Outside Source
Evander Holyfield, 58, has been medically suspended by the Florida State Boxing Commission for 30 days following a first-round TKO loss to Vitor Belfort in the headliner of Triller Fight Club’s latest pay-per-view event.
Referee Sam Burgos waved off the fight after a badly outclassed Holyfield took several unanswered punches, awarding Belfort the technical knockout in a fight with the former heavyweight boxing champ. Holyfield immediately protested the decision.
The bout was contested as an exhibition by the FSBC, which agreed to sanction the bout as either a professional or exhibition despite advertisement by Triller that indicated it was the former.
Holyfield’s movement and speech were noticeably impaired in pre-fight media appearances. The FSBC said he had passed all of the required medicals for fighters over the age of 40. Holyfield hadn’t competed in 10 years when he stepped into the ring with Belfort and had once been barred from boxing in New York for his diminishing skills before being cleared to fight.
The knockout loss this past Saturday was followed by an outpouring of criticism for Triller and the FSBC for putting on the fight and calls for Holyfield’s retirement.
Belfort, who used his post-fight speed to call out former Triller headliner and YouTube star Jake Paul, did not receive a medical suspension.
In the other notable medical suspension from the event, UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz was suspended for 60 days after suffering a first-round knockout against former UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva in the co-headliner. The bout was also contested as an exhibition.
The FSBC did not report any additional suspensions.
This article first appeared at MMA Fighting – All Posts
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