Record four-time undisputed heavyweight champion of the world Evander Holyfield, 49, is due in Dubai from March 31 to April 1 as a special guest at the World Championships for Arab Boxing, according to his official website. However, ‘The Real Deal' is apparently on the verge of something much greater in the emirate.
Adding to a record of 57 fights, 44 wins, 29 KOs, 10 losses, two draws and one no contest, Holyfield who lost part of his ear in the now infamous 1997 Mike Tyson biting incident, is said to be looking to stage his next bout for a world title in Dubai this year.
In an attempt to either undercard or outstage the seemingly improbable Pacquiao-Mayweather Dubai ‘Desert Dust Up', targets are rumoured to be either ‘Dr Ironfist' Vitali Klitschko or his brother ‘Dr Steelhammer' Wladimir for one last crack at a title. Gulf News caught up with the man who has fought and beaten the likes of George Foreman, Larry Holmes, Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis in a career spanning an astounding four decades.
Should he beat his next planned opponent, Holyfield would surpass Bernard Hopkins' oldest ‘world title winner' boast by a whole three years, but he'd still be some way off the ‘world's oldest active boxer' record currently held by 54-year-old Brit Steve Ward.
Gulf News spoke to Holyfield in an exclusive interview.
GULF NEWS: Can Dubai host Pacquiao-Mayweather, despite being out of sync with US prime time?
EVANDER HOLYFIELD: The US [market] is the biggest draw [in terms of maximum pay-per-view profit potential], so you've got to have a perfect time to bring the major players in, but Dubai is the perfect place to bring impact to the event. It's known as the place to be, and everyone wants a reason to get there. It's a great situation, but for timing how would we do it? I think the fight is big enough to steal an audience. This could be the biggest fight that's ever been. I think it's going to move a lot of people off their spots.
With boxing previously so US-centric, is it important to now go global?
Boxing is starting to get worldwide again. At one point of time, all the champions were in America and it was almost like all world boxing was American. Now it's taken a whole other spin. The Philippines and Russia have made it a worldwide sport now. We have to see it from a different angle, we've got to find out what's best for the game. Now people can truly become a world champion, some have had the belt, but never been around the world. Now you get a chance to see other countries and get to see that people, regardless of where they come from, can compete. It will make it stronger for the game of boxing.
Do you want to continue fighting, and could your next bout be in Dubai?
Well, of course, I'd like to fight for a world title there [in Dubai]. People there have never had the opportunity to see me fight personally, and I think it can be a very big draw for me to fight a title fight over there and show people that not only can I win another world title but do it at 49 years of age. It shows that if you take care of yourself, it can happen for you. Age is nothing really but a number. I take one day at a time. I just know I can do it today, I don't know about tomorrow. If I could get it there, it would be great. I'm not exactly sure on the opponent, but if the right opportunity arises, I'm sure you'll find a lot of people would fight.
What's been the highlight of your career?
You don't become the man that I am after one fight. Everything I've ever done in 41 years of boxing, ever since I was eight, there have been so many moments. From winning bronze at the 1984 Olympics to cruiserweight champion, and then undisputed cruiserweight, then undisputed heavyweight champion not once, twice, thrice, but four times. I've had a long career. I think that to go in at 49 and prove that age isn't anything but a number — if technology is advancing why can't health be better? Why can't we extend? I remember at 30 I lost to Riddick Bowe [1992] and they said I was old, but I came back after that and won three more titles. My win over Francois Botha [2010] made it five, but they don't consider that a world title. But that's the last title I won, who would have known?
What was your sweetest victory?
My sweetest was [Mike] Tyson (1996 and 1997). The only way anything could have been as sweet was if it meant more to the people than that. People said you'll never beat Tyson, and beating him kind of tucked everything else away. They can no longer say Evander didn't beat the guy. I beat him — it was history, even though the toughest was probably Lennox Lewis (1999).
Is there still acrimony between you and Tyson?
No, no, no. There's nothing between us. We were just two people unfortunate enough to have a rivalry between us that was so big. Somebody had to be the mean one, and I was the good one, and good can win in the battle of good and bad. That became a big fight to people. When they saw what I did, everyone went ‘wow' because they didn't think a person considered good could beat someone considered bad. They found out they were wrong.
Did Tyson apologise for the ear-biting incident?
Sure he apologised, and it's been done for a long time now. People just have this thing that they think people don't forgive, but we do. I get asked the ear-biting question all the time, and no it doesn't annoy me.
What's pushing you on to keep fighting?
My goal has always been to be the very best I can be, which is the middle of the road, because I didn't know what it took to be the best. I began with being world champion and thought that was great, but I still wanted to fight and be the very best till I lost against Riddick Bowe. That kind of cut me up and I came back and beat him, then I lost against Michael Moorer (1994) and came back and beat him (1997), and it kind of fuelled me again. I beat Tyson, lost against Lennox Lewis (1999) after having earlier won the decision. Now I just want to get back to the top to prove to the people that in life everything doesn't go your way, but you don't have to quit. If you stick to it, you'll get it back in the way you are supposed to. I think that at 49 years old, I can be the guy to finish on top and be able to talk about it and tell people what life is really all about. You don't know you love something until you go through something with it. I was able to withstand and go through everything it takes to be the best.
So who are you backing, Pacquiao or Mayweather?
It will be a great fight. It's hard to say, because both guys are so gifted and so capable of winning it from two different angles. You can't count either of them out. Pacquiao doesn't quit and Floyd is always able to make the adjustment ... we've never seen him in any kind of trouble. No one has ever put pressure on Floyd. He has always had it, but now he's fighting a guy who puts everyone against him. He's proven he was the best, but at this age there's a change in them that means anything could happen. It goes down to what's going to happen on the day and what each individual can pull out on the day, how they'll deal with the pressure on them for each fighter to fight that last great fight.
Is there a chance it won't happen?
There's no sense in looking at the negative — you've got to look at the positive. I've heard Mayweather wants to have the fight and Pacquaio wants to leave it all level, let's just hope that they get it on.
Do you have any regrets — is there anyone you should have beaten?
None whatsoever. If I would have had it my way, I would have beaten everybody, but sometimes you show you are stronger when you are able to come back. It seems if I would have won everything, I wouldn't be able to draw nobody because they'd be like, well, he never lost. But because I had setbacks, people they can see that, well, Evander had setbacks more than any heavyweight considered great, and he won more than everybody too. That's the thing — making people feel they can be like you. They can if they are willing to work and have faith.
