If Evander Holyfield wins a Nov. 8 bout in Jeju Island, South Korea, the 46-year-old former four-time champion could position himself for a title fight against World Boxing Council champion Vitali Klitschko, organization president, Jose Sulaiman told FanHouse on Monday night.
“I believe that Evander Holyfield is one of the best heavyweight fighters of the last quarter century,” said Sulaiman, adding that the fight would take place on the final day of the WBC’s Nov. 1-8 convention in Jeju Island.
“Everybody in China, Korea, Japan and all of Asia, they talk very highly of Evander Holyfield,” said Sulaiman. “The convention committee is looking to have him in that fight on the final day of their meetings, and we’re looking to help him to get back on track.”
Holyfield’s opponent is believed to be Derric Rossy (22-2, 12 KOs) of Medford, New York, who is rated No. 14 by the WBC — one spot ahead of Holyfield — according to the WBC’s Web site.
“So if Evander comes and has a good showing in the fight that takes place in Jeju, I think that Klitschko might take a fight with him,” Sulaiman said.
Holyfield (42-10-2), who turns 47 on Oct. 19, lost his last two fights by decision to Sultan Ibragimov of Russia, and seven-foot Nikolay Valuev of Russia, respectively, in October 2007 and December 2008.
The loss to Ibragimov (22-1-1, 17 KOs) was for the World Boxing Organization title, and the one to Valuev (50-1, 34 KOs) for the latter’s World Boxing Association crown.
“I heard that the fight against Valuev was a decision that was not fairly taken against Evander, and he never had the opportunity of a rematch,” Sulaiman said.
“Everybody who watched the fight knows that I won that fight. I never even got hit for the first six rounds,” said Holyfield, reached on his cellphone on Monday night. “The whole thing is that this is a great opportunity for me to get a high ranking by the WBC. I’m hoping to get another title shot by early spring of 2010.”“The fact is that a lot of people think that I’m an old man, but I’ve taken good care of myself and kept myself in great shape.”
– Evander Holyfield
George Foreman became the oldest man to win a heavyweight title at age 45, but Holyfield said, “If they give me another opportunity, I’ll do it at the age of 47.”
“The fact is that a lot of people think that I’m an old man, but I’ve taken good care of myself and kept myself in great shape,” Holyfield said. “I’m looking forward to proving to people that, even at my age, my determination and the quickness that I have is still alive.”
Klitschko (38-2) scored his 37th knockout against Cris Arreola in defense of his crown on Saturday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
A December meeting in Germany against Atlanta’s 30-year-old Kevin Johnson (22-0-1, nine KOs) has been mentioned for Klitschko, but his handlers said Holyfield could be in their future.
“If Holyfield looks good, we could envision him being in line down the road,” said Tom Loeffler of Klitschko’s K2 Promotions. “A lot of people thought he looked good and won the fight against Valuev, so that’s not totally out of the realm of possibility.”
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