Evander Holyfield believes he was denied a fair crack at Vitor Belfort in their main event bout at Triller Fight Club.
After over a decade on the sidelines, Holyfield’s return to the ring didn’t exactly go to plan on Saturday night. Before a packed crowd at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida—which included the 45th President of the United States—the boxing legend was dusted in less than two minutes by former UFC light heavyweight Belfort, to whom the referee awarded a first-round TKO victory.
Belfort came out of the gates landing big punches on the 58-year-old Holyfield, who at one point fell through the ropes after swinging and missing wildly. Shortly thereafter, a vicious uppercut from Belfort sent the boxing legend sprawling to the canvas. “The Real Deal” made it back to his feet but only to sustain a further battering from Belfort.
Seeing Holyfield struggling to regain his bearings and Belfort piling it on the former heavyweight world champ, the referee waved off the fight, with Holyfield still standing.
Evander Holyfield Protests Ref Decision, Insists He Wasn’t Hurt
In a post-fight interview with Todd Grisham and 50 Cent, Holyfield vented his frustration with the referee’s decision.
“I wasn’t hurt,” he said (h/t MMA JUNKIE). “The thing is, there wasn’t no shot that hurt me really bad. He’s strong and he got that shot and I was off balance.”
Evander then blasted the referee for what he deemed an early stoppage.
“I think it was a bad call,” Holyfield said. “I think the referee shouldn’t stop the fight that quick.”
Leading into the bout, there was genuine concern over whether Holyfield could, at the age of 58, sustain the physical punishment of another fight. This is a man, however, who at 47 years old won the WBF heavyweight world title. And “The Real Deal” confirmed he was in fine fettle following his rumble with Belfort.
“No, I’m not hurt,” Holyfield said. “It’s kind of sad. It is what it is.”
What do you think? Did the referee stop the fight early? Or was Holyfield clearly done?
