A protest was launched by Bahamian heavyweight fighter Sherman ‘The Tank’ Williams and his corner on Saturday night after his scheduled 12-rounder with the four-time world champion Evander ‘The Real Deal’ Holyfield was ruled a no-contest after the third round.
The ‘Road to Redemption’ fight, as Williams dubbed it, was held at the Greenbrier Resort, in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. It was stopped after the third round after Holyfield failed to answer the bell for the fourth, citing an inability to continue due to a reported accidental head butt. That head butt reportedly occurred in the second round and was the apparent cause of the cut above Holyfield’s left eye. However, Williams is claiming that an overhand right followed by a left was the cause of the cut.
Holyfield’s World Boxing Federation (WBF) title was on the line.
Williams staggered Holyfield twice in the third round. With just 43 seconds remaining in that round, Williams delivered a combination of blows that shook the taller Holyfield. Just a few seconds before the bell rang, to signal the end of the round, Williams landed a right to Holyfield’s face which made him stumble back. Both fighters then walked to their corners, but as the bell sounded to start the fourth round, more time was requested by Holyfield’s corner.
