HOLYFIELD LOOKS BEST HE HAS IN YEARS, TRAINER DON TURNER SAYS

Veteran Teacher Impressed With Four-Time Heavyweight Champion
As He Prepares For Oct. 4 Showdown With James Toney On SHOWTIME PPV

03.09 – Trainer Don Turner, who has worked with Evander Holyfield for seven years, says the legendary four-time heavyweight champion “is already more focused than I have seen him in four or five fights.”

Turner spoke today from Houston, where he is helping “The Real Deal” (38-6-2, 25 KOs) prepare for his important 12-round heavyweight bout with current International Boxing Federation (IBF) Cruiserweight Champion James “Lights Out” Toney (66-4-2, 42 KOs) live on pay per view, Saturday, Oct. 4, at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The Holyfield-Toney pay-per-view telecast begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. Goossen Tutor Promotions will present the event, which will be distributed by SHOWTIME Pay Per View and carries a suggested retail price of $44.95. Tickets to the event are priced at $650, $500, $300, $150 and $75, and are on sale now at the Mandalay Bay Box Office and all TicketMaster outlets. To order tickets by phone, call (702) 632-7580.

“We have only been together now for a week, but there is no question that Evander looks better than he has since the second Lennox Lewis fight (Nov. 13, 1999),” Turner said. “He has looked phenomenal and is in a great frame of mind. Evander has not been as energetic as he needed to be in his last few fights, but during his ring work so far, he has been using his imagination to the max. I have never seen a guy like him in all my years in boxing.’’

Holyfield runs and lifts weights in the morning, and works out at night.

“In my role, there is not a lot you can tell a guy who knows how to fight like Evander,” Turner said. “He knows what to do. My job is to remind him of things he does, monitor him and keep him on track for what he is supposed to be doing. To try and re-teach a great fighter like Evander at this point in his career would be ludicrous. He must use his own imagination in the fight. He is the one fighting.’’

According to Turner, the plan is for Team Holyfield to remain in Houston until Sept. 28, the Sunday before the fight.

Highlighting the pay-per-view undercard will be a 12-round IBF title eliminator featuring two of boxing’s most talented fighters, former 130-pound world champions Diego “Chico” Corrales (37-1, 31 KOs) and Joel Casamayor (29-1, 18 KOs). The telecast will begin with a 10-round featherweight bout between Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero (11-0,4 KOs) and Jorge Martinez (11-1, 3 KOs).