GL: Congrats on your win Evander, can you give us some thoughts on your performance? "Well, I still think I gave the best that I could give considering I was fighting a guy who fought very defensive from the first round until the twelfth round. At no point of the fight did he try to make it a fight, he was just trying to keep from getting hurt."

GL: Overall, were you satisfied with your peformance?

Evander Holyfield: "You can't help but be satisfied when at the end you know you gave it the best that you had. There were no shortcuts. I fought as aggressive as I could without being reckless."

GL: When you dropped him with virtually the first punch you threw, did you think you were going to stop him?

EH: "At first he was trying to hit me hard with that jab and I knew that he was leaning in with head because I was making him reach to land the jab. I knew that as long as he was reaching I would be able to slip and hit him with a right hand. Anytime it was getting to the point where we were going to mix it up I was going to hit him. But he was either backing up or hitting and grabbing to avoid contact."

GL: After you stopped Jeremy Bates, people were skeptical because he was someone brought in to make you look good, with Oquendo, many were expecting you to lose thinking he was the wrong style. Do you feel that your UD victory over Oquendo puts you back into the mix for a title shot?

EH: "That win shows people that I'm durable. I fought a guy who had good reflexes and did the best he could have done in that kind of fight. The thing now is, what's going to happen when someone mixes it up with me, you might get an early fight, but you never know."

GL: Monte Barrett just left my house a few hours ago and he called you out for a fight. Is a Monte Barrett fight one you would consider?

EH: "I don't think so, at this point in time I think that would be more of a step backward than anything else. I'm not trying to go backwards, I'm looking to fight the people with the belts and go about my business. I'm not trying to go around in circles. I only took the fight with Jeremy Bates to let the people know that there was nothing wrong with me. I did have those injuries so I chose him for a comeback opponent because I knew he was going to swing back with me. After my practice for Jeremy Bates, I realized everything was back on point and that's what caused me to change my whole concept and start wanting to fight the top ten guys."

GL: There's been reports that you're people are offering Klitschko $20M is that true?

EH: "I know they've said, but the point of the matter is, if that is so then it's so. My assessment, I feel that I could fight them all. But in more of a business way there's a way it could be done bigger for the game of boxing, I feel that if I come and fight Klitschko now the gate would be less than if I fight him as a champion. If we were fighting in unification it would be a big event, and there would definitely be nothing bigger out there for him. Klitschko fights me as a champion and I'm a champion and that's a big event. That's good business. His last performance was a good one and his last fight against Brock could have been a $20M fight if he would have fought me at the Garden. I understand numbers and I understand that in the game of boxing, when you're the champ it starts to become about how much money you make as champ."

GL: Which of the other champions would you like to fight the most?

EH: "Maskaev. I think he would come to fight and I wouldn't have to worry about hearing about options from Don King. The other two guys are affiliated with King and I'm not giving up any options, I'm just trying to make big fights take care of business and get on going. If I have to fight King's guy, I'll fight him last so there's no if's and's or but's abou it."

GL: Do you have any idea how the Oquendo PPV did?

EH: "No, they haven't told me anything yet."

GL: Is there anything you'd like to say in closing?

EH: "They've been saying I couldn't do this or that since I started boxing, but I'm still here and I will become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world."

K

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