By: Sean Crose
‘We’re the top two guys people want to see,” former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield recently told the Last Stand Podcast. “There’s no reason to do it with anybody else other than Tyson.” Holyfield is talking, of course, about a third fight with arch rival Mike Tyson. Even though both men are in their fifties and it’s been close to 25 years since their last ring battle, Holyfield feels a rubber match between the two aging icons could bring in obscene sums of money. “I think it will be a lot of money and a lot of millions,” Holyfield said. “I think $100m. The fight would be big because so many people want the fight.”
Tyson showed just how nostalgic fans could be when he battled Roy Jones in a November exhibition bout. That event brought in at least a million pay per view buys. Such a mind boggling sum would make anyone want to try the same thing again – and there’s little doubt that Holyfield-Tyson III would bring in a ton of casual fan interest. In truth, the fight doesn’t have to be great. As long as the pay per view broadcast is entertaining – as the Tyson-Jones card was late last year – there’s every reason in the world to believe the event will be financially successful.
‘The only thing that I hear people talking about they want Tyson and myself,” Holyfield told Last Stand Podcast. “And you know, this is what the world wants to see. But you’re not in that situation, so you have to want to do it. So, I guess we have to come together and do it.” Sure enough, a fight, even an exhibition fight – which Holyfield-Tyson III would be – generally requires a considerable amount of training and mental preparation
Holyfield first met Tyson in 1996, after both fighters were arguably past their primes. There had been major talk of the two men facing off as far back as the early 90s, but sadly the men were unable to meet in the ring while they were in their prime forms. Still, Holyfield dominated when they finally fought. Several months later, the two had an infamous rematch, where Tyson literally bit off a chunk of Holyfield’s ear. Naturally, Iron Mike ended up being disqualified. Hopefully, no such incident will occur again if a third fight should transpire. No one should be surprised, however, if “Eargate” plays a major part in the promotion if a deal for Holyfield-Tyson III is signed.