[Batpuff]

By RICK GREENE — The Independent


It would be enough for some athletes to get a chance to compete against their childhood idol.

But not Jeremy Bates.

Bates is scheduled to fight four-time heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield Aug. 19 at American Airlines Center in Dallas. But what might be considered a warmup for Holyfield is being viewed entirely different by the 32-year-old from Greenup County.

“I’m not going to guarantee a win because I’m not the cocky guy I was when I was younger, but I think Evander may have picked the wrong guy,” Bates told The Independent on Thursday. “I wouldn’t go to Dallas if I thought I was going to lose.”

Bates, a 1992 graduate of Greenup County High School, has a professional record of 21-11-1 with 18 knockouts. He is currently working as an insurance agent at J.W. Potts Insurance in Parkersburg, W.Va.

Bates, who said he had nearly given up on his career after a series of promotional deals gone bad, had turned down some opportunities for fights. But when he had the chance to box his idol, there wasn’t a second thought.

“I just wanted the opportunity to get in the ring with my hero so I could have a chance to knock him out. He’s one of the top five most recognizable boxing figures of all time,” Bates said. “It’s just an honor to get into the ring with a boxing icon. I’ve never gone into a fight not expecting or not trying with everything in me to win.”

Bates, who stands about three inches shorter than Holyfield at 5-foot-11, is being trained by Leon Ramsey of Glenville, W.Va. Ramsey, who runs the Dawghouse Gym in the town about 90 miles north of Charleston, said it’s ironic that he’s now training Bates.

Ramsey, 44, has trained other fighters who competed against Bates. After a rivalry that led to “fights in and out of the ring,” Ramsey said the two went from foes to friends.

That friendship will lead them to boxing’s biggest stage. But like Bates, Ramsey believes Holyfield, now at age 43, can be beaten.

“With (Bates’) style, if he has the energy to keep moving, he has a chance in this thing. Holyfield covers and blocks well and he works combinations well,” Ramsey said. “We’re going to have to get inside and land some power shots and he’ll need the energy to do it repetitively.”

Ramsey said a rigorous training schedule will be needed to put Bates in the kind of shape to be competitive. The bout is scheduled for 10 rounds.

“We’re going to go 15-20 rounds three days a week and sometimes four. We’re also going to have to do the road work and the bag work, but he’ll do that on his own,” said Ramsey, who said eight weeks will be enough time to get ready. “He’s stayed in shape, he hasn’t let himself go. So if you’re halfway there, eight weeks isn’t bad at all.”

Bates said defeating Holyfield is not an unrealistic expectation.

“The Evander from 15 years ago, I probably couldn’t go four rounds with, but I don’t think that’s the case now,” he said. “He’s still one of the greatest, but he’s in his 40s now and boxing isn’t a sport for a 40-year-old.”