Valuev ends Holyfield goal to be heavyweight champion again

Russia”s born Nikolai Valuev may have ended Evander Holyfield’s last chance of winning a fifth heavyweight title, as he successfully defended his WBA title in Zurich on Saturday night with a majority decision win over former world champion Evander Holyfield over 12 rounds on Saturday.

Evander Holyfield, attempting to become the oldest heavyweight to win a major belt, started the fight by moving around the ring to neutralise Valuev’s long reach advantage. “My goal is to be heavyweight champion of the world, I am not interested in fighting for the sake of fighting, I want to be a champion again. I am honoured to have had the opportunity to fight for the title. I was trying to do the things my corner asked me to do by moving him around, when I did I was able to catch him off guard. He had a pretty good defence by the way he positioned his body, he is a hard target to hit.”

The 7-foot Russian, the tallest and heaviest champion ever, struggled to close down Holyfield early but began asserting his jab as Holyfield tired. One judged scored the bout a draw, while the others had Valuev winning 116-112 and 115-114. “Of course I am disappointed. I thought I had done enough to get the win. Now, I have to go home and think about my future.” said Holyfield. Holyfield (42-10-2) had not fought since losing a one-sided decision to then-WBO champion Sultan Ibragimov over a year ago, and was much criticised for this latest comeback attempt. Some critics suggested he was putting his health at risk by fighting at such an advanced age.

Nikolai Valuev vs Evander Holyfield

Still, the “Real Deal” appeared in great shape for the fight and was never seriously hurt by Valuev (51-1), who has avoided the top heavyweights and did little to improve his standing in the division. He was vulnerable to Holyfield’s right hooks, many of which landed, even if the Russian also was never stunned. “He made me work very hard for the win,” said Valuev, the overwhelming favorite and underwhelming winner. “Holyfield was unbelievable with his speed. The fight was fought at a great tempo for the whole 12 rounds,” he added.

Later rounds were largely uneventful, with the Atlanta native dancing and looking for the rare opportunity to attack in combinations. The Russian, who carried a weight advantage of almost 100 pounds, planted himself in the centre of the ring and rarely unleashed power punches. “His hands are not as slow as everyone thinks they are,” said Holyfield.

For Valuev, it was the biggest win on a weak resume. He has so far refused to fight either of the Klitschko brothers, who hold the other major belts and are considered the top two heavyweights in the world.

Holyfield has refused to say if he would retire should he lose or draw against Valuev. Struggling with financial problems, Holyfield may try to use the better-than-expected result to score a big payday against another champion or Riddick Bowe, who has recently made a similarly worrisome comeback. “I thought I had done enough, now I will just have to go home and think about my future,” said Holyfield.