Per multiple sources, Jim Lampley has opted
out of calling Saturday night’s
#HolyfieldBelfort Triller PPV.
#boxing— Dan Rafael (@DanRafael1)
September 9, 2021
Although Florida ultimately said yes to Evander Holyfield vs.
Vitor
Belfort, renowned commentator Jim Lampley said no.
The boxing match between Holyfield (44-10-2, 1 NC, 29 KOs Box) and
Belfort (26-14, 1 NC; 1-0 Box) was relocated from Los Angeles to
Florida on short notice when the California State Athletic
Commission refused to license Holyfield for combat at the age of
58. On Wednesday night, ESPN
was the first to break the news that the Florida Athletic
Commission had cleared both Holyfield and Belfort for professional
competition. The two, who combine for 102 years of age, will
compete in an eight-round pro boxing match, which will take place
under the Unified Rules of Boxing with two-minute rounds.
Triller
announced earlier in the week that the company would be
providing an alternate commentary stream, other than the standard
option previously helmed by Lampley. Former president Donald Trump
and his son, Donald Trump Jr., will be calling some or all of the
action on a separate broadcast. Since news of this was made public,
veteran broadcaster Lampley has bowed out of his play-by-play role
on the Saturday broadcast. The organization has not announced who
will take his place.
Other than a few charity exhibition matches over the years
including one with Mitt Romney, this bout with Belfort will be the
first time Holyfield has stepped in the ring in over a decade. As
it is a pro bout, knockouts and all standard boxing rules will
apply. Holyfield claimed at the final press conference on Thursday
that he had been training to return to competition for years, so
stepping up on short notice was not a problem as he had already
been preparing to fight someone.
Belfort originally expected that he would meet Oscar De La Hoya in
a 185-pound bout, but the latter contracted COVID-19 and was
hospitalized for it. Instead, “The Phenom” will enter as a
heavyweight against one of the most famous boxers to set foot in a
ring. Belfort is 1-0 as a pro boxer, with that lone win coming by
knockout over fellow neophyte Josemario Neves in 2006.