Boxing

 

The Real Deal's Broken Wheel

By Steve Trellert

21.08 - How do you spell determination and fortitude in boxing? Two words: Evander Holyfield. Conquer the Cruiserweight Division. No problem. Move up to the Heavyweight Division and become Heavyweight Champion of the world, despite being derided as nothing more than a blown up Cruiserweight with little chance of success. No problem. Become the two-time Heavyweight Champion after being knocked out by Riddick Bowe and written off. No problem. Become a 3rd time Heavyweight Champion by defeating the "Baddest man on the Planet," after being considered washed up and given no chance of victory. No problem. Defeat a young Heavyweight convincingly, who had just been Heavyweight Champion of the world, after being told by the entire planet to retire and head out to pasture. No problem. Fight a 218-pound, feather-fisted Chris Byrd for a belt that was declared to be Holyfield's ultimate goal before retirement. NO WAY IN BLEEDIN' HECK!!

In three decades of boxing, Evander Holyfield never backed down from a fight, until now. To everyone's surprise, the "Real Deal" has finally chosen to avoid someone, not some young 260 pound muscle bound behemoth, but that baby faced nice guy from Flint, Michigan named Chris Byrd. Considering Evander's pedigree, you would think the man he was avoiding was Satan himself, not the pity pawed, easy-going, god-fearing man from Flint. Of course Evander is not alone, as reigning Heavyweight Champion of the World, Lennox Lewis, is also reluctant to fight Mr. Flighty. Lennox has himself hinted that he may drop the IBF belt rather than fight him. That makes good (and comfortable) company for Evander. But wait a minute, the Lewis/Holyfield comparison is not fair. Lennox wishes to avoid Byrd as he is interested more in money and prestige than an ABC belt, and a victory over Byrd would accomplish neither. Will Lewis be derided for such a decision? No! After all, he gave up an ABC to John Ruiz and everybody nodded in agreement with barely a question asked. Reacting in the same manner towards Byrd would not, and should not, harm Lewis in the least. With Holyfield, the same cannot be said.

If Lewis drops his belt, Byrd's mandatory shot goes against the next highest ranked challenger in line, and that man is good old Evander. Unlike Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield has no legitimate excuses. Why? The "Real Deal" has explicitly stated that he will not retire until he becomes the undisputed Heavyweight Champion again, and that implies a unification of the three ABC belts. That was his mission statement, not prestige, or a 23rd bathroom, nor revenge against Lennox, just the three belts however they may come. After defeating Hasim Rahman, Evander Holyfield was asked whether he would fight Chris Byrd. The answer was essentially a definitive, no, and the only real explanation for that is the fact that Evander does not believe he can defeat Chris Byrd. It could not be that it is not a marketable fight, as Evander's goal is not money. It is simply, fear of defeat. Evander Holyfield and fear of defeat? That is like somebody stating they are going to put out a forest fire with a blowtorch. Basically incompatible, until now.

But what will you do Evander, if Byrd defeats somebody else for the belt and he retains it? After winning the other two belts will Holyfield continue to avoid Mr. Byrd or fight him? Will he have a better chance of defeating him at age 41, 42 or 43 than now? Not likely. With age already a "wolf at the door" factor, time is precious, and Evander cannot afford to waste this opportunity if it comes. Chris Byrd may be an awkward opponent to face, but dealing with adversity has always been a Holyfield forte. Why should determination and fortitude stop here? Evander should remain Evander and not regress into Evader. Patch up the tire and get back on the road from which you came. This may be your only opportunity to make Byrd roadkill.

If you wish to make a comment on my article, either post if here, or email me at Vancanste@aol.com

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