Rarely is man's faith in God as distressing as this.

	Holyfield is still built like he used to be, but how's his brain?

It's easy to recall specific horrors that have been committed against innocent victims in the name of the Almighty. But how often do we hear of good people doing harm to no one but themselves in the name of God?

Pity Evander Holyfield -- not for what he is, but for what he is setting up himself to become. He is not yet drooling or babbling incoherently, but his zealousness portends an ominous fate.

He will be 40 years old in October. His speech has grown increasingly slurred. His thought processes have gotten more and more blurry. He is groping for a glory that is almost certainly long gone.

But, as Evander is quick to say, all things are possible with God. And Evander firmly believes God will allow him to retire as the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.

Evander also is certain a heavenly cloak will protect his health and maintain his faculties, despite the fact he will need to win a minimum of three fights against the world's best heavyweights -- potentially grueling matches all -- to attain his goal.

The purpose of this column isn't to ridicule Holyfield's faith. If there is a heaven, Holyfield's soul probably will reside there. The point is, he's foolishly risking his personal wherewithal in the interim.

Yes, attaining the undisputed heavyweight title is remotely possible. Yes, an unwavering faith and an undying will can help a man overcome significant odds.

Muhammad Ali had those traits, too.

"I believe there is a power of being moreso than me," Holyfield said during Tuesday's teleconference to promote his June 1 non-title bout with Hasim Rahman in Atlantic City. "I do believe in Jesus. I do believe that's my protection. I believe anything that happens to me, I will recover. I will overcome it."

A reporter, apparently with an eyebrow raised from Holyfield's comments, asked the former champ if he was concerned about the quality of life he would lead once he retired.

"Quality of life is God's way, and I know that by me doing that ain't nothing going to happen to me," Holyfield said. "I'm not going to lose one dead brain cell. I will walk around here and enjoy my kids and their kids' kids. Three generations from now I'll be doing well, and my remembers (sic) will be good. This is how you're protected. You trust in God.''

Holyfield, although unable to fully explain, suggested the punch-drunk states of fighters such as Ali and Floyd Patterson came about because of bad choices they had made in life. Holyfield was asked if he thought God punishes the afflicted for not being good Christians. He replied to the contrary, but his explanation insinuated otherwise.

"When I look at Ali or Floyd Patterson or anybody who suffering ... it has to do with your personal life," Holyfield said. "There's a lot of people, not just fighters, who suffer from memory loss or Parkinson's disease. People just have the wrong idea that it's boxing that causes all this. If that's the case then there wouldn't so many people with all these problems. It don't come from boxing.

	Pound for pound list
	Tim Graham's top 15: 1. Bernard Hopkins 2. Roy Jones 3. Marco Antonio Barrera 4. Kostya Tszyu 5. Vernon Forrest 6. Lennox Lewis 7. Shane Mosley 8. Floyd Mayweather 9. Erik Morales 10. Felix Trinidad 11. Oscar De La Hoya 12. Fernando Vargas 13. Paulie Ayala 14. Tim Austin 15. Ricardo Lopez

"What happens in life is based on the decisions we make. I just know I believe I'm in the position I'm in because of the decisions I've made. It could be something you did at 15 or 16 that catches up with you at some point. It's how you live your life That's what the word of God says.

"People think it was odd for me to forgive Mike Tyson (for biting him). But I knew that the word of God says if I don't forgive him, then God won't forgive me for things I fall short in. If I wasn't forgiven for what I have done, a lot of bad situations would be happening to me right now."

There is no record, however, of God protecting the health of those who insist on repeatedly putting themselves in harm's way.

"My own belief," said Dr. Flip Homansky, vice chairman of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, "is that fighters who have been injured in the ring, fighters who have lost brain cells in the past were not necessarily atheists. I believe the Lord may watch out for all of us, but he's not going to help you keep your left hand up and prevent you from absorbing a damaging overhand right."

Amen.

"When Evander Holyfield got knocked out, was God pissed off at him that day?'' said Showtime boxing analyst Bobby Czyz, who lost to Holyfield in 1996. "I don't think God helps anybody in the ring. If He does then why doesn't He give everybody the same tools he gave Evander? I don't mean to belittle religion, but some religious people need to get a grip on things."

To reach his unlikely objective, Holyfield would need to defeat all of the following: Rahman; the winner of the June 8 blockbuster between WBC/IBF champ Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson; the winner of the July 27 bout between WBA champ John Ruiz and No. 1 contender Kirk Johnson.

Holyfield's road will become even more rugged if Lewis defeats Tyson and then retires. That would divide the WBC and IBF belts and force Holyfield to go after each belt individually, meaning he would then need a minimum of four bouts. Mix in potential rematches and mandatory defenses for the respective champs, and Holyfield could be waiting a while.

Holyfield hasn't fought more than twice a year since 1989 -- he has fought only six times since November of 1997 -- so he probably wouldn't pull off this miracle until the age of 42 at the earliest. He has been boxing since he was 8 and has been through a plethora of ring wars.

Holyfield's fight with Rahman has the potential to be a real slugfest. Many fans are looking forward to the HBO matchup, which should be more competitive than the $54.95 pay-per-view showdown between Lewis and Tyson. And Holyfield, the warrior that he is, might have enough left to beat Rahman.

"Definitely he's slowed down a bit," Rahman said. "His legs are simply not what they were in '92 or '93. But he's still a dangerous counterpuncher. I still have a lot of things to worry about from a 39-year-old Evander Holyfield. He's still a dangerous man. He sees he can still beat a lot of heavyweights out there, and that's what still motivates him. Maybe he can't beat the best heavyweights anymore, but a lot of them, and that's probably what motivates him."

Perhaps that validates Holyfield's continued activity. Perhaps.

But what does Holyfield have left to accomplish? He doesn't need the money. He has an Olympic medal. He is the greatest cruiserweight of all time. He is the only fighter to have won the heavyweight title four times. He already held the undisputed title once before. He won it from Buster Douglas in 1990 and lost it to Riddick Bowe two years later.

"From that point on I was trying to become undisputed heavyweight champion of the world again," Holyfield said. He simultaneously held the WBA and IBF titles later in the '90s, but he couldn't acquire the WBC belt from Frank Bruno, Tyson or Lewis.

The only other major professional distinction Holyfield can garner is induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. To do that, he must retire -- and stay retired for five years.

But Holyfield has shown throughout his career he can't stay out of the ring. He was forced into a brief retirement after losing a decision to Michael Moorer in 1994, when doctors detected a heart abnormality. Holyfield claims his bad heart was cured by notorious faith healer Benny Hinn.

Few stopped to think Holyfield's heart ailment was misdiagnosed in the first place. But when a man believes God healed him once before, it's difficult to convince him God won't do it again.

"I realize I'm going to live a long time," Holyfield said. "I don't take my health for granted. But that's a big part of being a believer in the word of God and knowing that everything's going to be OK."

A state commission might have to refuse Holyfield a boxing license before he'll finally walk away.

"I will not go into the specifics with Evander, but I will tell you he would be fully evaluated before he would be licensed here again," Homansky said. "His exam would be extremely comprehensive. In a situation with a fighter who's been in a number of wars and has fought for an extended period of time in a long career, we would look at every aspect of his physical condition."

The number of washed-up fighters who want to get back into the ring troubles Homansky. The doctor winces at comebacks from the likes of Meldrick Taylor (an Olympic teammate of Holyfield) and Marlon Starling.

Homansky noted the Nevada commission was approached in the past few months about the possibility of Bowe fighting again. Bowe, the once-great heavyweight who fought three megabattles with Holyfield, is so far gone mentally he shouldn't be given a license to drive much less box.

"The argument can be made by an attorney, the argument can be made by a manager, the argument can be made by someone who's looking to make money off a fighter that if someone is willing the take the risk, he should be allowed to make a living. That's wrong," Homansky said. "They might be able to make a living, just not in the ring."

Nevada also has set precedent that medical tests are not mandatory in denying a boxing license. Nevada vetoed Terry Norris' application in 2000 after hearing his slurred speech and comparing it with an audio recording from earlier in his career.

Whether Holyfield retires before he reaches that point remains to be seen.

"Until the final chapter is written, you don't close the books," Holyfield said.

May God bless you, Evander.

Tim Graham covers boxing for The Buffalo News and The Ring Magazine, and formerly wrote for the Las Vegas Sun.