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
Evander Holyfield Heavyweight Champion four times. Holyfield blamed his lackluster performance on a perforated (broken) eardrum. Seven months later, in March 2001, it was Ruiz's turn to make history at Holyfield's expense when he surprisingly managed to knock Holyfield down and beat him by a 12-round decision to become the first Hispanic ever to win a Heavyweight title. On December 15 of that year, Holyfield challenged Ruiz for the title, in an attempt to become champion again. The fight was declared a draw and John Ruiz maintained the WBA Championship title. 2002 began as a promising year for Holyfield: in June, he