The former undisputed champion says a sparring session with a 19-year-old Ruiz exposed the speed he had begun to lose
Evander Holyfield says he knew his career was nearing its end when a teenage Andy Ruiz Jr. began landing punches on him in sparring. Speaking to Pro Boxing Fans, Holyfield recalled realizing that the speed and reactions that carried him to heavyweight greatness were no longer the same.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters of his generation, Holyfield enjoyed success at both cruiserweight and heavyweight, becoming the first undisputed champion of the three-belt era at cruiserweight before going on to win the heavyweight championship on four separate occasions.
Reflecting on the latter stages of his career, Holyfield admitted that sharing the ring with a young Ruiz left a lasting impression.
“When I sparred that guy Ruiz, and when he was 19 years old, he was able to tag me, I knew then [it was over]. I don’t pass my age range where it no longer makes sense to get hit like that by somebody you think you should be able to beat, because experience and all this, but he had speed, and I was losing speed,” said Holyfield to Pro Boxing Fans.
Ruiz, who later shocked the boxing world by stopping Anthony Joshua in 2019 to capture the WBA, WBO, and IBF heavyweight titles, was still an up-and-coming prospect at the time of the sparring sessions Holyfield referenced.
Although Holyfield suggested that the experience made him recognize that his speed was fading, he did not immediately walk away from the sport. The former undisputed heavyweight champion continued fighting for several years afterward, challenging Nikolai Valuev for a version of the heavyweight title in 2008 before eventually retiring following a stoppage victory over Brian Nielsen in 2011.
For a fighter who built his reputation on overcoming the odds against naturally larger opponents, admitting that Father Time had finally gained the upper hand may have been one of the hardest realities to accept