Romney vs. Holyfield: Unlikely duo lace up gloves for boxing bout
Is the Stormin’ Mormon any match for the Real Deal?
Political heavyweight Mitt Romney, 68, will face off against five-time heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield, 52, on Friday night in Salt Lake City.
The mismatched contenders are trading blows to raise money for CharityVision, a Utah-based nonprofit dedicated to providing medical equipment, vision screenings, clinics and sight-restoration surgeries in developing countries.
It is set to begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Rail Event Center following several fights featuring professional boxers, including Leon Spinks III and Wes Capper.
On Thursday night, all of the fighters — including Romney and Holyfield — participated in an official weigh-in at Xcel Fitness in Holladay.
Yahoo global news anchor Katie Couric discussed the upcoming match with Romney during a recent interview.
“Some people think this is fun to watch,” he joked. “I think there will be a lot of Democrats there paying good money to see me get beaten up.”
Mitt Romney and Evander Holyfield stare each other down. (Photo: Jim Urquhart/Reuters)
Couric noted that Holyfield is known for his good right hand and left hook, but it was his “sneaky uppercut” that knocked out former world champion Buster Douglas.
“I’ve got trunks that come up all the way to here,” Romney said, pointing to his shoulders. “And I’ll have a big helmet, so he’s going to only have a couple of inches he’ll be able to target.”
The former GOP presidential nominee told the New York Times that he expects to be “beaten but unbowed.”
When asked if he would talk trash, Romney replied that he would get in Holyfield’s face with “compliments and good humor,” but wants to keep the match friendly.
“I’m staying far away from his ears,” he joked to the broadsheet. “I don’t for a moment want for him to confuse me with anyone from his past.”
That person from Holyfield’s past would be boxing legend Mike Tyson, who infamously bit off a chunk of his adversary’s ear during a heavyweight championship match on June 28, 1997, in Las Vegas.
Earlier this month, Romney released a hype video for the upcoming slugfest in which he took a few jabs at himself.
Standing in front of a beautiful home and reading his own book, the retired Republican played into the unflattering image of an out-of-touch rich guy — crafted in part by his political rivals.
“For years, I’ve been listening to garbage like that,” he said in the video. “And I’ve decided to fight back. How do you do that? By taking on the former heavyweight champion of the world.”
Romney’s wife, Ann, 66, was appointed to CharityVision’s board of directors in December 2014.
“I want to draw public attention to the plight of millions who are suffering from impaired vision and needless blindness,” she said in a release at the time. “With a modicum of concerted effort and plenty of thoughtful donations, we can spare 20 million treatable people worldwide from living in darkness.”
Mitt Romney and Evander Holyfield shake hands. (Photo: Jim Urquhart/Reuters)
Last year, doctors at CharityVision clinics restored the vision of more than 40,000 patients, according to the charity.
As for the matchup, Ann Romney told People magazine that her husband has been taking boxing lessons, but he doubts they will do much good against the sports great.
“Evander has told Mitt that Mitt can hit him as hard as he wants,” she laughed. “I think it will be more of a comedy sketch, actually.”
