ASHLAND, Ky. - Evander Holyfield may need to rethink his plans to fight Jeremy Bates. At least that's what Bates thinks.
"I'm not going to guarantee a win, because I'm not the cocky guy I was when I was younger, but I think Evander may have picked the wrong guy," Bates, a Greenup County High School graduate, told The Independent of Ashland on Thursday. "I wouldn't go to Dallas if I thought I was going to lose."
Holyfield, 43, said Thursday he would fight Bates, 32, on Aug. 18, announcing the start of his latest comeback bid.
Bates, an insurance agent in Parkersburg, W.Va., has a professional record of 21-11-1 with 18 knockouts.
"The Evander from 15 years ago, I probably couldn't go four rounds with," Bates said of his childhood idol, "but I don't think that's the case now.
"He's still one of the greatest, but he's in his 40s now, and boxing isn't a sport for a 40-year-old."