RSR Boxing Results: Evander Holyfield TKO’s Frans Botha in 8
By Geno McGahee
Evander “Real Deal” Holyfield, 43-10-2, 28 KO’s, scored a seventh round TKO over WBF Heavyweight Champion, Frans Botha, 47-5-3, 28 KO’s, thanks in part to a VERY quick stoppage where no punches landed. Botha, coming in at 250 pounds, did not have time on his side and took an early lead, winning the first five rounds clearly. Botha used his right hand to the body and head regularly, even hitting Evander with both fists at the same time. He did it three times in round one and was warned by Russell Mora, the referee and president of the Holyfield fan club (I presume), regularly.
In round six, Holyfield came on and put pressure on the tiring Botha, getting him against the ropes and finally landing some good shots. In the eighth round, Holyfield landed a right hand and dropped Botha. Botha arose and Holyfield pounced, throwing a barrage of punches, none of which landed cleanly and referee Mora jumped in and called it. It was one of the worst stoppages of the year. Botha was ahead 5 to 2 at this point and although he was fading, he was still in the fight and still throwing.
This bout told us a lot about both fighters. Holyfield can’t pull the trigger anymore, and Botha doesn’t have the dedication to be a player in the division, coming in so out of shape. Evander did express interest in going for the title again with one of the more recognized belts, which is held by the Klitschkos and David Haye.
Overall, the pay per view wasn’t a bad one. The undercard featured some unknowns in interesting slugfests and the main event was interesting. It is such a shame that the bout was stopped so prematurely. It robbed the fans…well, the fans that were in attendance that weren’t many, and it robbed Holyfield and Botha. Botha, as the defending champion, should have been allowed to continue and Holyfield probably would have stopped him, but now there is doubt.
Andre Berto TKO’s Carlos Quintana
Andre Berto, 26-0, 20 KO’s, defended his WBC Welterweight Title, with a TKO in round seven of challenger Carlos Quintana, 27-3, 21 KO’s. It was a very ugly fight with a lot of mauling and clutching and neither man really landed anything cleanly until later in the fight. When the fight progressed, the speed of Berto came into play and he began to dominate. In the seventh round, Berto landed some very hard shots and rattled Quintana and followed up with some very good combinations until the referee was forced to stop it.