Evander Holyfield returns in January 2010... seriously.

There are some things in the boxing world that need to happen and never do. There are other things that should never happen and are essentially unstoppable.

This bit of news falls in the second category.

On January 16, 2010, in Uganda, former IBF Heavyweight Champion Francois Botha defends his essentially worthless WBF Heavyweight Title against Evander Holyfield.

Oh boy. It's the matchup that the boxing faithful have been clamoring for, finally coming to fruition and changing the landscape of the division forever.

Either that, or providing further evidence of how truly awful the state of heavyweight boxing is at present. Holyfield vs. Botha? What is out there for the winner? A unification with IBU Champion Gene Pukall? I know what you're thinking: "Who is Gene Pukall?" Exactly. This is getting ridiculous. The fact that Holyfield is still fighting is one thing, especially considering that Nikolay Valuev, who lost his WBA championship to David Haye earlier this month, should have lost the title in late 2008 to 46-year old Holyfield who, on my card, won 10 of 12 rounds. Plus, the man is a legend and, despite concerns for his health and the fact that it is in direct conflict with sanity and common sense, he has earned the right to decide when it is time to stop fighting. It seems that prizefighting is the only occupation in which a worker can be told when they must stop going to work, and that is not necessarily fair. Just don't let Holyfield-Bowe IV happen in any form other than a video game simulation. (You can laugh but please remember that both are still 'active fighters'. Just food for thought.)

But why is Botha still fighting, and why is Holyfield, a legend who should be able to rustle up a fight with almost anyone, fighting him on his own turf for a paper title? Botha is a heavyweight who was never anything special to begin with, in spite of the belief of "The White Buffalo" of FightHype Community fame, who is now over 40, overweight, and still nothing more than a blip on the screen in a diluted heavyweight division. There are few, if any, logical answers to those questions. This fight is pointless, especially for Holyfield. Evander was thought to be on borrowed time before his first fight with Mike Tyson in 1996. If he still has aspirations of regaining the world championship again, he needs to do it soon and fighting Botha does very little to further that goal.

Do I want to see Holyfield fight either Klitschko? No! That's the last thing I want to see. That's a fight that is dangerous for Holyfield, a man who more than six years ago was knocked out by James Toney.

The heavyweight division is in desperate need of a true contender, a potential exciting champion that can shake up boxing's biggest and most visible division with his fights and not just his mouth. David Haye? All mouth. The Klitschkos win but leave much to be desired for the casual fan. Think back six years. Roy Jones was attempting to move up to heavyweight from 175 to face John Ruiz for the WBA Heavyweight Championship. Yeah, I know. The name of John Ruiz doesn't bring about the same fear and trembling as a prime Tyson but it's still a tall order for a 5'11" light heavyweight, and former middleweight, champion. The buzz for that fight was huge. Among dedicated fight fans, that fight generated more interest than any heavyweight title fight in years since the first Holyfield-Tyson fight in November 1996, even more than Lewis-Tyson, which we all knew was a mismatch when it finally happened in 2002.

Jones dominated Ruiz that night, winning a minimum of 10 rounds, making history, and looking amazing in the process. Immediately, fantasy matchups were being mentioned. What next? Jones-Holyfield? Jones-Tyson? Jones-Toney II at heavyweight? A David vs. Goliath matchup with Lennox Lewis?

The correct answer was: None of the above.

Jones vacated the title, dropped back down to light heavyweight, did it far too quickly, and got knocked out by Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson. The rematch with Tarver was a loss, the potential matchups went out the window and, with them, the excitement that was thought certain.

There is no heavyweight excitement for now, only a string of fringe contenders and C-level fighters with less than impressive credentials. Think back to the musical chair champions of the 1980s. When Larry Holmes held the world title, the WBA and WBC belts jumped between Tim Witherspoon, Tony Tubbs, Pinklon Thomas, Trevor Berbick, Gerrie Coetzee, and so on. Does anyone think that David Haye or Kevin Johnson or Chris Arreola or Tony Thompson would have gotten close to a belt in those times; times of which people dare to refer to as weak for the division? I'll take Terrible Tim and a motivated Tony Tubbs over this crop any day of the week. Something has to happen soon that lights the fire under the division and only two things will do that: an exciting young contender and great fights on a big stage. Holyfield vs. Botha fails to meet either criteria.

So for any great athletes that don't mind taking a few punches, working hard, and potentiall making a few million dollars for 2 or 3 fights a year, it's time to man up. Boxing may not desperately need you, but we'd sure love to have you.