Evander Holyfield, ringside for Mayweather-Cotto, wants a Klitschko

Evander Holyfield, at 49 years old, says he's still active and would like to fight for the heavyweight title against one of the Klitschko brothers. (AP)

LAS VEGAS -- Evander Holyfield is five months shy of his 50th birthday but the former undisputed heavyweight champion still believes he will be the current  undisputed heavyweight champion.

“I’d like to fight a Klitschko,” Holyfield said Saturday at ringside during the undercard of the Floyd Mayweather-Miguel Cotto fight. “I want to be a champion. I’ll fight any one of the champions.”

Holyfield has been out of the ring since last May, when he knocked out Brian Nielsen. Holyfield says he is still active and hopes to have a fight before the end of the year. But there’s a catch: He says he will only fight again if it is a title fight.

“If I have to fight somebody else, why fight?” Holyfield said. “I’m only interested in championship fights.”

Holyfield could technically fight for a title without going through one of the Klitschkos. Alexander Povetkin holds the WBA “regular” heavyweight title -- the organization bizarrely elevated Wladimir Klitschko to “super champion” shortly after he won the title from David Haye -- and rumors persist that Povetkin’s promoter, Sauerland Event, is interested in making a Povetkin-Holyfield fight later in the year.

“At the age of 50, I thought I’d be to be out of the game,” Holyfield said. “I thought I would have accomplished all I wanted to accomplish. But I still want to fight for the title.”

-- Chris Mannix