The 20th day of mourning for the attacks on September 11th in Florida ends with an absurd escape into nostalgia: A wistful boxing spectacle between the former martial arts greats Evander Holyfield and Vitor Belfort, which is supposed to satisfy a longing for the heroes of yore.
Alexander Davydov
Sports editor.
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In the red corner: the former four-time world heavyweight champion, ten years from his last fight and a few weeks before his 59th birthday - Evander Holyfield.
Opposite him in the blue corner: with a boxing record of a fight and a victory, once a champion in mixed martial arts and black belt in judo - the only 44-year-old Vitor Belfort.
"Heavyweight fight of the year"
At the zenith of their careers, these fighters from different eras and disciplines would never have competed against each other, but anything seems possible in the pandemic.
Even Donald Trump as a sports commentator: "Vitor looks like he's on the ball," says the former American president shortly before the gong and probably means the muscular build of Belfort, who has a well-documented history with steroids.
But Holyfield, who only had a few days to prepare for the fight, looks almost too fit for his age.
But his time in the ring ran out quickly - with a knockout on the first round, to be precise.
The legend of bygone days falls without any resistance.
And while Belfort, drunk with victory, calls for making America great again and the audience shouting “We want Trump”, this short-term exchange, named “Heavyweight Contest of the Year” by the organizer Ryan Kavanaugh, ends not so much with a bang, but with a whimper .