UFC commentator Joe Rogan credits former world heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield for changing the perception of how boxers ought to be training. Speaking on the benefits of weightlifting and comparing the state of it to his own early days of training in combat sports, Rogan said that until Holyfield came along, the consensus was that weightlifting stiffened a boxer’s muscles.
Talking to Rod Blagojevich about Holyfield’s achievements in the sport in this regard, he further stated,
“Evander Holyfield kind of changed everybody’s opinion about it because he lifted weights, moved up to heavyweight from cruiserweight and it was awesome. And then everybody was like, maybe weightlifting just makes you stronger. And now, they all do it. It’s kind of funny. Almost all those guys have some kind of strength and conditioning routine now. “
Holyfield’s contributions didn’t end here. The man, who famously knocked out Mike Tyson or notoriously had his ear beaten off by him, actually contributed a lot more to the education of boxers than most credit him for.
Holyfield modernized training, something his predecessors never did. Working on new energy systems for endurance with a focus on plyometrics allowed him to reinforce full-body coordination without exerting a lot of stress on his elbows and wrists. This also helped him control his perceived recovery time and allowed him to improve and later sustain his explosive abilities in the ring.
This, combined with weight training, allowed him to successfully transition to heavyweight and maintain similar speed and stamina in a higher weight class.
Unfortunately, that was then. When Holyfield wanted to return to action at 58 years of age in 2021 against Vitor Belfort, things didn’t go according to plan.
Holyfield’s return served warnings against Tyson-Paul fight
Much like Tyson did in his fight against Jake Paul earlier this year, many were surprised to see how fit and powerful he looked. But he only looked that way. Belfort, the former UFC light heavyweight champion had Holyfield stunned after the first real punch. The 58-year-old was knocked out with the next significant strike- a big left to the temple!
While Tyson seemingly faired better than Holyfield, his opponent, Jake has never been of the same caliber as Belfort. The YouTuber-turned-boxer also later clarified that he didn’t see a point in knocking out Tyson after seeing how poorly he was doing inside the ring.
And even though saying it out loud defeats the purpose of saving Tyson the embarrassment, Paul wasn’t wrong.
Tyson still had some of his instincts but at 58, his legs just didn’t move. He remained static and looked like a shell of his former glorious self.
However, it has been reported that Tyson was paid around $20 million for the fight. So, perhaps it is worth it. But hopefully, for the sake of his own health, he doesn’t do it again.
