Will the third fight between Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson ever happen? Holyfield’s team recently spoke to TMZ Sports about the proposed bout and said that it’s not happening anytime soon — if ever. The initial thought was the fight was going to happen, but both sides couldn’t agree to a deal.
“We thought this was a done deal but it quickly fell apart when Tyson’s people declined all offers,” Kris Lawrence told TMZ. “We were negotiating in good faith all along and it appears we just ended up wasting our time.” This news comes after Tyson announced on his podcast that he’s returning to the ring on May 29 at a big event at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. He didn’t name his opponent, but the implication was that it would be Holyfield.
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“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,” Holyfield’s camp said in a statement. “However, Team Tyson’s demands recently became untenable, and not what Mike Tyson had originally agreed on in direct conversations with Holyfield.”
TMZ says that Holyfield claims he spoke to Tyson on the phone during negotiations and agreed to split the profit down the middle. Now, Holyfield’s team is claiming that Tyson wanted a bigger cut. A deal proposed to Tyson where he would get $25 million guaranteed, but the former heavyweight boxing champ turned it down. And while the fight doesn’t look like it will happen, Holyfield said he still wants to fight if Tyson’s team comes back with a better offer.
Back in December, Holyfield said the boxing match between him and Tyson was happening. “We’ve definitely had conversations, and it looks like it’s gonna happen,” Holyfield said to TMZ. “I’m a very confident person, so I think it’s gonna happen. Let’s do it, baby. Simple as that, let’s do it.” In 1996, Holyfield defeated Tyson via TKO in the 11th round. In 1997, Tyson was disqualified after biting Holyfield’s ear in the third round.
Holyfield’s claim came shortly after Tyson fought Roy Jones Jr. to a draw. He also issued a challenge to Tyson, saying: “Now I can see why he wanted a tuneup fight before thinking about fighting me. No more excuses. This is the fight that must happen for both our legacies. Saturday night you said you were ready to fight me, so sign the contract and get in the ring, Tyson. The world is waiting and it’s on you now. I’m ready.”
