Holyfield tapped to take fight Belfort after De La Hoya covid affirmative

Evander Holyfield will step in to face Vitor Belfort on Saturday after former boxing great Oscar De La Hoya was forced out of a one-off return battle because of Covid-19.

But the contest has been shifted from Los Angeles’ Staples Center to Florida after California boxing authorities refused to permit a confrontation between Brazilian mixed martial arts star Belfort and former heavyweight world champion Holyfield — who would be a month shy of his 59th birthday on fight night.

Holyfield hasn’t fought since 2011, although he had signed to fight Kevin McBride earlier this year — with a possible future bout against his old rival Mike Tyson on the horizon.

After the intended McBride fight failed to materialize, Holyfield announced on Instagram in August that he’d been “working hard for months” and added: “I promise my fans I will walk back in the ring at least one more time before I lay my gloves to rest for good.”