Florida Athletic Commission approves Holyfield vs. Belfort as a fully sanctioned professional bout

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Evander Holyfield vs. Vitor Belfort has received the green light.

The heavyweight boxing matchup that’s set to headline Triller Fight Club Legends II even this Saturday has been approved as a fully regulated professional boxing match by the Florida Athletic Commission.

The news was first reported by ESPN and later officially announced by the promotion.

Holyfield vs. Belfort goes down on Sept. 11 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The card, which features Anderson Silva vs. Tito Ortiz in the co-main event, streams on pay-per-view.

Below is a statement released by Patrick Cunningham, Executive Director of the Florida State Boxing Commission:

The Florida Athletic Commission has approved the EVANDER HOLYFIELD vs. VITOR BELFORT bout as a fully regulated professional boxing match. It will be conducted under the Unified Rules of Boxing and scored by three judges on the 10-point must system.

All boxers on this card have successfully met all requirements to be licensed by the Florida Athletic Commission.

Holyfield hasn’t fought in a decade. The last time he competed was at age 48 when he defeated Brian Nielsen via TKO. The former multiple-time boxing heavyweight champion is a little over a year away from his 60th birthday.

Holyfield took the fight on short notice, replacing Oscar De La Hoya who was forced out of the bout with Belfort after getting hospitalized from COVID-19.

Meanwhile, Belfort, 44, returns to competition for the first time since his TKO loss to Lyoto Machida in May 2018 under MMA. Belfort has only competed once in professional boxing having defeated Josemario Neves in 2006.