News Flash: Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield is in town
At a recent boxing show at Pechanga Resorts and Casino in Temecula, CA, Evander Holyfield (c) posed for this photo with boxing official Fritz Werner (l) and California Hall of Fame Boxing referee, Pat Russell (r). Photo: Jim Wyatt
I just got a call from Rich Schloss, of Rich Schloss Communications, letting me know Evander Holyfield, the 5-time world champion is in town, tomorrow, Saturday, April 23rd at the Albertson’s Grocery Store at 543 Sweetwater Road in San Diego. The boxing legend that we only see on national TV is coming to our little burg to promote his new BBQ sauce: “The Real Deal BBQ” from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Some people get excited about meeting a football great, a movie star, while others gets chills down their spine when Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Terminator, shakes their hand. For me, it’s all about the heroes of boxing. I don’t know about you, but I’m going to be there with camera in hand.
What’s Mr. Holyfield been up to lately? He’s still taking on all comers.
Imagine this, you’re Brian Nielsen, you haven’t boxed in nine years, but Nisse Sauerland, the respected German promotion company is on the line and they’re asking if you would consider fighting Evander Holyfield on May 7th for some really big cash.
“Uh, yeah!”
Like Holyfield, Nielsen, born April 1,1965 in Korsoer, Denmark, has had a remarkable boxing career with 65 wins, only 2 losses, no draws and 43 of those wins came by knockout. Super Brian, who stands 6’3” tall, a half inch taller than Holyfield, was tickled to death to get the call and once again be under the world’s spotlight, the focus of public, slash, media attention.
In 1992, Nielsen represented Denmark at the Barcelona Olympics and made headlines when he won the Super Heavyweight Bronze Medal.
As a professional boxer, he managed to win and then defend the lightly regarded IBO and IBC versions of the heavyweight title. His two losses were at the hands of Dicky “The Raging Bull” Ryan (at the time 47-4-0) and Mike Tyson (at the time 34 years of age with a record of 48-3-0). The Ryan bout ended in a stoppage in the 10th round and in the Tyson fight, his corner threw in the towel after seven rounds.
Up until lately, the local hero has been attending local boxing shows, is an accomplished techno DJ, an admitted “Monster Truck Junkie,” and spends an inordinate amount of time with his 50 plus golden retrievers.
In the twilight of their careers, Holyfield now weighs-in at 224 lbs; in 1984 he weighed between 176 and 180 pounds. He hasn’t fought under 200 pounds since vacating his WBA, IBF and WBC Cruiserweight Crowns in 1988 to move up to fight in the more lucrative heavyweight division. In his last fight on January 22, 2011, the bout was stopped in the second round after Holyfield sustained a cut over his left eye, a result of an accidental head butt. The match was declared a no contest.
When Brian Nielsen (left) fought Mike Tyson (right) on October 13, 2001, he weighed 260 pounds.
Nielsen weighed 245 pounds when he fought his first fight back in 1992 and now weighs in the neighborhood of 280 pounds. If he’s serious about getting in shape for this match, he’ll come in at 265. His last fight, an eight round unanimous decision victory, came against Uriah Grant (30-15-0) back on April 19, 2002.
Holyfield earned acclaim by fighting only the best in his sport. In a career that spans 27 years, he’s only fought two boxers with a losing record, Rick Myers (7-11-1), a 6’3” heavyweight who outweighed him by 30 pounds and Fred Brown (20-35-2) who he outweighed by eight pounds. Neither gentlemen got out of the first round.
Looking back over his 55 professional fights, the guys who gave Holyfield his biggest challenge include: Riddick Bowe (he lost twice, once by unanimous decision and then by TKO), Michael Moorer (a loss by a mixed decision), a draw against Lennox Lewis, a 1-1-1 record versus John Ruiz, a ninth round TKO loss to James Toney, decision losses to Nikolay Valuev, Sultan Ibragimov, Larry Donald, and Chris Byrd.
Laudable matchmaker Oprah Winfrey poses for a photo standing between the former adversaries, Mike Tyson (r) and Evander Holyfield (l) after they appeared on her daytime program, October 16, 2009. Archived photo from Getty Images.
