BEVERLY HILLS, March 22, (THEWILL) – Former undisputed heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield has claimed that fellow former heavyweight champion “Iron Mike” Tyson turned down a potential $25 million bout between them.
Speaking through his manager Kris Lawrence on Monday to ESPN, he exclaimed: “We thought this was a done deal but it quickly fell apart when Tyson’s people declined all offers.”
Lawrence went further to claim that the fight was planned for Memorial Day weekend in Miami and it was supposed to be marketed as the third matchup between the two after the unforgettable thrills of their 1996/1997 bouts.
Recently, Tyson revealed on his podcast “Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson” that he still intended to have another exhibition fight in late May in Miami.
He stopped short of saying with whom he plans to re-enter the boxing ring but Lawrence’s statement implies that it will not be Holyfield.
Nicknamed “The Real Deal”, Holyfield reigned as the undisputed champion at cruiserweight in the late 1980s and at heavyweight in the early 1990s.
Till today, he remains the only boxer in history to win the undisputed championship in two weight classes in the three belt era of boxing.
His accolades include being the only four-time world heavyweight champion for holding the unified World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Council (WBC), and International Boxing Federation (IBF) titles from 1990 to 1992, the WBA and IBF titles again from 1993 to 1994, the WBA title a third time from 1996 to 1999; the IBF title a third time from 1997 to 1999 and the WBA title for a fourth time from 2000 to 2001.
Holyfield beat Iron Mike in 1996 to reclaim the WBA title, in what The Ring magazine called the “Fight of the Year” and “Upset of the Year.”
Holyfield confirmed his superiority by winning a rematch against Tyson the following year, which ended in disappointing fashion with Tyson disqualified in Round Three for biting off part of Holyfield’s ear.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
