HOLYFIELD TO RETIRE ON FRIDAY

Evander Holyfield will announce his retirement from boxing on Friday October 19.  His 50th birthday.

A career span of 57 Bouts from November 15, 1984 - October 19, 2012.

Evander Holyfield calls out the Klitschko brothers again

(From Eastsideboxing.com)
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By Rob Smith: Evander Holyfield, 49, is hoping that one of the Klitschko brothers will give him a fight so that Holyfield can try and capture another heavyweight world title before he retires someday. Holyfield hasn’t been ranked in the top tier for quite some time in the heavyweight division so it’s going to be a tad difficult for him to get one of the Klitschkos to bite on his offer.

Holyfield said to Sky Sports News “They [Klitschkos] have got an opportunity to probably make the biggest payday of their lives fighting Evander Holyfield…With the Klitshkos, they aren’t choosing to fight me, I’ve said I’ll fight them. All they got to do is realize that both of us will make money, then we’ll see who the winner is.”

Ignoring the fact that this would be terrible mismatch and the Klitschko brothers would take heaps of criticism from boxing fans if they took this fight, A fight between one of the Klitschko brothers and 49-year-old Holyfield would still do really well in Germany where the Klitschkos fight. The Klitschkos could sell out one of their 50,000 seat football stadiums if they fought Holyfield. The Germans would probably love this fight and come in droves. They loved the Shannon Briggs vs. Vitali Klitschko fight, as well as Wladimir’s mismatches with Tony Thompson and Jean Marc Mormeck. Holyfield is about in their league, maybe a little worse in terms of what he’s got left in the tank at this stage in his career.

A fight between Holyfield and the Klitschkos would make a lot of money, but I’m not sure that Holyfield’s cut would be all that huge because he’s not in a good bargaining position right now. Holyfield hasn’t beat a high profile fighter in many years and he’s lost each time he’s fought for a world title in the past five years.

HOLYFIELD MAY NOT FIGHT AGAIN

(From Worldboxingnews.net)
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‘The Real Deal’ left in limbo as he approaches 50

Boxing legend Evander Holyfield still feels as though he can compete at the highest level in the heavyweight division as the 49 year-old veteran seeks out opportunities to extend his boxing career even further.

The former undisputed cruiserweight champion and four-time heavyweight belt holder is on a run of two knockouts since his last world title loss to Nikolai Valuev in 2008 and will hit a landmark 50th year in October this year.

Asked by World Boxing News today whether he will fight again following a thirteen-month absence from the ring and if so, when that might be, ‘The Real Deal’ stated: “I don’t know when because nobody’s called me yet. I want to fight and feel strong, I just need the opportunity.”

Holyfield was linked to a WBA title challenge against Alexander Povetkin at the back end of last year and according to his senior advisor Tony Tortorici, the boxing icon is in better shape today than many active fighters of a much younger age.

“Evander practices what he preaches when he says ‘It’s easier to maintain than rebuild,” said Tortorici, who is currently in the process of weighing up the Atlanta fighter’s next move.

There is no doubt that Holyfield remains a fan favourite and deserves to test himself against one of the current crop of top heavyweights before retirement, although as it stands right now, he may not be given the chance.

Weekend Predictions

Chad Dawson W 12 Bernard Hopkins.  Scores 115-113, 116-113, something like that.  For World Lt. Heavyweight Title.

(Update:  Dawson W 12 Hopkins, scores 117-111, 117-111, 114-114)

Seth Mitchell KO 3 Chazz Witherspoon.  Mitchell #6 WBO continues towards title shot vs a Klitschko sometime next year.

(Update: Mitchell TKO 3 Witherspoon.  Mitchell stunned severely in 1st round)

LENNOX LEWIS TO RETURN?

(From Eastsideboxing.com)
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Lennox Lewis Announces September 29th “Done Deal” Rematch With Vitali Klitschko - An April Fool’s Or Not?

By James Slater -- For a while now, “retired” heavyweight great Lennox Lewis has been casually dropping hints that he might, just might, come back to face reigning WBC heavyweight boss Vitali Klitschko in a long awaited return of their epic 2003 battle.

Lewis, now aged 46, said recently that he would “take off the pyjamas and go back to the gym for $100 million (which particular currency Lennox never stated).” While Klitschko, now aged 40 (41 in July) has been almost begging for a rematch ever since being busted up and halted on cuts by “the strongest man I’ve ever met in my career..”

Well, it may not prove to be anything more than a quite tantalising April Fool’s Day gag, but Lewis today announced - on his Twitter page and on his official web site (Lennox Lewis.com) - that he is all set for a “done deal” of a rematch with Vitali, on September 29th.

Lewis wrote:

“Lennox returns to the ring for Sept. 29th mega fight with Klitschko.”

And:

“I’ve enjoyed retirement but there is unfinished business at hand & 125 million reasons to finish. Sept. 29th LLVK2#done deal. Klitschko looking forward to Sept. 29th.”

So, has Lennox decided to actually come back and “save” the heavyweight division that is “currently dead,” or is the whole thing nothing more than another example of Lewis’ oft-quirky sense of humour (this is a man, after all, who once signed an enthusiastic fan’s autograph “Don Corleone”!)

It probably is nothing more than a gag, but it’s odd that Lewis would both submit a date and place the “news story” on his official site. Could it be that we are all set to see the “epic fight” Lennox says the heavyweight division of today is in need of?

Has Lewis shed the pyjamas and been secretly working his ass off in the gym? Let’s all be honest, September 29th would absolutely, definitely, magnificently, be a date us fight fans would set aside in the diary if this eight-years-too-late rematch did come to fruition!

And at 46 (Lewis will be 47 in September), Lewis just might be young enough to be able to pull off a “George Foreman.”