Holyfield fights New Yorker in latest comeback bid

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Holyfield fights New Yorker in latest comeback bid

Evander Holyfield says he's in the best shape in a decade as he enters Saturday night's fight at Corpus Christi against New Yorker Vinny Maddalone, his hand-picked opponent in a late-career bid to become the first five-time heavyweight champion.

Holyfield (40-8-2) and Maddalone are scheduled to tussle in a 10-round, non-title bout at the American Bank Center. It's the first time Holyfield has fought in the neat little Gulf Coast city in 21 years.

That bout was a tuneup for Holyfield's first world championship, a 15-round decision over Dwight Qawi for the WBA cruiserweight title in July 1986.

At 44, Holyfield is again working toward what he hopes will be a world title, even an undisputed one. But his bid comes less than three years after New York boxing officials revoked his license to fight in that state, citing diminished skills. And his name has been linked to a nationwide investigation of illicit steroid sales.

Holyfield is ranked 10th among heavyweights in the latest WBC ratings. He began his comeback last year with two wins, both in Texas, and hopes to unify the heavyweight titles before retiring in 2008. He says he'll enter Saturday's fight at around 215 pounds — 5 pounds lighter than when he began his comeback in August — and has overcome a shoulder injury he blames for a three-fight losing streak that appeared to mark the end of his career in November 2004.

One of those losses, to Larry Donald, prompted New York officials to revoke Holyfield's license, though he had no problem getting a license to fight in Texas last year.

It's been nearly 17 years since Holyfield held the undisputed heavyweight title when he defeated James "Buster" Douglas — the holder of the IBF, WBC and WBA crowns — in three rounds. In a professional career that dates to 1984, he has defeated 16 world champions, including Mike Tyson, Bowe, Larry Holmes and George Foreman. Perhaps his most famous bout was in 1997, when Tyson bit off a piece of Holyfield's ear.

Holyfield, who lives in Atlanta, said one of his inspirations is Foreman regaining the heavyweight title at 45 to become the oldest-ever champion. It's a feat Holyfield would like to duplicate. "I'm in better shape than George Foreman was when he fought me at 42," he said.

As for his name surfacing in the recent nationwide investigation of illicit sales of steroids and human growth hormone, Holyfield called it a "non-issue." He insisted he has never used any illegal or banned performance-enhancing drugs.

"I ain't got nothing to defend," Holyfield said. "Ain't nobody said I did nothing."

Maddalone (27-3) says he got the call five weeks ago with the offer to fight Holyfield and jumped at the opportunity. The 6-2, 33-year-old Queens resident said he already was training for another fight March 23, so he's in top shape.

Maddalone said he began fighting professionally eight years ago. He said he'll enter Saturday's fight weighing 233 or 234 pounds and hopes a win will lead to a title shot.

"That's all I'm looking at," he said. "Since I first put the gloves on, this is all I've dreamed of. I definitely respect Evander as a fighter, but once the bell rings, it's all business."

Main Events, one of the fight's promoters, declined to say how much each fighter was being paid.