By: Hans Themistode
It appears as though Mike Tyson will, in fact, return to the ring against an old foe. With that said, it isn’t the one many were expecting.
For months both Tyson and long-time rival, Evander Holyfield appeared to be on a collision course. Originally, their showdown seemed to be a done deal. However, with neither side able to come to an agreement from a financial standpoint, both parties went their separate ways.
For Holyfield, the former heavyweight and cruiserweight champion is now scheduled to face Kevin McBride in an exhibition on June 5th as the co-main event to undisputed lightweight champion, Teofimo Lopez, and the first defense of his crown against Australian mandatory challenger, George Kambosos Jr.
As for Tyson, although a replacement opponent wasn’t initially announced, the 2011 Hall of Famer revealed that he was planning to fight on June 5th. Now, after successful negotiations behind the scenes, Tyson has unveiled that his contest has been officially moved back. But while fans were hoping to see him in the ring sooner rather than later, they’ll be pleasantly surprised with the name he has ultimately chosen to face instead.
“I’m gonna fight Lennox Lewis,” said Tyson during an interview with TMZ Sports. “September.”
Although the official rules of their exhibition haven’t been revealed just yet, their showdown could mirror Tyson’s exhibition contest against Roy Jones Jr. in November of 2020. For the event, two minute periods of action followed by one minute of rest spread across eight rounds was the format.
For Tyson, a matchup with Lewis will allow him the opportunity to exact a bit of revenge. The two originally fought roughly two decades ago. On the night, Lewis easily outboxed Tyson before knocking him out in the eighth to retain his IBF, IBO and WBC heavyweight titles.
In terms of where their showdown could take place, a venue and official date have not yet been confirmed but, according to Tyson, their contest is signed, sealed and delivered for sometime in September.
