Another heavyweight boxing legend is looking to fight after ex-champion Mike Tyson laces up his gloves at 58 for a professional comeback.
Tyson’s two-time rival Evander Holyfield, who lost a chunk of his ear during his feud with ‘Iron’ Mike, hopes to fight against despite being 61. The revelation came from another YouTuber as Tyson hurtles towards a sickening clash with 27-year-old Jake Paul on November 15.
Holyfield offered to fight Paul’s influencing nemesis, KSI – real name Olajide Olayinka Williams “JJ” Olatunji, despite getting knocked out in 109 seconds of his last bout. ‘The Real Deal’ came back in 2021 against Vitor Belfort, a UFC legend, but was roundly taken apart as he could hardly move in the ring.
For this reason and many others, KSI turned down the fight, according to his team.
“I know Holyfield contacted us about fighting KSI,” Mams Taylor told talkSPORT. “Again, we wouldn’t do that. It needs to be two evenly matched fighters at an even age.”
Taylor then took a swing at the Paul fight. The Disney child actor enticed Tyson out of retirement for a $20 million payday despite his undoubtedly impaired boxing faculties.
“If it were Mike Tyson or Evander Holyfield, for all the money in the world, we wouldn’t do that,” outlined Taylor.
“I think it’s ironic because the cornerstone of [our boxing philosophy] is on a higher moral ground than some parts of traditional boxing. We take care of the fighters and ensure the testing is good, which is why fighters pop [dirty]. We do it and do far more extensive medical testing before they are allowed to fight.”
He concluded, “We fight people who match together at similar levels; that is our ethos. I think there is something for everyone. But we have a moral outline, and we will try to stick to that regardless of the paycheck that comes our way.”
Thankfully, Holyfield won’t be fighting again after his last feeble efforts. The two-weight undisputed champion didn’t land a single shot on Belfort as he lost his balance and was stopped after taking heavy fire in the first round.
The Florida event, broadcast by Triller, is a blot on the Holyfield legacy that Tyson could mimic that experience in Texas later this year.
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
