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| Holyfield... takes Nielsen very seriously |
Holyfield, 48, had been due to fight the Dane in Copenhagen on March 5 but the fight has been pushed back by two months because of an old injury.
In his last fight on January 22, Holyfield was cut above the left eye after a clash of heads with Sherman Williams. The cut has not healed as well as expected.
“I had hoped to be fully fit to fight Brian, but after another close examination, the doctor said I could not spar until the end of the month,” said Holyfield.
“I will not enter the ring against a determined opponent like Nielsen when I am not 100% prepared.
“I take Nielsen very seriously.
“I need a convincing victory to put myself back in line for another shot at the world title, so I will give the cut enough time to heal before resuming practice. I will be in top shape on May 7 and defeat Brian Nielsen.”
With a record of 43 wins, 10 defeats and 28 knock-outs, Holyfield has held world heavyweight titles four times in his career, although his last successful title fight was in 2000.
Nielsen, 45, said he was frustrated by the delay and will use the two months to train harder.
“I will make sure Evander gets a nice souvenir from his trip to Copenhagen,” said Nielsen, who has a record of 64 wins, 43 knock-outs and two defeats.
“I will cut his other eye,
Meanwhile. a man who died at a hospital after an Arkansas boxing match had been examined by a doctor before he entered the ring, a member of the state Athletic Commission said Monday.
Authorities say Anthony Jones, 28, of El Dorado, Ark., died Sunday morning at University Hospital in Little Rock, where he was taken Saturday night after his fight with Quincy Palmer in Benton was stopped in the second round. Jones, making his professional boxing debut in the heavyweight division, had been scheduled to go four rounds against Palmer.
Athletic Commission member Jason Stuart of Little Rock, a lawyer, said he was the supervising commissioner in charge at ringside in the Fitness Unlimited facility at Benton. He said everything at the event followed proper procedures and Jones had been examined by a physician before getting into the ring with Palmer.
Larry Harris, promoter of the “Benton Beatdown,” said referee Martin Tunstall of Sheridan stopped the Jones-Palmer fight after Jones was sent to the mat by a blow to the head.
Emergency medical personnel stationed ringside went into the ring to attend to Jones, Harris said. “He was talkative, alert, having a few problems,” Harris told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Jones was taken to Saline Memorial Hospital before being transferred later Saturday night to the hospital at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock.
Harris said he was told after the fight was stopped that Jones might have suffered from a kidney ailment.
Stuart said that might have been the case. “Preliminary reports indicate there might have been pre-existing conditions that weren’t known to (Jones) and weren’t detectable by pre-bout medical examinations,” Stuart said.