This new genre of boxing fights, fights between celebrities, legends and social media influencers, has been one of the most popular things in combat sports over the past year. Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. they set the stage in November, and the trend has continued to gain momentum since then. Despite other major fights between some of the sport’s best boxers, the Floyd Mayweather vs. Logan Paul show is the biggest PPV boxing event of 2021 to date. Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley last month could end up being the second biggest.
But if people will continue to spend the money it cost them so much to earn to buy these programs, there must be a proper reward. That was missed on Saturday night with the unfortunate fight and final between Vitor Belfort and Evander Holyfield under the banner of Triller Fight Club in Hollywood, Florida. Belfort got a technical knockout victory in the first round after Holyfield connected just once.
Simply, and with due respect to a legendary boxer, Holyfield, 58, should not have been in the ring. He arrived just a week in advance after Belfort’s original opponent, Oscar De la Foia, was hospitalized with COVID-19. The fight was originally scheduled to take place in Los Angeles, but the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) did not approve Belfort vs. Holyfield, so the entire event was moved to Florida, to a more receptive Commission.
“I didn’t agree with the fight based on a variety of regulatory factors, and we didn’t have enough time because [Holyfield] went through an extensive licensing process, ”said Andy Foster, CSAC executive director.
De la Hoya vs. Belfort was on the verge of regulating combat sports. The two men were the same age range, De la Hoya is 48 and Belfort 44, and De la Foia was a phenomenal boxer before his retirement in 2008. Belfort is an MMA fighter who is tied with the most knockouts in UFC history, but has no recent experience in the quadrangle. The only thing everyone who has followed Belfort’s career knows about him is that he has speed of hands and dynamite in his blows.
But Holyfield? Of course, he looked in excellent shape from a pure-looking perspective, especially for his age. But this is where the positive outlook ended. This week’s rumor in South Florida was less about the fight and more about Holyfield fighting in interviews and wearing a much better version, compared to what it once was, in public training.
Holyfield wasn’t hitting a sandbag in that workout, and what a lot of people thought would happen Saturday night did happen.
At the start of the first round, the only boxer in the three-belt era who became an undisputed champion in two divisions slipped into a left hook attempt and fell between the lower ropes. It was hard to see. Belfort followed with a couple of bursts of blows, scoring a fall.
Holyfield stood up, but was doing little more than eat the blows (some ended up in his gloves). The referee Samuel Burgos intervened fortunately. Holyfield argued it was a hasty arrest, when most viewers probably thought it should have stopped sooner.
Holyfield appeared to be fine later during an interview with the broadcast team; but on a negative note, he said he wants to fight again and is still interested in a rematch with Mike Tyson.
At some point, someone should step in and advise you not to. No one wants to tell an adult man that he can’t make a living, but boxing is not a game. There are real, lasting ramifications, and everyone involved is lucky that Belfort vs. Holyfield did not end worse. Maybe this won’t be the case next time.
Belfort called out Jake Paul in his post-fight interview, and Triller offered a $ 30 million prize in which the winner takes it all. UFC all-time great player Anderson Silva will likely have a great payday waiting after his devastating knockout on his legendary MMA teammate Tito Ortiz on Saturday’s billboard.
This is great. There is no harm in wrestlers being paid to compete against opponents of a similar skill level and size. As long as people are willing to pay for them, these events will continue. But there’s just no good reason for a nearly 60-year-old man to get hit in the head by a younger, faster, more explosive opponent.
Everyone involved (commissions, promoters, coaches, and the fighters themselves) must exercise discretion as we move forward, because combat sports as we know them could be at stake.
All that has to happen is for a fighter to be seriously injured, or worse, in one of these new confrontations and the consequences could lead to the whole of combat sports facing revenge.