47-year-old Holyfield stops Botha in 8th

LAS VEGAS — Former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield stopped Frans Botha in the eighth round on Saturday.

The 47-year-old Holyfield (43-10-2) knocked the 41-year old Botha (47-5-3) down with 2:36 left in the round with a right to the chin.

Botha beat referee Russell Mora’s count, but with 2:05 left Mora stopped the fight with the South African backed into a corner. It was Holyfield’s 28th career knockout.

Two judges had Botha ahead 67-66 when the fight was stopped. The other judge had it 69-64 for Holyfield.

There were only about 2,200 people in the stands at the Thomas & Mack Center, most rooting for Holyfield.

Holyfield briefly lost his balance, stumbling into a corner after a right from Botha with 2:04 left in the second round. After that, Holyfield started taking control.

Botha was warned by the referee twice in the first three rounds for hitting behind the head. Botha also was warned in the first round for a double hit to the head during a clinch.

This was Holyfield’s first fight in Las Vegas since 2003, when he lost to James Toney at Mandalay Bay.

Before Saturday, Holyfield was only 10-6 in Las Vegas, including the infamous ear-biting incident against Mike Tyson in 1997, when he won by disqualification.