It’s been nearly a decade since Mitt Romney and Evander Holyfield squared off in the boxing ring

It’s been nine years since Mitt Romney put a brief hold on his political career and got in the boxing ring with heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield.

On May 15, 2015, Romney walked into the Fullmer Brothers Boxing ring wearing a red robe over a suit, tie and boxing gloves. “I Will Survive” blared as the former presidential candidate made his entrance. And he did survive.

A day before the fight, Romney weighed in at 179 pounds. Evander Holyfield was 236. But the 50-pound difference didn’t ward off the politician.

“The good news is that Evander Holyfield always hits above the belt, and sometimes in politics that isn’t the way things are done,” Romney said before the match, per CNN.

Romney and Holyfield fought with the purpose of raising money for CharityVision, a Utah-based nonprofit organization that focuses on restoring curable sight impairment worldwide. Corporate sponsorships for the event ranged from $25,000 to $250,000, as reported by the Deseret News.

Holyfield, a five-time heavyweight world champion, gave Romney some training before they squared off.

“He’s the oldest person that I ever fought. He’s the smallest person I ever fought,” Holyfield said, per CNN. “I’ve got a lot of respect for that.”

The winner of the match?

(Technically) Evander Holyfield. But the real winners were the 40,000 blind people around the world who were given the gift of sight by CharityVision, as reported by the Deseret News.

Romney only lasted two rounds before throwing in the towel. But he put up a good fight while it lasted. The Republican dodged Holyfield’s blows and even landed a few soft punches on the heavyweight champ. His rookie performance impressed Holyfield.

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“For a man who’s never got in the ring to box, he can throw a jab,” Holyfield said following the match, per CNN. “He can move around. I was impressed.”

The bout raised $1 million, Romney tweeted after the match.

“I’ve got to thank my dad, Mitt Romney, who’s been willing to get in the ring against Evander Holyfield,” Josh Romney, who now serves as president of CharityVision, said at the weigh-in, as reported by the Deseret News. “I’ve got an amazing dad. He’ll do anything for me. For him to do this for the charity I care so much about is a really big deal for me.”

Watch: Mitt Romney takes on Evander Holyfield in the ring