By Mark Workman
HBO will soon begin running the latest edition of Realsports with Bryant Gumbel. This new episode will feature a segment concerning the controversy over whether or not the legendary 4-time heavyweight champion Evander "The Real Deal" Holyfield (38-8-2, 25 KO’s) should be allowed to continue fighting.
On October 19 th he’ll turn 43, an age many believe to be too old for him to continue fighting; but Evander Holyfield believes age isn’t a factor and is adamant that he should still be licensed to fight in the sport through which he’s built an empire.
From his earliest childhood days growing up in Atlanta, Georgia, his late mother, Annie Laura Holyfield, whom Evander describes as his "true hero," taught him to "never be a quitter and constantly work hard and your goals will become a reality." Evander Holyfield has proven 4 times that his mother’s words were not only wise but prophetic.
Hoping to break his own record, Evander now wants to become the heavyweight champion of the world again for the 5 th history-making time; but is he now too old and battered to accomplish that mission?
Compiling a 169-11 record as an amateur boxer; winning a silver medal at the Pan Am Games in Caracas, Venezuela in 1983; winning the National Golden Gloves Championship in 1984; and then taking home a bronze medal at the 1984 Olympics, Evander Holyfield charged to glory from the very beginning, refusing to be denied in his quest of becoming a world champion.
It’s true that Evander Holyfield, the first cruiserweight to win the heavyweight title, has weathered many brutal storms in the ring and more times than not has finished victorious; but is it safe for him to continue fighting at age 42, considering the punishment he’s taken in so many famous wars?
Should he be granted his boxing license, risking permanent damage that could render him physically debilitated like fighters such as the great Muhammad Ali, or even worse, killed in the ring because he refuses to quit against any mortal man?
Could his own immense courage be a danger to him?
Larry Holmes, the longest-reigning heavyweight champion in boxing history (defending his title 20 consecutive times from 1978-1985), second only to the legendary "Brown Bomber" Joe Louis, has said, "Let Holyfield fight. He’ll know when to stop. If he don’t that’s his business."
I’m inclined to agree with Larry Holmes.
It’s no secret that Evander has suffered a heart problem in the past that caused his license to be suspended; but I’d hate to see him denied his destiny because the gatekeepers of boxing refuse to give him the key to his dreams: his boxing license. Should Evander Holyfield be granted his boxing license to fight again?
In 1994 George Foreman was allowed to fight on at age 45 and knocked out champion Michael Moorer in the 10 th round to win the WBA and IBF belts after enduring a ton of hoopla that he was too old to fight. Proving naysayers wrong, he became the oldest man in boxing to win a world championship in any weight class.
But some say Evander Holyfield has suffered a lot more damage in the ring than "Big George" had previously endured before he shocked the world in knocking out Michael Moorer, the first southpaw to ever win the heavyweight crown.
Tending to agree, the New York State Athletic Commission served Evander with an indefinite medical suspension after his last loss to Larry Donald in November, thus derailing his goal of retiring the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. Evander Holyfield wants this suspension lifted so he can fight again.
After Holyfield lost his 1 st fight against Michael Moorer the world cried out for his retirement, citing too much damage endured in his previous fights. Uncharacteristically sluggish and seemingly exhausted from the early rounds of the first Moorer fight, Holyfield was diagnosed after the match with an apparent career-ending heart problem.
Forced to submit to a battery of medical testing before any state boxing commission would allow him to fight again, Holyfield returned to the ring, healed by God, according to Evander, and won a unanimous decision against 1988 Olympic Gold Medalist "Merciless" Ray Mercer; but then suffered a brutal beating at the hands of Riddick Bowe in their 3 rd exciting fight, ending with Holyfield being knocked out for the first time in his career.
Refusing to retire, Evander announced that the long-awaited mega-showdown with "Iron Mike" Tyson would finally become a reality. Having waited for this fight for years, the world’s excitement level for this match-up was blowing the top off the anticipation meter; but the call for Holyfield’s retirement raged louder, the world convinced Iron Mike would take Holyfield apart piece-by-piece, culminating in what most people were convinced would be the most disastrous ending for Evander.
Yet he shocked the world again and completely dismantled Iron Mike Tyson in one of the most thrilling fights in years, knocking Tyson out in the 11 th round. Holyfield and Tyson fought again in their rematch, the fight ending in a win by disqualification for Holyfield when Tyson bit off a chunk of Evander’s ear. But had the fight not been stopped, Evander was clearly on the way to knocking out Iron Mike Tyson for the 2 nd time.
After years of being told that he was nothing but a blown-up cruiserweight and not a true heavyweight, Holyfield then went on to knock out champ Michael Moorer in their rematch, but many still sounded the alarm for his retirement.
Even though Evander held his own in his next fight with Lennox Lewis—that fight ending in a draw—he lost their rematch by unanimous decision. Evander then went on to win the vacant WBA title against John Ruiz in a fight that many thought Evander lost; then lost the title back to Ruiz in their 2 nd meeting; and then fought to a draw in their 3 rd contest.
Losing his last 3 consecutive fights against Chris Byrd, James "Lights Out" Toney and Larry Donald, Evander has looked older with each successive fight. Should the world write Holyfield off again?
Many think Evander Holyfield should finally hang up his gloves and enjoy his vast wealth and turn his full efforts and attention to his Holyfield Foundation where he "gives back" to the youth of today, attempting to offer them the same opportunities that he was lucky enough to receive when he was growing up.
I find it very difficult to try and tell a grown man what he should and shouldn’t do with his own life. Evander Holyfield is a grown man and a proud warrior who has proven time and time again that it’s not smart to count him out once and for all. Holyfield seems to do his best in big fights where he’s truly pushed and tested by the very best, not the dregs of the heavyweight division.
A true-believer in fresh starts, I think every man deserves one. But I don’t want to see Evander Holyfield seriously injured or worse just to watch him attempt to fulfill his ultimate goal of retiring the undisputed and only 5-time heavyweight champion in history. Having said this, I believe he should be licensed and allowed to fight until he proves that he’s a menace to himself in the ring.
Many say that Evander is washed up and should retire and that we need to support new blood in the heavyweight division. Show me more fighters with the heart and dedication and warrior spirit of Evander "The Real Deal" Holyfield and maybe I’ll become more excited about them.
Sure, there are some hopefuls out there such as Samuel Peter and Lamon Brewster; but I’d like to see continued consistency from the both of them before I’m ready to bang their drums louder. And all of these so-called champions, including Vitali Klitschko, need to start acting like champions and start fighting each other and prove who the real heavyweight "champion" really is so there might be a hope of reigniting some fire and interest in boxing’s elite division.
Instead we continue to pay them to bore us silly watching them fight opponents that no one really cares to even see in the ring. I’d rather see Vitali Klitschko fight Evander Holyfield than snore through more fights against the likes of Danny Williams and Corrie Sanders.
Unless Evander Holyfield cannot meet the medical requirements that every other fighter must meet, I think he should be allowed to fight again. There just might be another war or two left in this great gladiator. But if he cannot meet the medical standards that every other boxer must meet, then he should not be allowed his license and he should call it a day.
I don’t think anyone with any conscience at all would want to issue Evander a license and then have to live with the fact that the issuance of that license was what led him to being injured or killed in the ring. But this is the sport of boxing and money sometimes makes those in charge do the strangest things.
Evander "The Real Deal" Holyfield just might be able to pump enough gas out of his weathered tank one last time and could very well prove us all wrong once again. If we could only get the 4, yes, 4 current heavyweight champions to fight in a good old round-robin, leaving us with 1 champion the way it should be, Evander just might be able to knock out all 4 of them with one good final career-ending punch.
Great warrior; don your battle-worn armor; kneel to the Gods above and absorb their power; and then begin your magnificent journey to the mountaintop of glory again. True greatness awaits you at its crest.
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