. It is not our place or any commisions place to tell Holyfield his dream is over simply because of his age............Rockin'

[Jim Jeffries]

I wish Holyfield the very best, but after watching his fight last saturday against an obese clubfighter, a fight where he was beat up and forced to quit on his stool, I'll say this: only someone that really hates him would want to see him fight either Klitschko or Haye at this stage. Surely he can train, do a reality show, act, something besides fight. His balance is gone and even though the left shoulder is supposed to be better, he's too slow to land it. Time to hang em up Evander, seriously.

[LeadUppercut]

Whether we like it or not Holyfield is a free man in a free country. Why should we decide whether or not he can fight, it's his trade and it's what he knows.

Granted, Holyfield is up there in age but look at the man, he is more physicaly fit and prepared to fight than most of the Heavyweights that I've seen lately.

Holyfield has a world of experience over most fighters. Granted, he may be slower and not as sharp in the ring as he was back in the 90's but he is a fighter and that's what he does.

Every fighter knows the risk they take each time that they step into the ring to go to war. They've seen the older fighters with more or less signs of pugilistica dimensia, but they still step into throw again and again.

We can say that we want to save Holyfield from this or that catastrophic event, but he is his own man and will make his own mind up when he is ready to hang up his gloves. A man has aged as we all do, a man has continued training and staying competitive in his recent bouts. Who are we, our any commision to say that he can no longer work in his chosen profession.

Construction is a hard and dangerous job. Heavy lifting, long hours and in general just a dangerous trade. If a man is say 63 and is able to handle the lifting and long hours while plying his trade who would we be to say that he may no longer make a living basing the whole judgement on his age rather than his abilities.

Should he possibly recieve cat scans and mri's before he fights again? I say yes he should considering his age and previous wars through the years. This would be done simply as a precautionary measure to assure his saftey and that the image of the sport will not be tarnished should something tragic happen.

In the end it is Holyfields life. He has stepped into the ring so very many times and he knows what it is all about as no commision ever will. Ban him from fighting, I say no way. Have proper testing done to insure that he is in proper health to fight, I say certainly yes. You can dictate to your children what they are to do. Holyfield is a man with a trade and nobody should be able to dictate to Holyfield when his career should end or when he should fight or not fight, assuming he passes all health tests.

Holyfield has fought from such an early age, he knows the sport and he knows his abilities. With such a shallow pool of talent in the Heavyweight division he may truely believe that he can bring the belt home again, I believe that he truely believes that he can. Get him checked by good doctors and assuming that he is in the proper health to fight he should be allowed to fight just as the aged construction worker should be allowed to build. This is America, the land of the free, where dreams can come true. It is not our place or any commisions place to tell Holyfield his dream is over simply because of his age............Rockin'

Good post man. I can't disagree with a thing you said..... but.....

Some fighters can't stop bro, like you said, it's what they do.

One local guy in my country, his family petitioned the court to prevent him from boxing, claiming that he was already punch-drunk. He fought on for another 7 years.

Boxing needs rules like in rugby, where you take psych/cognition tests when you turn pro, and they form your baseline. You get tested regularly, and as soon as your results drop below the baseline, your license is revoked.

That law would perform the exact same job as a referee, to protect the fighter. Some guys need to be told when they've had enough.

I made a joke about Margarito after the Pac fight.

Someone posted that the ref shoulda stopped the fight, I replied..... "nope, Marg deserved 15 rounds with Pac, because a 12-month ban wasn't long enough".

The fact of the matter is, if that really was a 15-round fight..... Margarito would have fought every single one of those rounds, there is no doubt in my mind.

I am not a Margarito fan.

He is one tough son-of-a-b1tch.

[Mr. David]

Fighting is a privilege, not a right. Should Holyfield still be allowed? I said yes before the Williams fight. But this isn't a matter of "free country." This is a regulated sport.

[Andre Berto]

Feed Holyfield to Berto.