Standoff suspect: 'I'm a man, not a boy' (KXLY-TV Spokane)

In a jailhouse interview, 33-year-old Sean Driver, a criminal with three warrants out for his arrest in Spokane County cried when asked about his past.

As for the fight itself, he seems to be made to order...even for a fighter who hasn't looked good in years...but don't let the ripped body of Holyfield fool you. What about reflexes and stamina? When does enough become enough? These questions likely will be answered Friday night.

Ted Sares, PhD, is a private investor and entrepreneur who lives and writes in the beautiful and secluded White Mountain area of Northern New Hampshire with his wife, Holly and Min Pin, Jackdog. He writes a bi-weekly column for a local newspaper and is a regular contributor to the NH Business Review. He specializes in columns, articles, essays, op-eds, and short stories. Many of his works are widely published.

After being knocked out by contender Ray Austin in March in two rounds, Jeremy "The Beast" Bates, a Parkersburg, KY resident, had pretty much thrown in the towel on a boxing career. But little did he know that his name was going from a very long list to the short list, so when he finally got the call, he jumped at the opportunity to become the opponent that four-time heavyweight titlist Evander Holyfield wanted to in order to measure his rapidly declining skill level. The Beast is 21-11-1, but he does have 18 ko's and a reasonably decent right. The problem is that everytime he has stepped up, he has been beaten badly by the likes of Brian Minto, Sedreck Fields, Leo Nolan, Andre Purlette, and Kirk Johnson. His one bright spot seems to have been a second round blow out of Jeff Lally in 2004. To his credit, his amateur record was 50-26 and he turned pro after being beaten by tough Dominic Guinn..

"It is not the size of a man but the size of his heart that matters." Evander Holyfield

His works focus on issues and themes dealing with socio-political topics, business and economics (in which he advocates a free market approach to capitalism), patriotism, and matters dealing with individual freedom.They are frequently inspirational in nature and sometimes reflect the Objectivist philosophy of novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand. Ted is also a boxing historian and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.

So now a 32 year old journeyman and hard working insurance salesman at Potts Insurance in Parkersburg takes on a faded legend. He does all this while on leave without pay though he has a family and mouths to feed. But how many chances like this will he ever get again? He well knows what a win can do for him.

I do know one thing, however. If I were in the Beast's corner, my advice would be to go right after him....bull rush him...overwhelm and mug him to get him disoriented. Then unload the right and keep on unloading until the fight is stopped. Conversely, if I were in Evander's corner, my advice would be to be ready for such a charge and tie him up with strength-draining clinches and shots to his ample and soft mid section. I would advise him to then pick up the pace going into the 2nd which, based on Jeremy's history, seems to be when he is most vulnerable. It really kind of boils down to one or two rounds for me. If the Beast can sustain a charge, who knows? If Evander can withstand a charge, he should have an easy time. Everything suggests a slam dunk for Holyfield, though hopefully not a Tyson- McNeely type of one. We'll all know pretty soon. Can "The Beast" become a "Rocky."

A Real Life Rocky?