Sunday 12th September 2021
Donald Trump is very disappointed
Holyfield’s comeback turns into a debacle
Former world heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield is making a bitter return to the boxing ring. The 58-year-old loses in Hollywood against the former mixed martial arts fighter Vitor Belfort through a technical knockout. The referee stops the fight in the first round.
Quick end after just 109 seconds: Former heavyweight world champion Evander Holyfield suffered a crushing defeat after a ten-year break in the ring. The now 58-year-old American was suddenly stopped by the referee in Hollywood in the US state of Florida in the fight against the former mixed martial arts fighter Vitor Belfort from Brazil after two knockdowns shortly before the end of the first round.
“It was a wrong decision by the referee, but that’s the way it is. I wasn’t injured,” said Holyfield after the one-sided fight. His opponent, 14 years his junior, who only played his second classic boxing match after a career as a cage fighter, dominated from the first second and gave the ex-champ no chance. Donald Trump was disappointed with the appearance of his compatriot. “That wasn’t Evander. I’ve never seen something like this happen to him. From the start he wasn’t the fighter he was before,” said the elected US president, who observed the one-sided spectacle as a guest commentator.
Holyfield stepped in at short notice as a replacement for Oscar de la Hoya, who was infected with the corona virus. Because of the old age and the long break of Holyfield, the boxing supervisor in California had refused a permit, so the fight took place in Florida. Another former heavyweight world champion, however, came to a victory in the supporting program. David Haye prevailed over eight rounds of two minutes on points against his British compatriot Joe Fourier. The 40-year-old lost his world championship belt ten years ago in Hamburg’s Volkspark Stadium due to a unanimous defeat against Wladimir Klitschko.
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