BOXING: What Motivated a 58-Year-Old Evander Holyfield to Come Back?

The only 4X heavyweight world champion Evander Holyfield is 58 years old and has been inactive for over a decade. However, he never sacrificed his abilities, and despite being out of action, ‘The Real Deal’ still dons a perfect fighting physique.

He will reportedly stage his return against Mike Tyson’s last opponent, Kevin McBride, in an exhibition bout on June 5 on the undercard of Teofimo Lopez vs George Kambosos Jr. on Triller. That said, Evander Holyfield had begun his fight camp long back, and after hunting for a showdown with Tyson, he went ahead with Kevin McBride as his opponent.

While Holyfield has attained it all in the sport, he didn’t need to return at his dotage. However, the American boxer connected with the fans in a press conference and revealed the importance of boxing in his life.

“In life, you know what the game of boxing did for me it changed my whole life and it gave my kids an opportunity to have a different education. I pretty much didn’t want my kids to box, I said, look I did that. I did that for you to choose something else that you can do a little bit better,” said Holyfield.

44-10-2 as a professional, Holyfield was actually a natural cruiserweight. Hence, many people doubted his abilities in the heavyweight division. But ‘The Real Deal’ proved his critics wrong and turned out to become one of the most legendary heavyweights ever.

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Boxing will never see another Evander Holyfield

Arguably, Holyfield, a natural cruiserweight competed in the golden era of heavyweight boxing and walked through a division full of elites in his prime. Hence, he was never born for heavyweight glory, but actually turned himself into a world champion. Aged 58, he still keeps a similar mindset.

Speaking about why he boxed, Holyfield said, “This fighting is something else and you know. But I grew up in a rough situation and being tough was a part of life for me. So my momma said, what you gonna bet on? And so I bet on boxing. And boxing have allowed me to be the only four times heavyweight champion of the world, allowed me to be the person I am.”

In recent times, several former world champions have announced their returns, Evander Holyfield is the latest addition to the slot. It’s predictable that several modern-era fans have missed watching him live in action. However, exhibition boxing will change that.

Triller has already confirmed some alluring matchups ahead. Akin to Holyfield, Oscar De La Hoya also seems to have planned his return under Triller. That said, the golden era of boxing seems to be on its way back.

Do you think Evander Holyfield will beat Kevin McBride on his return?

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