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Tonight’s Triller Fight Club main event saw a 58-year-old boxing legend look like a shell of a shell of a shell of the fighter people want to remember, and even a shell of the fighter he was when he was hopelessly still fighting a decade ago.
Vitor Belfort stopped Evander Holyfield in the first round, with referee Samuel Burgos doing a compassionate job in there and calling the farce off before the whole thing became even worse than it was.
Holyfield was slow, uncoordinated, and while in good cosmetic shape, clearly nowhere near the athlete he was even past his prime, let alone in his prime, when he was one of the greatest, toughest cruiserweight and heavyweight champions to ever walk the face of the Earth.
It was an event where everyone involved should be utterly ashamed of themselves, but they won’t be.
Usually with these things we look for what pro fighters, trainers, and promoters are saying, but frankly most of those people had the good sense to not watch this disaster. So here we’ll look at some reactions from around the general world of boxing, including media members and those who have worked in the business:
Anyone who was associated with making this fight should never be allowed to even say the word #boxing again... Sad, really.
— caleb truax (@GoldenCalebT) September 12, 2021
What a disgrace. Holyfield should of never been allowed to step in that ring.
— Luis Angel Feliciano (@Luis_Feliciano) September 12, 2021
The same thing that makes a fighter a fighter. Self belief, stubborness, strong will. Also allows them to fight well past their best days. Gift & Curse. Most times they won't stop, until they get STOPPED.
— Stephen Edwards (@BreadmanBoxing) September 12, 2021
This nonsense has got to stop, they’re ruining our sport.
— Kevin Cunningham (@KCBoxTrainer) September 12, 2021
This wasn't an exhibition. It was a crime.
— Fred Sternburg (@TooFred) September 12, 2021
Let's end the "stoppage debate" please. Thank you Sam Burgos. #TrillerFightClub
— Brian Campbell (@BCampbell) September 12, 2021
That was really hard to watch. Florida commission should be ashamed. I thought they might go through the motions like Tyson and Jones. They didn’t https://t.co/jrgnanrIxp
— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) September 12, 2021
Good Lord. That was an embarrassment.
— Graham Houston (@fightwriterone) September 12, 2021
If we haven't hit bottom yet in #boxing, lord help us when we do. #HolyfieldBelfort
— Dan Rafael (@DanRafael1) September 12, 2021
No more of putting legends in the ring against these types of guys. That was hard to watch.
— MARCOS VILLEGAS (@heyitsmarcosv) September 12, 2021
No, there's no debate at all.
— Greg Rosenstein (@grosenstein) September 12, 2021
Holyfield would have been brutally knocked out if the ref let that go any further.
“In the old days this is when Holyfield would come back…”
— Curran Bhatia (@CurranBhatia) September 12, 2021
It is definitely not the old days. #trillerfightclub #HolyfieldBelfort