By Erik Schmidt: Four-time heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield (42-9-2, 27 KOs) will be trying to get an unheard of 5th heavyweight title when he meets up with World Boxing Association (WBA) champion
Nikolay Valuev (49-1, 34 KOs) this Saturday night at the Hallenstadion, in Zurich, Switzerland. For Holyfield, now 46, it’s been a year since he last saw action, losing to then WBO heavyweight champion Sultan Ibagimov by a one-sided 12-round unanimous decision in Moscow, Russia. For that reason among many, it seems especially curious why Holyfield would be getting another shot at a title considering that he’s not fought once in the past year.
He still, however, is ranked #12 in the WBA, although it’s hard to tell why. His only victories in the past four years have come at the expense of a string of journeyman fighters with no real quality wins in between. On Saturday night, he’ll be meeting up with a fighter that will outweigh him by a minimum of 100 pounds, and have a 10 inch height advantage over him. Valuev has a strong chin, a powerful jab and a good right hand, so he’s not going to be an easy obstacle for Holyfield to get by. Valuev’s power isn’t much to speak about, but over the course of the fight, his clubbing shots may have effect on Holyfield, who for his part, isn’t used to be hit as much as he was earlier in his career.
Power
Holyfield is probably the slightly harder puncher than Valuev for a single punch. The problem is, Holyfield only rarely is able to load up with big shots and those occasions, he tires himself out quickly from having done so. Against fighters with weak chins, Holyfield usually has enough power to take out his opponents. However, Valuev has a sturdy chin and it will need a lot of hard shots for him to take him out. Valuev, for his part, is able to land his clubbing shots over and over without tiring out, and they have a way of wearing down his opponents over time if he can hit them enough. Holyfield will likely make it easy for him by trying to take the fight to him, making it easy for Valuev to land his big, bear-like shots. Advantage: Valuev
Speed
Though Holyfield has slowed down a lot in recent years, he’s still probably the slightly faster puncher than Valuev. At one time, Holyfield had good hand speed, but over time he’s lost much of it and now relies more on brute power to get his victories. The advantage here is negligible. Holyfield is capable of landing fast combinations from time to time, but the act of doing that seems to drain his energy like a big battery, making it necessary for him to take a prolonged rest in the following rounds. Advantage: Holyfield
Defense
Holyfield has never been known for his defense, not even in his prime years. Sadly, nothing has changed in that department as he’s aged and in point of fact, he’s now even easier to be hit. The 7′ foot Valuev is only slightly better, only because of his tall height, which makes it hard for his opponents to land to his head. Valuev also is able to use his long reach to keep many of his small opponents on the outside, where they are harmless to him. Advantage: Valuev
Prediction
As much as I like Holyfield as a fighter and respect what he’s accomplished in his long career, I think Valuev is going to easily beat him, perhaps stop him outright. Given his poor performance against Ibragimov, his only quality opponent in the past four years, Holyfield probably doesn’t belong in the same ring with a fighter as good as Valuev. That’s not to say that Valuev is extraordinary, because he’s clearly flawed as a fighter and beatable. However, Holyfield doesn’t have the size, ability or the speed to handle a fighter like Valuev and he’ll only end up taking another beating for all his efforts. I see Valuev stopping Holyfield in the second half of the fight, probably by the 8th.
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