Nikolai Valuev vs. Evander Holyfield (six rounds apiece). The decision was controversial, with veteran announcer Nick Charles stating "That is the worst display of officiating I have ever seen." ESPN's Dan Rafael wrote "you can make more of a legitimate argument that Holyfield won all 12 rounds than you can make one that Valuev claimed at least seven to take the fight." Valuev would go on to face former unified cruiserweight champion David Haye, losing via a majority decision and retiring three days later. Holyfield would continue on for three more fights before finally retiring just before he turned 50, therefore this fight marked the
Chris Byrd vs. Evander Holyfield next four fights. He would gain two consecutive world title matches, first challenging Sultan Ibragimov for the WBO title on October 13, 2007 but lost by unanimous decision. Over a year later, Holyfield returned to challenge towering WBA champion Nikolai Valuev but lost a close majority decision. Confirmed bouts: Chris Byrd vs. Evander Holyfield Chris Byrd vs. Evander Holyfield was a professional boxing match contested on December 14, 2002 for the vacant IBF heavyweight championship. Evander Holyfield had lost both his WBA and IBF heavyweight titles to WBC heavyweight champ Lennox Lewis in 1999. However, Lewis would then be stripped