Is Mitt Romney really the man to knock Evander Holyfield to the ground in the boxing ring? No, but at one point during Friday night's fight he did just that. Holyfield--the brawny boxer who got his ear bitten by Mike Tyson-- added in an exaggerated kerplunk for good measure. The fight was for charity after all.
Holyfield won the boxing match against the former Republican presidential candidate who threw in the towel after the second round, but the five-time heavyweight boxing champion let Romney get in a few blows. Like this one.
They're calling this "The Hook Of Mormon." https://t.co/V7K8Xvvq3W #RomneyHolyfield— Erin Collard (@ToddandErin) May 16, 2015
And this one.
Romney body punching Evander. #RomneyHolyfield pic.twitter.com/fZTfCQ7hCs— Justen Charters (@JustenCharters) May 16, 2015
But most of the punches--from both fighters--looked more like gentle swipes rather than KOs. What did you expect? The former Massachusetts governor basically told a reporter he'd be peeing in his pants if the match wasn't staged.
Before the fight, Romney told me he'd be terrified if Holyfield thought this was a real fight. #RomneyHolyfield pic.twitter.com/cx0wvZQzn9— Paul Nelson (@KSLPaul) May 16, 2015
The Salt Lake City bout netted $1 million for the nonprofit Charity Vision. That money will help 40,000 people have their sight restored, Romney said in a tweet after the fight.
In addition to raising money, Romney may have even grabbed some positive publicity points, something he's had in short supply after multiple gaffes. As his wife, Ann Romney, told CNN: "Mitt might write like a fantastic editorial about the Iran nuclear deal and how troubling it might be and nobody reads it. But he's going to step in the ring with Evander Holyfield and like the whole world knows."
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