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OTR Interviews

Heavyweight Champ

By Fox News
Published | Updated

This is a partial transcript from "On the Record," Oct. 22, 2004, that has been edited for clarity.

Watch "On the Record" every weeknight at 10 p.m. ET!

GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, HOST: Boxing champ Evander Holyfield is training for his return to the ring. I spoke with the four-time heavyweight boxing world champion and asked him whether or not he's going to win on November 13.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EVANDER HOLYFIELD, FMR. BOXING CHAMPION: I will win.

VAN SUSTEREN: How do you know?

HOLYFIELD: The prices that I'm paying and that will allow me to win.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right. Give me an idea of how do you get yourself geared up for this? You've got to do an extraordinary amount of training to get ready for this so what are you doing?

HOLYFIELD: Well, actually I had to go back and refocus and look at the things in the past that I did that I wasn't doing anymore and take some things that I have done in the last couple of fights and to let those things go and come up with the best plan.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right. You're fighting Larry "The Legend" Donald. Do you know much about him?

HOLYFIELD: Well, I've seen Larry fight ever since 1992 when he was in the Olympics. You know he's a good fighter.

VAN SUSTEREN: Anything special about his fighting that you've been studying that you need to get ready for?

HOLYFIELD: Well, you know, I guess he bounces around a lot. He moves a lot and a very good jab and very rangy.

VAN SUSTEREN: What does he have to look at in terms of fighting you? I mean I'm sure he's studying, you know, studying you as a fighter. What do you think he's going to be paying particular attention to?

HOLYFIELD: Well, I don't know if he's looking at Evander old or Evander new. I guess he can't see the new because it hasn't been shown yet but it's just everything that he's probably watching is probably the past few fights I had and those indications is wrong. I'm a lot better than that.

VAN SUSTEREN: What is the biggest technique change that you've undergone in fighting since when you first began professional fighting, boxing, until now?

HOLYFIELD: Well, I guess the technique, the biggest technique is actually is the balance, you know. You know when you balance you can get your punches off when you're not and you lose your balance. It's all depending on who you fight and the point of can you make the adjustments.

VAN SUSTEREN: And the week leading up to the fight, the week before November 13th what will your training schedule be like?

HOLYFIELD: Well, I'm probably in the hardest phase right now. I guess next week I will probably spar something like 25 to 30 rounds that week, so that will probably be the most stressful week will be the week that's coming.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right. You're younger than I am. You're 42 years old. Is that old for boxing?

HOLYFIELD: Well, people say that it is. You know, I actually thought it was old at one point in time too when I was in my 20s. I guess when I fought George Foreman I was 29, he was 42, I thought it was old but he proved it to me then, you know, age is just a number. He did well.

VAN SUSTEREN: Is boxing for you a sport, a job, a hobby, what is it?

HOLYFIELD: Well, boxing is a combination of a few things that you said, you know. It is a hobby but it is a job and it is a sport and I enjoyed every bit of all three.

VAN SUSTEREN: If you hadn't been a boxer, what would you have been?

HOLYFIELD: I would like to think football player.

VAN SUSTEREN: What is it about boxing? I mean why not football?

HOLYFIELD: Well, I chose boxing because I didn't have to count on coaches to put me in or not, you know. It's a matter of opinion who the best football player when a coach get an opportunity to make the decision. You know in boxing I stuck with boxing because it's up to you to do your job. You cannot blame anybody.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right. Who is your favorite all time boxer? Take yourself out of this mix but who's your biggest, who's your favorite?

HOLYFIELD: Well, actually it's hard to say because there's so many fighters that have… you know.

VAN SUSTEREN: Who came to your mind first though when I asked you? Who was the first person you thought of?

HOLYFIELD: I thought of Marvin Hagler.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right. Well, we'll consider that as your favorite at least for tonight. All right one last question. How many rounds before you win on the 13th?

HOLYFIELD: I don't know. I just have to take one round at a time and give my all.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right. Well, we'll be watching. Good luck, nice to see you by the way.

HOLYFIELD: Thank you.

VAN SUSTEREN: Thank you for being with us tonight.

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