ATLANTA – Evander Holyfield will fight the WBA heavyweight champion Nikolai Valuev on December 20thin Zurich, Switzerland with contracts expected to be signed by the end of the week.
Holyfield, 46 years-old, has said he will retire and be done by the end of 2009 but that end may come sooner if he steps into a few too many Valuev hooks and gets pounded by this Russian giant.
Valuev is a monster. A 7ft 2in, 330 lb. giant who throws haymakers.
A way for Holyfield to train for the fight against this beast may be to throw his jaw in front of a speeding bus a few times, then see if he can still stand up. Okay, that’s a little too extreme but he better be ready to take a hard pounding.
Although he is facing financial hardships and child support issues, Holyfieldshould realize it isn’t always about “Show me the money!” His age is sure to be a negative factor and he could get permanently knocked stupid if he inadvertently walks into one of those classic Valuev haymakers.
Valuev, 35-years-old, is 49-1 with 34 KOs. Holyfield, a former heavyweight champ has not fought since losing a unanimous decision to Sultan Ibragimov a year ago.
A four-time heavyweight champion, Holyfield will become the oldest fighter to win the crown if he beats the odds and finds a way to defeat Valuev.
In the 1974 classic heavyweight brawl billed as “Rumble in the Jungle”, Ali invented the rope-a-dope to defeat heavy favorite “Big George” Foreman who was 40-0 with 37 KO’s in one of the most improbable finishes in boxing history.
Difference is, as big as 6′ 3″ Big George was, he would have been dwarfed by the 7′ 2″ Valuev.
Evander, step into that ring with your huge heart and rusted knuckles and give it your all but know when to say, “No mas” . . . “No mas.”
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