Evander Holyfield took on Lou Savarese on pay-per-view last week. I didn’t order the event but wouldn’t admit it if I did. However, rumor has it there are sites on the Internet that have streaming video of things like laughing babies, Shaq break-dancing, and elderly men boxing.
The card was called “Road to the Championship” but the 44-year-old Holyfield isn’t getting any closer to his destination by fighting the 41-year-old Lou Savarese. Still, the two tangled in a good fight that made octogenarians everywhere proud.
Savarese actually had Hoyfield in trouble early in the fight. An uppercut in the third round from Savarese had Holyfield on wobbly legs but the four-time heavyweight champion survived the round and came back strong in the fourth. Holyfield worked over Savarese on the ropes until he took a knee to escape the stoppage.
Holyfield was using his jab well all night, which was weird to see since he was never really able to utilize that part of his repertoire against the bigger guys like Lennox Lewis and Riddick Bowe. Savarese hung in and despite a knockdown in the ninth, the fight went to the scorecards. It wasn’t a question as to who won the fight (Holyfield by unanimous decision) but surviving ten rounds with a regrettably improving Holyfield was a great show of will.
With the win, Holyfield will of course pursue another fight, a title fight if Holyfield gets his wish. “Age is just a number,” he said. “I think I proved that today. I am still determined and I will not quit until I am a five-time world champion.”
It was great to see Holyfield during his prime. It’s a shame to see him now. It is certainly a great story if Holyfield does win the heavyweight title for a fifth time, but I’m just rooting for it to be over. And as soon as possible.
Results From Last Week
– Juan Manuel Lopez won his super bantamweight bout over Giovanni Andrade by TKO in the first round. Lopez will next meet Ricardo Castillo in August on Showtime.
– Anthony Mundine retained his WBA Super Middleweight Title by unanimous decision.
– Former heavyweight prospect Michael Grant returned to the ring after a two-year layoff and scored a 5th round TKO of Billy Zumbrun.
– Felix Sturm successfully defended his WBA Middleweight Title with a unanimous decision over Noe Tulio Gonzalez Alcoba.
