ATLANTA -- Evander Holyfield will have surgery on the left shoulder injured in the first round of his loss to Chris Byrd in their IBF heavyweight title fight.

An MRI confirmed an acute tear of the super spinatis tendon of the rotator cuff, Holyfield's lawyer said Wednesday.

The extent of the damage cannot be determined until the surgery Saturday at Piedmont Hospital, attorney Jim Thomas said.

Byrd won a unanimous decision last Saturday over the former four-time heavyweight champion in Atlantic City, N.J. The 40-year-old Holyfield used his left sparingly against Byrd, and was credited with landing only three jabs against the new champion.

"Evander fought 11 rounds, essentially, one-handed,'' Thomas said, adding that the Holyfield camp was not using the injury as an excuse. "Chris fought a great fight, proved he is a worthy champion and deserves great respect and admiration.

"No one is suggesting that the outcome would necessarily be any different had Evander not been injured.''

Holyfield, 38-6-2, has won just two of his past seven fights (2-3-2) in a quest to become the undisputed champion.

Thomas said it was too early to speculate on his future.

"If he's able to fight, it's 100 percent likely he'll continue,'' Thomas said. "But if the doctor tells him this will be a chronic problem, and it will only get worse, he'll evaluate things.''