Holyfield's strange trip to Korea cancelled

By Mike Tierney

For the AJC

What a long, strange trip it has been for boxer Evander Holyfield, who turns 47 in 11 days. In fact, it keeps getting longer and stranger.

For his latest shtick, Holyfield had procured an opponent nobody's heard of. At a fight site nobody's heard of. In a setting nobody can imagine. For a share so small that his camp was hesitant to disclose it.

Then WBC president Jose Sulaiman phoned Ken Sanders, Holyfield's manager, late Tuesday night to inform him that the engagement with Derric Rossy of Medford, N.Y., was off because of delays in guaranteeing the purse. Holyfield was to have collected a mere $250,000 by taking on the former Boston College defensive end Nov. 8 on Jeju Island, off the coast of South Korea. The fight was scheduled as a farewell for WBC conventioneers at their week-long meetings.

Before the bout was scratched, Sanders said he successfully pressed Sulaiman for a promise to approve a WBC heavyweight title confrontation next year with champion Vitali Klitschko. The Rossy encounter was viewed by Sanders as a springboard to Klitschko.

"That's the reason we were taking this fight," said Sanders, who, based on the Tuesday conversation with Sulaiman, believes the cancellation has no bearing on a WBC title shot. "No other reason. I would not do it if not for the carrot at the end."

It's the newest twist in a career marked by more disputed decisions than any other pugilist ever -- a misdiagnosed heart ailment, a TV evangelist's "cure," an ear partially bitten off by Mike Tyson, a paraglider interrupting a fight and an Olympics scandal that denied him a likely gold medal.

Sanders acknowledged that the agreement with Sulaiman is oral which, in this sport, can be as worthless as an IOU from Bernie Madoff. He seemed unconcerned that the contract for a fruitful payday has not been signed.

"His word is pretty good," Sanders said. "If he approves this fight with Klitschko, it don't matter what anybody else thinks."

According to Sanders, Sulaiman apologized, saying, "I'm sorry I'm going to lose face with you and Evander."

But Sanders expressed delight that he can arrange Holyfield's possible prep for Klitschko on his own terms, closer to home.

Holyfield, chilling recently in his 209-room manse, said that boxing into geezerhood "is not about the money."

"This is what I do better than anything," said the four-time undisputed champ, who has earned over $200 million between the ropes, including $35 million for a night with Tyson. "Is it hard? Well, yeah. Is it really necessary? No. But it's about doing what you think is right."

Holyfield has hardly escaped the financial woods.

His opulent residence on 235 acres has twice faced foreclosure. "It's day-to-day" on Holyfield holding onto the property, Sanders said. "He's not broke. He just don't have any cash."

Some fresh revenue sources have been tapped. Holyfield appears in a Taco Bell televised ad. ("It kinda put me back on the map," he said.") A promotional deal was announced Tuesday with Gamma Pharmaceuticals, which sells vitamins, plus nutritional and personal care products.

He has also partnered with Global NES-Georgia, which will occupy 40 acres on the estate to install a solar energy farm. The panels will capture sunlight to convert it to energy.

While Holyfield gushes about going green, the green that excites him is dollars generated by the farm. Sanders said it could ultimately be worth millions to his client.

The pair has discussed other income-producing options, from opening a bed-and-breakfast on the grounds to converting Holyfield's home into a museum.

His immediate ticket out of financial straits would be the Klitschko gig. Since 2001, however, he has won just half of his dozen bouts. Longtime acquaintances, even his two daughters, have pleaded with him to retire, many out of concern for his well-being.

Holyfield ignores it, arguing, "People would have to say, ‘This man is in good shape. He may not win the fight but his chances of getting hurt are slim. ‘ "

Nothing special is planned for his birthday on Oct. 19. Thanks to an uncanny ability to block out the hoopla that eternally surrounds him, Holyfield said, "My life is so good, everyday is a birthday."