Boxing betting: Evander Holyfield back in ring Saturday

Has 48-year-olf former four-time heavyweight champion become a sideshow yet? Most people would say yes as Evander Holyfield gets set to fight journeyman Sherman ”Tank” Williams at some place called the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia. That Holyfield is fighting in West Virginia should tell you all you need to know about how relevant he still is.

Holyfield says he will keep fighting until he regains the world heavyweight title. This despite the fact that Holyfield had his license suspended by New York boxing officials five years ago for a while for “diminishing skills.”

“I want to finish my career as a champion,” Holyfield said. If it were left to me I’d fight the Klitschkos and David Haye, then that would be it.”

Holyfield lost the undisputed heavyweight crown to now-retired Lennox Lewis in 1999. Even John Ruiz, who had three close bouts with Holyfield early in the 2000s and is nine years younger than him, retired last year.

Actually, some of boxing’s biggest names will for some reason be in attendance on Saturday. Lewis and Larry Holmes both announced they would attend. Holyfield has faced both boxers during his career, as well as Mike Tyson who was previously announced to attend “Redemption in America: The Journey Begins Now.” Believe or not this is a title fight, for something called the World Boxing Federation belt.

If Holyfield (43-10-2, 28 KOs) gets beyond Williams (34-11-2, 19 KOs), as he should, he will next travel to Denmark for a scheduled March 5 bout against 45-year-old Brian Nielsen (64-2, 43 KOs) in Nielsen’s native country. Holyfield is coming off of April’s eighth-round knockout of 41-year-old Francois Botha (47-5-3, 28 KOs) in Las Vegas.

After beating Botha, Holyfield was told by WBC officials that they are willing to sanction a fight between him and current world champion Vitali Klitschko, if he’s able to get Klitschko to take the fight. Holyfield says he thinks he and Klitschko could each get $20 million if they were to fight.

Williams, meanwhile, was on a nine-fight win streak before losing a unanimous decision to unbeaten prospect Manuel Charr this past October. This is really just a payday for Williams, who has said he intends to knockout Holyfield.

“Fighters take a chance every time they get into the ring,” Holyfield said in a statement. “At 48, I’m going to prove to [Williams] that I can still go.”

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