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Promoter Eddie Bazira and
Baltic Pro Box Promotions,
in association with Real Deal
Events LLC, SES Boxing, Fight
Production and Risum Boxing, are
proud to announce that contracts
has been signed for legendary
former four-time heavyweight
champion of the world Evander
“The Real Deal” Holyfield to
challenge Francois Botha
for the South Africans World
Boxing Federation World title on
January 16 at Nelson Mandela
Memorial Stadium in Kampala,
Uganda.
A sell-out crowd of 80.000
spectators is expected, and
details are being finalized for
world-wide Pay-Per-View
distribution. Sweden-based
Baltic Pro Box Promotions will
host several press conferences
in the coming days in Kampala to
kick off the promotion of what
will be the biggest fight ever
in Uganda.
Holyfield (47-10-2, 27 KOs)
hasn’t boxed since his
controversial majority decision
loss to giant Nikolay Valuev for
the WBA world title last
December, and he is hoping that
a victory over the man known as
“The White Buffalo” (47-4-3, 28
KOs) will put him in line for a
shot at WBC champion Vitali
Klitschko later in 2010.
“I am very much looking forward
to going to Uganda, and I expect
a tough fight against Francois
Botha. I am going to win, and I
will cherish the WBF world
title”, said the former
undisputed cruiserweight and
heavyweight king.
Botha is himself coming off a
close battle against a huge
opponent, and barely defended
the WBF title in October with a
draw against 202 cm tall Cuban
Pedro Carion, when a hand injury
made things extra difficult for
him in that fight. He has been
cleared by doctors to fight
again in January, and wows to do
better in what will be his most
significant fight since a TKO
loss to Wladimir Klitschko in
2002:
“I have always been my own
harshest critic. My performance
against Carion, without making
any excuses, was arguably the
worst of my career. Expect the
fittest, toughest and best ever,
and extremely serious Francois
Botha in Uganda in January. I
owe my fans and members of Team
Botha the performance of my life
- I intend to make good on
that”.
Promoter Bazira, who is planning
to have no less than six title
fights on the card, has worked
24/7 for the last month
negotiating the terms and
conditions to make the fight a
reality, and is thrilled that
the final details have been
ironed out:
“We are proud to be able to
present this big fight to not
only the people of Uganda but to
the people of all of Africa and
the rest of the world.
Holyfield, the legend that he
is, is obviously the bigger name
of the two, but Botha, being
African, is also very famous in
Uganda, and since both of them
are real warriors I am sure we
will get a fantastic fight and a
fantastic event on January
16”. |
