Sparring foe sees improved Holyfield

      Last fall, Gary Bell had doubts about Evander Holyfield's ability to defeat Mike Tyson and win the World Boxing Association heavyweight championship.
      Bell, Holyfield's chief sparring partner, had his way with Holyfield in the early days of preparing for the Nov. 9 bout with Tyson.
      As camp wore on, though, Holyfield improved, and Bell became a convert.
      "When we got out here (to Las Vegas), I had no doubt he would win," he said.
      And he was right. Holyfield, who opened as a 25-1 underdog in that first fight, scored one of the biggest upsets in recent boxing history when he stopped Tyson in the 11th round, setting up Saturday's rematch at the MGM.
      Bell is back as well, and he says Holyfield is not the same fighter he was then.
      Holyfield, he said, is even better.
      "He's much stronger and much sharper this time," Bell said Tuesday after a brief sparring session with Holyfield at the MGM. "His combinations are better. He's very serious because he wants to prove to the world that it wasn't a fluke the first time."
      The unbeaten Bell, who will meet Louis Monaco on July 1 at the Foxwoods Casino in Ledyard, Conn., said his confidence has increased dramatically by working with Holyfield.
      Having success against one of the best heavyweights of this generation, Bell said, gives him hope his career is on the right path.
      Holyfield, who began his career as a cruiserweight, hasn't always been considered a big puncher in the category of a Tyson or an Earnie Shavers. But he's no pushover, either.
      "The man can punch hard," Bell said. "Trust me, he can punch. When he hits you, you feel it."
      -- HOLY, AGAIN -- Ron Borges of the Boston Globe was the only boxing writer of more than 50 polled by the Review-Journal who picked Holyfield to win the first fight.
      That prompted noted trainer Teddy Atlas to remove Borges' cap and ask if he needed a CAT scan.
      Borges, though, looked like a genius when Holyfield scored an 11th-round TKO. He said he has gotten plenty of notoriety since.
      In New York to attend the premiere of a movie about Muhammad Ali, Borges was approached by a couple he did not know.
      "The guy comes over to me and says, `Hey, you're the guy who picked Holyfield!' " Borges said. "And he calls over to his wife and tells her to come meet me. I had no idea who they were."
      Tyson was such an overwhelming favorite that few had the courage to pick Holyfield. When Holyfield was alone with Borges after the fight, even he had a question.
      "He said to me, `Why did you pick me?' " Borges said. "I said, `A lot of reasons, but the main one was that you were going to hit him in the nose and I didn't think he'd like it.' And he laughed about it."
      Borges is going with Holyfield again, predicting a seventh-round TKO.