Evander Holyfield was blitzed in the first round of his heavyweight return by Vitor Belfort. The Cruiser Weight and Heavyweight Legend was stopped during his comeback heavyweight fight against the former UFC Champion Vitor Belfort at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Nevada in the United States of America.
The fight that took place a few months to the Legend’s 59th birthday witnessed a first-round stoppage at 1:49 into the first round.
Belfort, 44, swarmed Holyfield from the opening bell and never let up in the Triller Fight Club main event as former President Donald Trump watched on from the commentary booth.
The former heavyweight champion, one of boxing’s all-time greats, showed no resistance at all in his first fight since 2011.
A flurry of punches sent Holyfield to the canvas, and after he beat the count, Belfort let his hands go until the ref wisely stopped the fight, saving Holyfield from further punishment.
When asked if he felt remorse for Holyfield considering his advanced age. He responded by saying that: “Did you see what he did to me? He tried to knock me out,” Belfort said
“He threw a hard cross and hard hooks. Instincts are hard, and instincts kickback.
“He came very hard in the beginning. It’s a fight. He’s a legend. My style has always been like that.”
Belfort, who was boxing for just the second time after an illustrious MMA career, took the opportunity to set up what he hopes is his next fight.
Holyfield (44-10-2, 29 KOs), who landed only one punch, accepted the assignment on eight days’ notice after Oscar De La Hoya tested positive for COVID-19.
De La Hoya-Belfort was sanctioned by the California State Athletic Commission, but executive director Andy Foster refused to sanction Holyfield-Belfort as even an exhibition.
Triller moved the entire event to the other coast, where it found a far more forgiving commission. Triller already had an obligation to Holyfield after signing him to a deal earlier this year in hopes it could match him with Mike Tyson in a follow-up to the massive commercial success of the Tyson-Roy Jones Jr. exhibition in November.
Tyson and Holyfield fought twice, in 1996 and 1997, in two of the biggest fights of all time. In the first bout, Ring Magazine’s 1996 fight of the year, Holyfield upset Tyson with an 11th-round TKO. The rematch, of course, was the infamous “Bite Fight.”
Holyfield was set to meet Kevin McBride in an exhibition in June, but the bout never materialized. Instead, he fought Belfort, a far more formidable foe.
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Evander Holyfield’s Response
“This is the first time my kids ever told me … ‘Dad, you don’t need to be getting hit,'” Holyfield said on Wednesday.
“At least I’m fighting somebody that I know I can protect myself against. The whole thing’s about protection. You don’t become a good fighter until you know how not to get hit. I know all the things that are necessary to be safe.”
Holyfield couldn’t protect himself Saturday night, at all. At his best, he was one of the most ferocious fighters the sport has ever seen, a Hall of Fame boxer beloved for his never-say-die attitude and gritty action fights.
His three fights with Riddick Bowe made up one of the most memorable trilogies of all time.
His victory over an ageing George Foreman was one of the first major pay-per-view events. But that was a long time ago.
“It’s kind of hard to turn down a big sum of something when you know you can do it,” Holyfield said Wednesday.
“Plus you gotta understand, they saying fight somebody who boxing ain’t his thing.”
Holyfield, 58, was beaten in the first round by former MMA star Belfort after the referee was forced to step in.
The former undisputed cruiserweight and heavyweight champion slipped early and nearly fell out of the ring, but then was knocked down with a left-hand moments later.
Once he got back to his feet, Belfort rained shots down on him and although Holyfield covered up, he offered no replies of his own and the referee, who was clearly looking to step in, stopped the fight.
“But I wasn’t hurt. There wasn’t any shot that hurt me real bad. He got me with a shot and I was off balance. I’m not hurt. It’s kind of sad.
“I think it was a bad call, he shouldn’t have stopped the fight that quick.”
Still, when the idea of fighting Mike Tyson for the third time in an exhibition was proposed, The Real Deal was open to the idea and said: “Of course I would.”
Holyfield looks magnificent, but just like his pad work suggested ahead of the fight, his reflexes aren’t what they used to be and that’s to be expected.
“Right from the beginning he was not the same fighter,” former US President Donald Trump said in the commentary booth.
“He lost a lot. It was not Evander Holyfield,” was Trump’s take on the brief battle.”
Holyfield looks magnificent, but just like his pad work suggested ahead of the fight, his reflexes aren’t what they used to be and that’s to be expected.
“Right from the beginning he was not the same fighter,” former US President Donald Trump said in the commentary booth.
“He lost a lot. It was not Evander Holyfield,” was Trump’s take on the brief battle.”
Vitor Belfort Called Out Jake Paul
Vitor Belfort called out Jake Paul, the trending Youtuber, immediately after blitzing Evander Holyfield.
“Hey Jake Paul, stops running from me,” Belfort said. “You can be my son. I’m going to put you in my lap. You’re going to sleep like a baby.”
Belfort’s only other pro boxing match was in 2006, a first-round knockout victory in his native Brazil. It’s hard to say if Belfort has any boxing ability because he never really had a chance to show it on this night. He didn’t need to.
“He’s the happiest guy in the whole entire world right now,” Belfort said of De La Hoya.
Saturday night marked Belfort’s first action since May 2018, a second-round knockout loss to Lyoto Machida at UFC 224. That was Belfort’s fourth loss in six Octagon appearances. He announced his retirement after the bout.
His MMA career might be over, but there’s surely more money to be made in boxing, a sport that’s embracing novelty events like these at the moment.
Many fans were upset that Holyfield was granted a licence to get in a boxing ring in the first place. But to see the way the fight ended and so quickly was both the best and worst-case scenario.
