Derek Williams Joins Chorus Of Fury At Evander Holyfield’s Continued Career

See that youngster right there? That’s Evander Holyfield, circa 1875. He is no longer a young man, not by any stretch of the imagination. Yet he still continues to fight, and will face the monster from our dreams, Nikolai Valuev, on December 20 in Switzerland.
The boxing world is really starting to take notice of Evander’s age and potential health issues. First, heavyweight contender Chris Arreola rather publically criticized the ex-champ’s upcoming fight, declaring that Holyfield’s spotlight-hogging ways was holding back younger fighters (like Arreola, of course.
Today, we find that former British heavyweight Derek Williams is also not amused, stating that Holyfield is a shell of his former self and an embarrassment to the fistic arts.

He said: “I’m disappointed in the guy to be honest, he’s destroying a legacy. You have to know when the dream has died.

“He laid the foundations on a marvellous career and now he is going to become no more than a stepping stone for people so that they are able to say they beat Evander Holyfield, because lets face it, he won’t beat anyone of note.

“If he does win a fight it will be against a has been or a nobody. Anyone who has something about them will beat a 46 year-old Evander and that’s that.”

Williams is worried for the health of Holyfield as much as he is about the fighter’s legacy. While it’s accepted within boxing circles that Valuev has limited ability, Williams warns that the seven foot fighter can still do damage.

He added: “Evander can get hurt and needs to watch himself. He may be fighting the Beast who is not a great fighter he still capable of hurting Evander because he’s been through wars over the years. That will have a lot to do with it. It’s sad that he can’t see that, crazy in fact.”

Valuev is by no means the greatest fighter in the world, but he is enormous and a heavy hitter, and there is a real fear here that Holyfield could be stepping into a slaughter, one that could have permanent negative effects on his health.
Oddsmakers agree. In the UK, Valuev is a staggering 1/8 favorite, meaning you can’t make money on him no matter how much you bet. Hey Evander, just retire already.
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