Mike Tyson confirms Holyfield as his opponent in May 29 fight
Boxing legend Mike Tyson has revealed that a trilogy fight against rival Evander Holyfield will take place on May 29 despite rumours that talks between the two camps had fallen through.
The two previous encounters between the pair happened way back in 1996 and 1997, with The Real Deal winning the first by TKO. The rematch was a controversial affair, with Tyson famously biting off part of Holyfield’s ear, leading to a disqualification.
Despite the large delay since their previous fights- and both being 58 and 54 respectively the two former heavyweight champions returned to training last year.
Iron Mike fought another old rival Roy Jones Jr. in an eight-round exhibition fight last November after which Holyfield called him out.
Talks between the two teams had been dragging on, discussing the possibility of a multi-million-dollar fight – and only yesterday did Holyfield’s team suggest it was off due to Tyson’s lack of interest.
“We thought this was a done deal but it quickly fell apart when Tyson’s people declined all offers,” said Holyfield’s manager Kris Lawrence in a statement.
Read AlsoDooms day prophesy: Tyson’ex-coach predicts Anthony Joshua’s defeat
“We were negotiating in good faith all along and it appears we just ended up wasting our tme.”
According to Lawrence, Tyson wanted $25 million for the fight, and that both boxers had agreed on a 50:50 split with talks breaking down due to these demands.
“Team Holyfield sincerely believed a deal was imminent, especially after the Hard Rock threw its support behind the project, and there were multiple other offers conveyed to Team Tyson,” he added.