Getting suckered again…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
I consider myself a pretty rational person. Most of the time. But then Evander Holyfield comes into play. All logic goes out the window.
As much as I want to see The Real Deal retire, I will still do anything to try to watch his fights. So when he fights Saturday in Switzerland against Nicolay Valuev for one of the heavyweight titles, I’m going to do everything in my power to not be home.
Because if I am, I’m dumb enough to plunk down the money to watch it. And I know I’ll be disappointed.
Holyfield has provided some of my favorite boxing moments of all time. His first fight with Mike Tyson is incredibly boring. Jab, right hand, clinch and repeat. But I’ve never fallen asleep watching that fight. I’m so galvanized by the event. And when he knocks him out in the 11th, I’m always wide awake.
His first fight with Riddick Bowe is unreal. I can’t think what hyperbolic statements would be made about this fight if it happened today. It gets lost in the shuffle because boxing was still mourning the loss of Tyson after he was convicted of rape.
But if you ever get a chance, watch not just the first Bowe fight but the whole trilogy. I can’t add anything to Bowe-Holyfield I’s 10th round that hasn’t been said before. A true time capsule round.
I’ll even lump in the second Lennox Lewis fight as a favorite of mine. I watch round 7 of that fight as if it’s almost a KO. It’s not, but I thought it was a great swan for Holyfield.
So more than nine years later, it’s remarkable (sad) that he’s still out there. A Warrior who once had a trilogy with Bowe now has one with John Ruiz? An all-time great who was the unified cruiserweight and heavyweight champion of the world has lost to Larry Donald and Sultan Ibragimov?
Sad but true. Holyfield has said for years it his destiny to unify the titles and become a five-time champion. God told him in a dream.
The dream isn’t a nightmare yet, but I hope the end is soon for Holyfield. He deserves a fond farewell, but I don’t see it happening.
In MMA news, I got to watch Jake Rosholt’s WEC fight the other night. That was a good one. I had read it was a second-round knockout, so I’m thinking it would be a beatdown.
No, Rosholt was pushed. I don’t know if that is bad because he’s inexperience, and he’s already being tested. Or if it’s good because his opponent was no slouch, and he’s already shown heart.
I also finally got to see Mike Brown KO Urijah Faber. Faber is one of the Boneman’s boys, so it hurt. But that’s the beauty of MMA.
Also, don’t know what to say about the death of MMA fighter Justin Blevens and his wife, Sarah. Early reports suggest a murder-suicide. And as a wrestling fan, that brings me back to Chris Benoit from 18 months ago. No matter which way you slice it, it’s not pretty. My condolences go out to Blevens’ family and friends. Blevens was 28 while his wife was 25.
…
It’s been a little slow on the Bout Blog to which I apologize. But I’ve wrapped up the HS football season once and for all. Expect two strong weeks of year-end awards for 2008 and predictions for 2009 in both boxing and MMA. I’ve been debating against myself on some of these awards, so interested to see what some of you thought were the best fight moments of 2008.
To whet your appetite, here is one of the best pieces I’ve read in a while courtesy of Thomas Hauser at maxboxing.com. Great insight into the career of Oscar de La Hoya.
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I hear Roschalt has a fight coming up on a UFC card…