When  40-year-old Evander Holyfield weighed in at a career-high 15st 10lb for tonight's vacant International Boxing Federation (IBF) heavyweight championship fight against the elusive American Chris Byrd, it marked the first time in over eight years that the legendary former champion had outweighed an opponent.

"But Evander's always been the bigger guy, not in stature, but in heart," said Holyfield's trainer Don Turner. Indeed, the 63-year-old Turner, who has been at Holyfield's side for eight years, claims his charge has just enjoyed "his best training camp since before the first Mike Tyson fight".

Holyfield brings a record of 38-5-2 to tonight's bout. The five losses all came against world champions, an unsurprising statistic in that Holyfield would hardly have been able to win four heavyweight titles without losing a few along the way, but that he is 2-2-2 in his last six outings is a more ominous figure as he goes after what would be an unprecedented fifth.

Byrd began his professional career as a super-middleweight and has ridden a masterful boxing style to success as a heavyweight, though most of his fights have been virtually unwatchable.

"I pride myself on making these guys miss and look kind of foolish," said Byrd, who checked in at 15st 4lb at the weigh-in.

"I think people will admire that I am a small guy without a big punch."