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Evander Holyfield’s return to the ring did not go as planned.
Holyfield, in his first fight in more than a decade, fell to UFC Hall of Fame Vitor Belfort via a first-round TKO on Saturday night at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
Belfort had Holyfield, now 58, stumbling around the ring uncontrollably for most of the first round before the official called it off. Holyfield never seemed to have had much luck.
Holyfield struggled to gain a foothold from the start, and at one point he lost his balance and almost fell completely through the ropes and O of the ring. Belfort was knocked down shortly after Holyfield got up and then landed nearly two dozen clear shots before the official stopped the game.
“The guy pushed me. The guy is strong, ”Holyfield said after the loss. “I wasn’t hurt… The point is, it wasn’t a shot that really hurt me that much. He’s just strong and he kicked me and he fell.
Holyfield said he was not injured at all after the fight and didn’t think the official should have stopped the fight when he did.
“It’s a bit sad. That’s what it is, ”he said of the whole experience.
Holyfield was a late addition to the event, as he replaced Oscar de la Hoya after testing positive for COVID-19 less than two weeks ago. Holyfield hasn’t fought since 2011 – when he beat Brian Nielsen with a 10th round TKO. He held an overall record of 44-10-2 with 29 knockouts heading into Saturday’s fight, and last held a major heavyweight title in 2000.
Belfort has only boxed professionally once in his career, having knocked out Josemario Neves in 2006. The former UFC champion, however, is 26-14 in the Octagon. He last fell to Lyoto Machida in 2018.
Belfort calls out to Jake Paul
While the event was full of astonishing and eerie moments – including a speech by former President Donald Trump and a woman thrown from the hall during a moment of silence in honor of the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks – Belfort is clearly trying to use it. as a springboard for a bigger fight.
He now has his eyes on Jake Paul.
Belfort called Paul, saying he wanted to fight the YouTuber turned fighter next. Triller even stepped in and offered a $ 30 million prize for a fight around Thanksgiving.
“Hey Jake, you have my respect but I’m going to put you on my knees,” Belfort said on the show. “You are going to cry like a baby.”
Trump comments and congratulates Belfort after his victory
Trump commented on another flow of the fight.
“You could see from the start, [Holyfield] was not the same fighter, ”Trump said after the bout ended, via USA Today. “This left jab was very slow. He lost a lot. ”
Trump then spoke directly to Belfort from his lodge after the victory and called him a “great patriot.”
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