Holyfield will take on Toney

New York: Unable to get another shot at winning an unprecedented fifth heavyweight title, Evander Holyfield will face James Toney, who knows about waiting for a title bout.

Holyfield, who was seeking a bout with World Boxing Association heavyweight champion Roy Jones, will instead face the current International Boxing Federation cruiserweight champion on October 4.

The fighters have not decided on a location yet, as the deal was made quickly and came as a surprise to many at a news conference on Tuesday afternoon.

Holyfield (38-5-2, with 25 wins inside the distance) comes off a unanimous decision loss to Chris Byrd for the vacant IBF heavyweight title in December and was hoping to get a shot at Jones’ title. “It’s my goal to be heavyweight champion of the world and I will be the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world,” Holyfield said. “I may not get it when I want to, but I will get it. I’ve been boxing for 13 years, I’ve had my ups and downs.”

Toney (66-4-2, 42 wins inside the distance), who went more than seven years without a major title bout before recording a hard-fought unanimous decision over previously undefeated Vassiliy Jirov on April 26, will be fighting as a heavyweight for the first time.

The 40-year-old Holyfield has not held a title since losing a unanimous decision to John Ruiz for the WBA strap in March 2001. The fighters met for a third time in December 2001 and Ruiz maintained the belt after they fought to a draw.

Jones made history on March 1, when he became the first former middleweight in more than a century to capture the heavyweight championship with a unanimous decision over Ruiz.