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I was talking to a newspaper man
from Johannesburg who called me
to chat about the World Boxing
Federation. We spoke for about
an hour, but the main topic of
conversation involved our world
heavyweight champion, Evander
'The Real Deal' Holyfield and
the reasons for us not
sanctioning his Denmark
fight as a WBF world title
defence.
The debate was interesting. He
made a comparison between the
Evander Holyfield v Brian
Nielsen fight and the mega fight
between Manny Pacquiao and Shane
Mosley.
While the latter was for a world
title and also featured an
ageing Mosley, the fight in
itself proved to be somewhat
disappointing and lacked
excitement making it somewhat
boring for the many spectators
in attendance.
On the other hand, Holyfield v
Nielsen, with two ageing
fighters, amazingly proved to be
a real scrap, with both fighters
throwing lots of leather and
producing an enjoyable bout
leaving the spectators feeling
more than satisfied.
So the newspaper man argued that
with the above information the
WBF erred in not sanctioning the
fight. It was an opportunity, he
said, to earn a sanction fee,
showcase our legendary champion
and give the WBF exposure. The
truth of the matter is that the
WBF took a strategic decision in
not sanctioning the fight. Of
course, Evander is an icon and a
legend and of course we would
love to showcase the Real Deal -
but only against worthy
contenders. Styles make fights
and while Holyfield v Nielsen
was entertaining, the truth
again is that no legitimate
organization should sanction a
world title fight involving a
boxer who has not fought in
almost a decade. What message
would it send and how unethical
would it be? Credit to Brian
Nielsen for putting up a good
show, but he was certainly not
deserving to contest a world
title because of his inactivity.
I have been in discussions with
the Holyfield camp since the
Nielsen fight, and we all look
forward to Evander continuing
this incredible and almost
unbelievable quest when he
defends his WBF world title
against a legitimate contender
in the next few months. Evander
did in Denmark what he had to
do. He chalked up
another victory and we at the
WBF are extremely proud of him. A
truly remarkable man is our
'Real Deal'.
Until next time, keep boxing.
Howard Goldberg
PRESIDENT: World Boxing
Federation
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