Mitt Romney takes on five-time heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield, runs away after two rounds

'You float like a bee and sting like a butterfly'

Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, right, throws punches with five-time heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield (AP)

No, your eyes do not deceive you. That is the former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney sparring in a ring with a five-time heavyweight boxing champion.

Romney, 68, took on Evander Holyfield for a charity fight in Salt Lake City on Friday. Holyfield has beat the likes of George Foreman and Mike Tyson to repeatedly win his titles.

Romney appeared confident as he walked into the ring - but ran away from the boxer after just two rounds.

"He said, 'You know what? You float like a bee and sting like a butterfly,"' Romney said after the fight.

The event was held to raise money for the Utah-based organization CharityVision, which helps doctors in developing countries perform surgeries to restore vision in people with curable blindness. Organisers told the Associated Press that it raised at least $1 million (£635,970).

Romney decided to take on boxing hevayweight champion EvanderHolyfield (AP)

Romney’s defeat is perhaps less surprising considering his pessimistic view on his chances ahead of the match.

"It will either be a very short fight, or I will be knocked unconscious,” Mr Romney told the Salt Lake City Tribune in March. “It won’t be much of a fight. We’ll both suit up and get in the ring and spar around a little bit.”