BOXING: The former undisputed heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield has been banned from fighting by the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC).
Holyfield has been placed on an indefinite medical suspension. The decision by NYSAC chairman Ron Stevens stems from Holyfield's lacklustre performance against Larry Donald at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night.
Donald scored an easy, unanimous 12-round decision over Holyfield in the first of four bouts on the "The Battle for Heavyweight Supremacy" fight card. Donald controlled the action the entire fight, using his jab and overhand right to handle Holyfield, who landed just 78 of 264 punches, or 30 per cent.
Meanwhile, Donald landed 260 of 643 punches, or 40 per cent.
The ruling by the NYSAC means that Holyfield will have to be cleared by Dr Barry Jordan of the New York commission before he can box anywhere else in the United States. All other state commissions will honour New York's suspension.
Holyfield said he doesn't agree with the suspension and plans to continue his boxing career.
"Why do they want to usher me out?" Holyfield said in his home in Atlanta.
"What have I done to this game that they don't want me in it anymore? Do you really care about a person so much that you want to protect him from himself?"
Donald improved to 42-3-2 with 24 knockouts with the clear-cut victory for the NABC title. He won by scores of 119-109 on two cards, and 118-109 on the other. The 42-year-old Holyfield looked like a shell of the boxer that tamed Mike Tyson and knocked out other heavyweight contenders.
