Legendary boxer Evander Holyfield will step into the ring for the first time in over a decade this weekend, but that’s not the only reason to watch the fight. There will be another special guest on hand as well: Former U.S. President Donald Trump will serve as a guest commentator for the heavyweight match between Holyfield and his opponent, Vitor Belfort. The fight will headline the latest event from upstart boxing promotion outfit Triller Fight Club, and it’s set to take place this Saturday, Sept. 11 in Hollywood, FL.
Triller announced Trump’s special “unfiltered boxing commentary” in a press release.
“I love great fighters and great fights,” Trump stated in the release. “I look forward to seeing both this Saturday night and sharing my thoughts ringside. You won’t want to miss this special event.”
This is hardly Trump’s first foray into the combat sports world. The former commander-in-chief is a longtime friend of UFC President Dana White, and Trump hosted several UFC events at his casinos in Atlantic City in the early 2000s. More recently, he’s attended a number of blockbuster UFC events as White’s guest, including UFC 244 in 2019 and UFC 264 this past July. He’s also rubbed shoulders with a long list of boxing and MMA champions over the years, from Mike Tyson to Fedor Emelianenko.
Insider ties aside, Trump will have a hefty task on his hands when he dons his headset for Saturday’s fight: The matchup is unusual in many ways.
Holyfield, 58, is widely regarded as one of the best boxers of his generation, but he has not fought professionally since he stopped Denmark’s Brian Nielsen over a decade ago. The 44-year-old Belfort, on the other hand, is the former UFC light heavyweight champion, and he’s considered an MMA legend. Even so, Belfort has only boxed professionally once before—way back in 2006, when he knocked out a veritable nobody in Josemario Neves.
Belfort was originally slated to fight former six-division boxing champ Oscar De La Hoya in the main event of this Saturday’s Triller Fight Club card, but accepted a short-notice matchup with the far older Holyfield after a positive COVID-19 test forced De La Hoya out of the contest. Belfort and Holyfield will fight for a maximum of eight two-minute rounds.
Trump’s commentary will be limited to the Belfort vs. Holyfield fight, but that’s not all this Saturday’s event has to offer.
In the evening’s co-main event, former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz, 46, will take on former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, also 46, in a 195-pound professional boxing match. The bout, contested for a maximum of eight two-minute rounds, will mark Ortiz’s boxing debut. Silva, on the other hand, has boxed professionally twice before, defeating Julio Cesar De Jesus in his debut back in 2005 and authoring a major upset with a decision win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. this past June.
Saturday’s card will also feature a heavyweight clash between former cruiserweight and heavyweight champ David Haye, 40, and businessman-turned-boxer Joe Fournier, 38. The bout will be Haye’s first since a 2018 stoppage loss to Tony Bellew. Fournier, meanwhile, last fought at a Triller Fight Club show in April when he battered reggaeton performer and first-time boxer Reykon to a stoppage win. The Haye-Fournier bout will also be contested for a maximum of eight two-minute rounds.
Saturday’s Triller Fight Club card will air on pay-per-view through FITE TV with a price tag of $50.
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