The Surreal Deal
For those not inclined to spring for this weekend’s pay-per-view extravaganza between Pacquiao and Mosley, there’s another bout in a distant land between two fighters that may, or may not, be of interest.
Former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield, at age 48, is hoping to line up a world championship fight if he can get by a Danish pastry in a non-title bout Saturday.
Holyfield (43-10-2, 28 KOs) arrived in Copenhagen, Denmark, Sunday for a bout against Brian “Don’t Let My Record Fool You” Nielsen (64-2, 43 KOs).
Ever the optimist, Holyfied repeated for the umpteenth time, “If I win, I am moving to the next level. I am hoping to get a championship bout with other guys with other belts.”
There are old-timers games in other sports, but fights between old-timers is a terrible idea. It’s not like dribbling a ball off your foot or letting a ground ball scoot through your legs. No, it’s two big guys punching each other in the head. There’s no room for mistakes, and even less room for laughter, high jinks, and nostalgia.
“When I was young,” Holyfield told the AP, “I made a lot mistakes but I had the stamina and all that to overcome. Today, you have less stamina but more focus. Either way you go, if you play with what you have, you win.”
Life should be so simple.
