Evander Holyfield "moved closer to a three-way
heavyweight unification" by beating Michael Moorer before an
announced crowd of 13,200 at the Thomas & Mack Center,
according to Royce Feour of the LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL.
Before the fight, the PPV audience was estimated to be
between 650,000 and 1,000,000 buys. Holyfield, the World
Boxing Association champion, unified two of the three major
heavyweight championships with his TKO victory over Int'l
Boxing Federation champion Moorer. Holyfield's next fight
"will likely be against World Boxing Council champion Lennox
Lewis, probably in April, although a lot of negotiating
remains" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 11/9).
LATE START: USA TODAY's Rudy Martzke reports that the
Holyfield-Moorer main event on SET PPV "started at a
ridiculously late 12:58 a.m. ET Sunday and ended at 1:30
a.m. because of long, dull preliminary fights -- another
turnoff for pay-per-view buyers" (USA TODAY, 11/10). In
Dallas, Kevin Blackistone called the bout "the best
heavyweight fight no one saw. Or, certainly, read about the
next day" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 11/10). Mike Lupica: "Who
did they think they're targeting as their audience with a
fight that begins at 12:58 in the morning Eastern Time, I
mean, women breast-feeding infants? ("GMA," ABC, 11/10).
UP NEXT: In N.Y., Dave Anderson reports that Holyfield
fighting Lewis next is "not that simple." Don King, "who
has a piece of Holyfield's future fights, is aligned with
Showtime while Dino Duva of Main Events and Panos Eliades,
who promotes Lewis, are aligned with" HBO (N.Y. TIMES,
11/10)....The fight will replay on Showtime Saturday
evening, up against HBO's original movie, "Don King: Only in
America." King said, "I'm going to compete against myself.
America is truly great!" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 11/10).
