Author: admin

Evander Holyfield and Vitor Belfort will take the stage on Thursday at 1 p.m. ET live in the embedded video above for their final pre-fight press conference ahead of this Sat. night’s (Sept. 11, 2021) heavyweight boxing match from inside Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., live on pay-per-view (PPV).

Holyfield is a late replacement for Oscar De La Hoya, who was forced to withdraw from his “Phenom” fight after contracting COVID-19. Joining “The Real Deal” on stage will be former UFC champions Anderson Silva and Tito Ortiz, who collide in cruiserweight action in the “Legends II” co-main event.

Adding a little controversial flavor to this weekend’s boxing extravaganza will be former U.S. President Donald Trump, taking over commentary duties for reasons not quite understood, though it’s unclear if the real estate mogul will be around for today’s presser.

For much more on “Holyfield vs. Belfort” as well as all the boxing news and fight coverage that’s fit to print click here.

The “Ruthless” one lives up to his nickname.

If there was one fighter who perfectly lived up to the hype behind his nickname, it would be Robbie Lawler. Especially during his prime years, it was difficult not to have mad respect for the man and the unmatched tenacity he brought into every fight.

The “Ruthless” made 170 pounds his home for the majority of his career, decimating several elite names in the division. But long-time fans would vividly remember his short stint at middleweight, particularly his fight against the menacing Melvin Manhoef at Strikeforce: Miami in 2010.

We knew what Manhoef brought to the table. The man was a known finisher on the feet, which also made him very deserving of the “No Mercy” monicker. He entered the Lawler fight with a 24-6-1 record; 23 of those wins ended via knockout or TKO.

Right off the jump, Manhoef made his intentions known. He was punishing Lawler with thudding kicks to the leg and body. And when he got close enough, he’d let his hammer hands do the work.

Lawler had no choice but to cover up and be in a standing fetal position. Manhoef appeared to be on the brink of another dominant finish… until it all changed in a snap.

Upon absorbing another devastating inside leg kick, Lawler counters with a right hand that cleanly lands on the button. Seconds later, Manhoef is laid on his back, staring at the ceiling lights glassy-eyed as the ref puts a stop to the action.

I will go out on a limb and say that this is probably Lawler’s most spectacular finish. We may or may not see this kind of ending from him again, but at least we’ll always have this fight to look back on.

(action starts at 3:38)

Oscar De La Hoya was expected to make his return to the “sweet science” this Sat. night (Sept. 11) against former UFC champion Vitor Belfort, but a late case of COVID-19 sent the 48 year-old “Golden Boy” into the hospital.

Or was it a case of CHICKEN-19?

“I’m not trying to disrespect Oscar, I saw the video of Oscar, but if I’m being honest, I’m still skeptical,” Belfort’s trainer Derik Santos told Vegas Insider. “Something about it didn’t seem right. The level of how bad it looked. I know you can still get COVID if you’re double vaccinated, but it didn’t seem right. Maybe he realized we were taking the fight seriously, I don’t know.”

Stepping in for De La Hoya is former heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield, who will hold a significant size advantage over “The Phenom” but turns 59 next month and raised his fair share of eyebrows with this recent video.

“As far as I know, [De La Hoya’s] side didn’t try to jump out and reschedule like others have, so yeah, I’m a little skeptical,” Santos continued. “I think he thought, ‘What have got myself into?’ He even posted this. We were going in there to give him a very good boxing match. We were ready. If the man does have COVID then I wish him a good recovery, I’m just mildly skeptical.”

De La Hoya has since been discharged from the hospital and hopes to make his boxing return at some point in late 2021 or early 2022.