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Evan Holyfield Training Camp Quotes
Unbeaten prospect Evan Holyfield, the son of legendary
heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield, will look to kick
off what he hopes to be a big 2022 campaign when he takes on
Chris Rollins in a six-round bout on the non-televised
undercard this Saturday, January 22 in a Premier Boxing
Champions event from Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic
City, N.J.
“My goals for 2022 are to remain undefeated and win Prospect
of the Year,” said Holyfield. “I have to start by winning on
January 22. I’ve been growing at a steady rate. Every time I
fight I try to keep showing some type of evolution based on
what I’ve been doing in the gym during training.”
Despite the large shadow created by his father’s many
accomplishments, Holyfield, nicknamed “Yung Holy”, has been
able to keep himself focused on his craft instead of
worrying about any outside perceptions his family ties might
cause.
“I don’t spend too much time thinking about creating my own
lane or getting out of my dad’s shadow because I know I’m my
own man and that we are different as fighters,” said
Holyfield. “My brother plays in the NFL and every game they
still mention my dad, even though it has nothing to do with
boxing. They’re always going to mention my dad and that’s
fine.
“With every fight it’s a chance for people to see who I am
and see the differences between us as fighters. That’s the
only thing that makes people change their minds and see who
I am, is when you show them something. My dad has always
been really supportive and encouraging. He’s always been
there for any questions that I have. And it’s always nice to
make him proud when I do well.”
Co-trained by coaches Mike Stafford and Bert Wells,
Holyfield has split his training camp between the Cincinnati
Golden Gloves gym and the Paul Murphy Boxing Club in
Atlanta. The 24-year-old added three victories in 2021 as he
now prepares for his first 2022 outing on Saturday night.
“I approach every camp seriously and with a determined
mindset,” said Holyfield. “I’ve learned a lot this camp and
I’m ready for January 22. I know I’m facing an opponent
who’s about my height, so I think he’s going to try to use
his jab a lot against me. I’m going to approach it like all
of my fights, which is to do what I can to hit and not get
hit. A lot of these fighters try to change their looks
against me, so I’ll just have to see what he does on fight
night.”
Holyfield is looking forward to the opportunity to compete
on Saturday night and maintains he’s going to bring
excitement to the ring, along with the ring generalship that
helped make his father an all-time great in the sport.
“I’m definitely an exciting fighter,” said Holyfield. “I
feel like I can adapt to any situation. I can box when I
have to box, and fight when I have to fight. The main thing
is to hit and not get hit and protect yourself from taking
damage.”
Also on the card is another of Main Events' prospects -
undefeated LeShawn Rodriguez (12-0, 9 KOs) from Port
Jefferson, NY. He will battle Sixto Suazo (9-2-1, 7 KOs) in
a six-round middleweight bout.
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