Veteran Holyfield gets title shot

VALUEV v HOLYFIELD Nikolai Valuev Age: 35 Height: 7ft Reach: 85ins Evander Holyfield Age: 46 Height: 6ft 2ins Reach: 78ins

Evander Holyfield will take on Russia's WBA champion Nikolai Valuev as he bids to become the oldest heavyweight title-holder in history.

The 46-year-old former champion will meet Valuev on 20 December at the Hallenstadion in Zurich, Switzerland.

Holyfield has not fought since losing an unanimous decision to then-WBO champion Sultan Ibragimov a year ago.

Fellow American George Foreman was 45 when he knocked out Michael Moorer in 1994 to win the IBF and WBA crowns.

Holyfield will be a massive underdog against Valuev, who is more than 100 pounds heavier and stands a towering 7ft tall.

The Russian regained the WBA title he lost to Ruslan Chagaev in April 2007 with a win over John Ruiz in August this year.

"I'm taking this fight very seriously," said Valuev who holds a 49-1 record with 34 knockouts.

"Holyfield is a strong opponent, and 10 years ago I would not have dreamed of getting into the ring with this champion."

American Holyfield has been crowned world champion on four occasions, but since 2001, he has won only five of 11 fights. He currently holds a 49-9-2 career record.

He began his professional career in 1984 beating Lionel Byram on points having also won an Olympic bronze medal that year.

Holyfield went on to fight the likes of George Foreman, Riddick Bowe, Larry Holmes, Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis in a glittering career.

He won his first heavyweight title in 1990 beating James Douglas having won previous world titles at cruiserweight.

One of the most notorious incidents in his 24-year career came in 1997 when Holyfield had part of his ear bitten off by Tyson during a fight in Las Vegas.

Valuev ends Holyfield title dream

Holyfield was giving away 30cm in height to the 7ft Valuev

Russia's Nikolay Valuev claimed a majority points decision to defeat veteran American Evander Holyfield and retain his WBA heavyweight crown.

Holyfield, 46, was bidding to become the oldest and first five-time heavyweight champion but was well beaten in Zurich, Switzerland.

Valuev now holds a 50-1 record with 34 knockouts, while Holyfield's 24-year-old boxing career looks to be over.

Two judges had the fight 116-112 and 115-114 with the other scoring it even.

"I saw it the other way from the judges but I'm not disappointed by my performance," said Holyfield.

"He's a tough opponent, the sheer size of him is of course the main factor but he fights well with it too and that's the problem."

Four-time world heavyweight champion Holyfield was conceding a massive 96lb in weight and 12in in height to 7ft Valuev.

But despite Holyfield's greater mobility, the 35-year-old Russian edged the fight to take the decision.

"He was a strong opponent and he made me work very hard for the win," said Valuev.

Holyfield had hoped to eclipse George Foreman's record of claiming the heavyweight title at the age of 45.

Valuev claimed a majority points win over 12 rounds

Fellow American Foreman knocked out Michael Moorer in 1994 to win the IBF and WBA crowns.

But Holyfield, who last won a world title when defeating John Ruiz in 2000, must now be seriously considering his future in the sport.

He had not fought since losing a one-sided decision to then-WBO champion Sultan Ibragimov over a year ago.

"I thought I had done enough, now I will just have to go home and think about my future," said Holyfield.

Holyfield has been crowned world champion on four occasions but since 2001 he has won only five of 11 fights.

He claimed his first heavyweight title in 1990, beating James Douglas, having won previous world titles at cruiserweight.

Holyfield to decide future

Evander Holyfield will ponder whether to return to the ring after failing to become the oldest heavyweight champion.

After 12 tight rounds, 'Russian Giant' Nikolai Valuev clinched a close majority decision, ahead 115-114 and 116-112 on two scorecards, while the third judge ruled it a 114-114 draw in Zurich.

It was a spirited performance by the 46-year-old challenger, though, who almost clinched the heavyweight title for the fifth time.

Holyfield believes his display fully vindicated his decision to take part in the bout but he will return to the United States to reflect on the defeat and ponder his next move.

"I will go home and think about the future," he said. "But I knew I could still do it.

"I fought very well and won the fight but I did not get the decision. I think I showed tonight that I still can box and that age does not matter.

"It was a good fight and I did what my corner told me to do. It is difficult to fight Valuev because he is so big.

"He punches much faster than people think and it is hard to get close. But I am pleased with my performance tonight."

Holyfield believes he can still claim the heavyweight belt.

"I will not fight just to fight but I want to fight for a title again," he added. "It is still my goal to become the undisputed heavyweight champion."

Valuev said it was an honour to fight a legend like Holyfield.

"I am proud to have been in the same ring with him," he said. "He was very fast and hard to hit. I can only advise people not to get hit by him. I expected a tough fight and that is what it was. Holyfield is a great fighter and he proved it tonight."

Meanwhile, Holyfield's coach Tommy Brooks questioned the judges' decision.

"I do not know which fight they saw but there is no way Valuev won," he said.

"Evander did very well and he won this fight. It was a great performance by him."

Valuev's manager Wilfried Sauerland held a different view.

"It was a very close decision, a draw would have been all right," he said.

"Holyfield won the first six rounds and Niko won the back half of the fight.

"Nikolai is the champion and Holyfield did not fight like a challenger in the last six rounds.

"He did not try to hit Valuev but was only dancing and circling around the ring. That is not how you win a title."

Boxing highlights of 2008

2008 will be remembered for Joe Calzaghe's unbeaten record and David Haye's emergence as a major heavyweight.

On a global scale, the trend towards global carnival-style fights gave a cause for concern but there was no doubt about the fighter of the year after Manny Pacquiao's stunning stoppage win over Oscar De La Hoya.

Here we take a look at some of the highlights from the boxing year just about to end.

BRITISH FIGHT OF THE YEAR:

1 Carl Froch W Pts 12 v Jean Pascal: Froch claimed the WBC super-middleweight title in exhilarating style at the Nottingham Arena. He swapped crunching blows with the Canadian for 12 rough and tumble rounds before emerging victorious.

2 Amir Khan W TKO 5 v Michael Gomez: Khan had to dig deep to come through a predictably wild and woolly affair against the Manchester veteran after being floored in the second round in front of a raucous Birmingham crowd.

3 David Haye W TKO 2 v Enzo Maccarinelli: It was always going to be over in an instant one way or the other but the buzz generated in the build-up to this cruiserweight unification contest swept boxing back onto the back pages.

WORLD FIGHT OF THE YEAR:

1 Antonio Margarito W TKO 11 v Miguel Cotto: Margarito seized his big chance to gradually wear down the unbeaten, feared Cotto, knocking him down twice in the 11th round to snatch the world welterweight crown in sensational fashion.

2 Israel Vazquez W Pts 12 v Rafael Marquez: Vazquez got the better of the latest leg of the pair's enthralling super-bantamweight trilogy, recovering from an early knockdown to edge a split decision after 12 rounds of non-stop action.

3 Tomasz Adamek W Pts 12 v Steve Cunningham: Adamek rallied from the brink of a stoppage loss in round four to deck the defending IBF cruiserweight champion three times en route to a scintillating split decision win.

BRITISH FIGHTER OF THE YEAR:

1 David Haye: The Bermondsey braggart demolished domestic rival Enzo Maccarinelli then emphatically proved he has what it takes to be a major player in the heavyweight division by sparking out fringe contender Monte Barrett.

2 Joe Calzaghe: Impossible to argue with the ledger of the unbeaten Welshman, who deservedly edged an ugly fight against spoiler Bernard Hopkins in Las Vegas before putting on a boxing masterclass to sink Roy Jones Jr.

3 Ryan Rhodes: The days when he was a fresh-faced prospect hanging onto Naseem Hamed's coat-tails seem decades ago but three fine wins turned Sheffield light-middleweight Rhodes back into a champion at the age of 32.

WORLD FIGHTER OF THE YEAR:

1 Manny Pacquiao: Impossible to argue against the irrepressible Filipino, who began his stellar year by edging old foe Juan Manuel Marquez, moved up to lightweight to stop David Diaz, then scored his stunning win over De La Hoya.

2 Juan Manuel Lopez: The powerful, fast-handed Puerto Rican is a superstar waiting to happen. Unbeaten in 24 fights, three of his four outings in 2008 ended in the first round - including an astonishing stoppage over Daniel Ponce de Leon.

3 Arthur Abraham: Germany's IBF middleweight king is fast becoming the most avoided fighter in boxing. He smashed Edison Miranda to fourth-round rematch defeat then battered Raul Marquez over six rounds to enhance his credentials.

BRITISH PROSPECT OF THE YEAR:

Tyson Fury: Forget his facile first-round win over tiny Hungarian Bela Gyongyosi this month. The 6ft 9in, big-hitting former amateur star with the best name in the business has the power and personality to go a long way.

WORLD PROSPECT OF THE YEAR:

Yuriorkis Gamboa: The super-sleek Cuban is heading for the big-time and with four of his five outings in 2008 ending before the second bell, expect Gamboa to be stepped up significantly in class in the year ahead.