Protect Yourself at All Times

“Protect yourself at all times”

In the next fortnight two legends in boxing and MMA, Evander Holyfield, 48, and Randy Couture, 47 will compete once again in their chosen arenas. One is adamant this bout will be his swansong. The other ignores the pleas of those who fear for his safety…

Couture: “I’m not crazy. I realise it’s not going to last forever”

When Randy Couture announced he was going to fight Lyoto Machida at UFC 129, it would have been tempting to dismiss the forty seven year-old’s latest bout as an attempt by another veteran fighter to regain past glories.

But to do that is to misunderstand Randy Couture.

The UFC Hall-of-Famer is remarkably circumspect about his own abilities and how he wants to leave the sport. He has in fact retired once already (in 2006). But he came back into the Octagon because he was convinced he could beat the reigning – and much younger champion – Tim Sylvia. He was right. That night Couture proved that despite an age difference of 12 years he was still a world-class competitor.

But time waits for no man.

Couture has learnt from the mistakes of others. He likens his situation to that of fan-favourite and former light-heavyweight champ Chuck Liddell. The “Iceman” was the undoubted star of the UFC between 2004 and 2007, knocking out a succession of opponents with his devastating hands.

But then the wheels came off. He suffered four brutal knockouts at the tail end of his career. After each bout, fans pleaded with him to call it a day and not tarnish his legacy. But Liddell wanted to go out on his shield. And he did. A heavy k.o at the hands of Rich Franklin was enough for Dana White, UFC supremo and personal friend, to call time on Liddell’s career.

Couture is adamant that he will not go out the same way.

He recently told ESPN "There had to be an end. So why not take control and do it on my terms? When I want to do it and not because I've been knocked out the last three times and nobody wants to see me get beat up again? I never want to have that conversation with anybody."

It’s an attitude that is refreshing in a sport where fighters so often fail to heed the warnings of their own body. But whatever the result this Saturday, Couture has nothing further to prove in the Octagon.

He will be remembered for pushing his body to extraordinary limits. For being the oldest-ever UFC title holder and for being the first MMA competitor to make the crossover into pop culture.

His legacy will take some matching.

Holyfield : “I’m gonna be the heavyweight champion of the world one last time”

Mark the date, May 7^th 2011. Many fans hope it will be the last time that Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield steps into a boxing ring.

But few would bet on it.

His bout against fellow veteran Brian Nielsen, 46, has attracted little media interest. Some boxing writers see it as an act of compassion. Their hope is that if he’s no longer afforded the spotlight, then Holyfield will lose his relentless desire to force himself back into title contention.

Holyfield seeks the fairytale end to a career that has seen him take on and beat a who’s who of heavyweight boxing; James “Buster” Douglas, George Foreman, Larry Holmes, Michael Moorer, John Ruiz, Hasim Rachman all fell to “The Real Deal”.

And his bouts with Riddick Bowe (three) and Mike Tyson (two) and Lennox Lewis (two) produced the finest drama heavyweight boxing has seen since in the past twenty years.

If you haven’t checked them out on Youtube, then do. What you’ll see is a warrior who never took a backward step. Whose heart could never be in question. Whose mixture of speed and skill made him a match for any heavyweight in history.

Watch some his more recent bouts and they tell a different story.

Like many ageing fighters, the speed and reflexes are dwindling. He’s taking many more punches than he did in his heyday. But the warrior’s heart remains.

His career has becomes something of a twitching corpse. Just when you think he’s gone, a victory flickers his career back to life.

He’s called out both of the dominant Klitschko brothers but his cries fall on deaf ears. The younger Russian, Wladimir, recently told popular Sky boxing magazine Ringside that he would never fight Holyfield. Not out of fear. But out of compassion. He doesn’t want to further tarnish the reputation of a man he once rated so highly.

Perhaps the fairytale has become a pipedream.

But still Holyfield fights on.

Couture/ Holyfield: The next chapter

So where will we be in two weeks’ time?

The consensus amongst MMA experts is that Couture will prevail in a close-run fight over Machida. Irrespective of the result, we hope that “The Natural” will stick to the promise he has made.

There is no reason not to. He has invested wisely and has forged a career outside of the Octagon as a film star, reprising his role in the sequel to Sylvester Stallone’s action homage “The Expendables”.

For Holyfield, things are less clear. As a father to eleven children and with two costly divorces, there are fears that economics, as well as an immensely proud fighting heart, are forcing him to prolong his career. His grandiose Atlanta mansion was seized by the banks in 2007 and he’s currently being pursued over large unpaid debts.

The fight against a bloated Nielsen, who’s been out of the ring for eight years, should provide little danger.

But then the greatest danger is not his opponent, but Holyfield’s stubborn refusal to call it quits.