Mike Tyson is on the road to being knocked out early, as the former heavyweight champion is led to oblivion as he approaches his sixties.
In an unfamothable situation that is being allowed to happen on several fronts, Tyson will enter the ring against a young boxing pretender who knows how to throw a punch. The event, taking place on November 15 in Texas, has an eery similarity to one of Tyson’s old rivals.
When Evander Holyfield returned to action on September 11, 2021, the former two-weight undisputed ruler was 58 – the same age as Mike Tyson will be at the AT&T Stadium. If you dissect Holyfield’s comeback, which he was not licensed professionally for as Tyson is for Jake Paul, there are 109 reasons why the fight should be scrapped before the first bell. If not canceled, at least made into an exhibition to protect the welfare of an aged warrior.
Those 109 reasons represent every single second Holyfield spent in the ring against Vitor Belfort, who – on the face of it, probably possesses fewer boxing skills than Paul does now. However, Belfort beat Holyfield [stepping in for a sick Oscar De La Hoya] from pillar to post on Triller in another sickening fight that should never have been allowed to occur.
Belfort, who would probably be one of Paul’s boxing victims if still active, found Holyfield to be a sitting duck, thanks to whoever birthed the idea of the boxing legend ever gracing the ring at that age. Holyfield was slow, had little to no punch resistance, and couldn’t get out of the way of any punch.
The pair felt each other out for the first fifty seconds, with only Holyfield throwing a couple of jabs and obviously missing. So, in effect, the time could have been a lot quicker if Belfort had gone for it from the start. The former MMA star threw his first significant punch at 55 seconds and rocked Holyfield back. Holyfield tried to blame his footwork, but it was clear he was not steady on his feet.
Sensing Holyfield was hurt, Belfort threw combinations as Holyield – not even a shadow of his old self, tried to cover up. At this point, only 65 seconds and ten significant ones of fight time had elapsed.
Holyfield slipped as he tried to throw back, clearly unable to keep his balance due to age and inactivity. ‘The Real Deal’ fell over the ropes almost out of the ring. Informing the referee that he was okay at 75 seconds, the writing was on the wall that Holyfield was well out of his depth being back in the squared circle.
Exclusive: Mike Tyson warned by Holyfield destroyer Vitor Belfort
At 80 seconds, Belfort threw two hard shots, one of which landed fully, and again Holyfield hit the floor. It was a sad sight, and at this point, his corner should have known better than to wait for the inevitable knockout.
By 85 seconds, everyone in the venue knew what would happen. At 98 seconds, after the count, the third man in the ring told Holyfield to show him something, as the ex-Olympic gold medalist had done nothing of note the entire round.
Knowing the end was near, Belfort landed six sickening blows, and the fight was called off at 109 seconds.
Mike Tyson, who ended his career nineteen years ago with two knockout losses, would do well to make it to 110 seconds as he hurtles towards another inevitable legend succumbing to being back under those bright lights.
Holyfield had only retired seven years before his wipeout against Belfort. The reality is that Father Time will remain undefeated as up to 250 million subscribers watch Tyson’s inescapable demise live on Netflix.
The only way Tyson can be saved is if he pulls out or the fight is downgraded to an exhibition, with both men deciding to take it easy and not go for the knockout.
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.
