44 Year Old Holyfield: It’s time to quit.

Holyfield just does not know when to quit. At 44 years old he needs to be sitting at home and enjoying his life before its over with. I can’t even imagine what a good KO could do to an old aged cranium as his. Well I guess Forgetting things is part of old age…. Like forgetting to hang up you gloves.

This comes from the Sports Ticker:

In the film, “Pulp Fiction,” Marcellus Wallace is explaining to Butch the boxer why he has to throw a fight. Although Butch still has a little left in the tank, his time as a contender has come and gone.

There is no swan song, no glorious exit from the squared circle, Wallace notes.

“There ain’t no old-timer’s day,” he says.

Perhaps that is one of the reasons why Evander Holyfield presses on. Apparently willing to pay the price, the 44-year-old Holyfield continues to fight well beyond his prime and against better judgment for one last taste of glory.

“I have a goal,” Holyfield said. “And the point of reaching every goal, a lot of people have setbacks. The strong people who stay No. 1 the longest time, they have more setbacks than anybody. But they overcame the setbacks. They just didn’t quit.”

Prior to winning his last two bouts, Holyfield (40-8-2, 26 KOs) owned just a 2-5-2 record and was clearly a shell of a four-time heavyweight champion.

In fact, his evident drop-off in skills forced the New York State Athletic Commission to step in and save Holyfield from himself, suspending him indefinitely. Holyfield’s unspectacular showing against Larry Donald in November 2004 - in which he landed a career-low 78 punches - weighed heavily in that decision.

Holyfield has been licensed to fight in Texas, where he recorded a second-round technical knockout of insurance salesman Jeremy Bates in August and a unanimous decision over Fres Oquendo in November.

“My goal is to become the undisputed champion of the world and until I do, you’ll all be watching,” Holyfield said. “Anything I say, I don’t say it just to say it to amuse myself. I truly believe it.”

more like his goal is to become “de unipistuted lamyon of de wurld” since if he keeps it up…a newer younger boxer is most likely to smack him so hard that he will become like so many other boxers that need a translator due to brain damage. Brain damage caused by hits that 10 years ago he could have taken but now will just bruise his brain like a tomato.

Holyfield may be the only one who believes it. He is ranked in the top 15 only in the WBO, which is a clear fourth in boxing’s organizational pecking order. The number of steps he needs to take to reach respectability could constitute miles, and he does not have time on his side.

“The Real Deal” also is battling a perception problem. His advancing age classifies him as yesterday’s news. Even in a weak heavyweight division currently dominated by Eastern Europeans and in need of American influence, most passive boxing fans are more interested in Mike Tyson’s exhibition tour/train wreck than Holyfield’s very serious pursuit of another title.

Had Holyfield retired after his victory over John Ruiz in 2000 that secured the WBA title, he would not have to have worried about an old-timer’s day. He would have left on top at age 38, his legacy secure.

Instead, he continued to fight, losing to Ruiz, Chris Byrd and Larry Donald along the way. He has taken some unnecessary beatings, both physical and psychological.

Compare Holyfield’s desire to continue in a brutal, unforgiving profession to the recent decision made by NFL star Tiki Barber to retire.

At 31 and is his 10th season, Barber has had enough. Despite being at or near his prime, he wants to walk away - while he still can.

“(It’s) a quality of life decision,” Barber said. “(Former NFL running back) Earl Campbell is 51 and can’t walk. Twenty years from now, I don’t want to be that way.” Barber didn’t just wake up one morning in October and decide to retire. Two dozen drillings every Sunday from 300-pound linemen have had him thinking about this day for some time.

“I’ve been considering it for a few years now,” he said. “It comes to a point where your body just doesn’t want to take it anymore. You see other opportunities out there.”

Barber has spent the last several years preparing for life after football. He has done some sportscaster work and appears to have a bright future in that regard. He already is a part-time co-host of “Fox and Friends,” a general news program on Fox News.

“Sometimes you just feel a calling greater than the NFL,” Barber said. “I’m crossing over into world events, entertainment … That’s what I’m interested in. That’s what I see myself doing, delving deeper, being provocative.”

Many would agree Barber is stepping away a little early and Holyfield has stayed well beyond his welcome. However, history has proven that the longer someone holds on, the harder it becomes for that individual to let go.

For better or worse, Holyfield still has a two-fisted grip.

“This whole world would be successful if everybody stopped quitting,” he said.

Latter,

Nick

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