Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Sporting ExcitementSporting Excitement

Boxing

Evander Holyfield fears rival Mike Tyson, 54, will gas out after Roy Jones Jr bout and NEVER give him trilogy fight

, Evander Holyfield fears rival Mike Tyson, 54, will gas out after Roy Jones Jr bout and NEVER give him trilogy fight

EVANDER HOLYFIELD has claimed that his old rival Mike Tyson will gas out in his comeback fight against Roy Jones Jr.

And the ex-heavyweight champion, 54, has revealed his fear that Iron Mike, 54, will NEVER step back inside the ropes to complete their trilogy.

Mike Tyson will make his comeback fight against Roy Jones Jr
, Evander Holyfield fears rival Mike Tyson, 54, will gas out after Roy Jones Jr bout and NEVER give him trilogy fight
Evander Holyfield admitted a trilogy fight against Iron Mike is now unlikely
, Evander Holyfield fears rival Mike Tyson, 54, will gas out after Roy Jones Jr bout and NEVER give him trilogy fight
Tyson was accused of being ‘scared’ to face The Real Deal having lost both of their previous bouts

Holyfield – who twice beat the Baddest Man on the Planet – is training again to return for an exhibition, but is yet to have a confirmed opponent.

Tyson meanwhile is facing Roy Jones Jr, 51, in an eight-round pay-per-view spectacle next weekend.

And Holyfield admitted that his heavyweight rival’s decision to avoid him has squashed any hope of them facing each other for a third time.

In an exclusive interview with SunSport, he said: “You can’t risk the fact Mike chose to fight him first, it should’ve been me first I believe.

“And it’s kind of muddy the waters. My whole thing is if they fight first, I just don’t think there will be a second match with me – my third match with Mike.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

“Because it doesn’t matter because there won’t be anything left in Mike.

“The thing is it’s really about what happens performance-wise when we get in the ring – people don’t just want to pay for the sake of it, people want to see something interesting.

“People want to see something and they want to see some competitors, they realize you’re now old but it ain’t about just how much money they going to pay for the trilogy fight.”

He later added: “I really think that between Mike and myself that I would like to be first, because at our ages you may only get a one shot and never get another shot. I’m 58, he’s 54! I have to be first not the second.”

Holyfield first beat Tyson in 1996, winning in round 11 in what was considered an upset.

They rematched a year later, in the infamous the ‘Bite Fight’, where Iron Mike was disqualified after biting the Real Deal’s ear in round three.

SunSport previously reported that Tyson has been accused of being ‘scared’ to rematch Holyfield having been offered a trilogy bout ‘multiple times’.

, Evander Holyfield fears rival Mike Tyson, 54, will gas out after Roy Jones Jr bout and NEVER give him trilogy fight

When asked for his take, Holyfield said: “Well, my thought is that a person has a choice – you do pretty much what you want to do.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

“That’s what he chose: not to fight me but instead fight Roy Jones Jr.

“Someone asked me, “If you thought that you’d lose against Mike Tyson would you still fight him anyway?” I said, “Well, I would never fight if I thought I would lose against Mike, or anyone else.

“I can’t just sit there with that mentality, there’s no challenge there then for me – knowing that you stand a chance to lose.

“I don’t know why he said yes to him (Jones Jr.) but life is about decisions you make.

“When I spoke with Mike about fighting him he pretty much let me know he was doing something with someone else already.

“It’s not like something specific came up initially, but it was the thing with Mike and myself everything came up incidentally.”

Tyson has already claimed that he is ‘better than ever physically and mentally’ ahead of his November 28 comeback bout with Jones Jr.

Holyfield, who stayed on the fence when asked to pick a winner, did weigh in to admit the conditioning of the two heavyweight icons – who have a combined age of 105 – will be key.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

He told SunSport: “Roy Jones has got the faster hands, but Mike has the harder shots.

“It will depend on how good of a condition the fighters are. If they go power to power, I know Mike Tyson has the advantage there and can beat him, but also Roy Jones has the speed and what would happen if he could catch Mike?

“So, either way there’s some advantages on both sides. Mike was more than a street fighter or boxer. Mike was clever.

, Evander Holyfield fears rival Mike Tyson, 54, will gas out after Roy Jones Jr bout and NEVER give him trilogy fight

“I’m one of the only guys that beat him and gave him a hard time. He was shorter than others but he was able to beat 6 ft 3 6 ft 5 guys.

“Mike was a student of the game of boxing. He is someone to a lot of people where you expect the unknown.

“For his size and weight he fought hard and he was terrific.”

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Latest

Golf

Augusta National, the prestigious golf club that hosts the Masters tournament every April, is known for its beauty and exclusivity. However, behind the scenes...

Premier League

Pochettino Questions Southgate's Decision Mauricio Pochettino has subtly criticized Gareth Southgate after Ben Chilwell returned from England duty with a knee injury, casting doubt...

Premier League

Gary Neville's Opinion Manchester United legend Gary Neville has urged his former club to stick with Erik ten Hag this summer as he is...

Premier League

Chelsea Fans Concerned Chelsea fans are growing increasingly frustrated as the club's injury list continues to expand. The team is currently facing a crisis...

Premier League

Larry Lloyd's Football Career Former England and Nottingham Forest star Larry Lloyd has passed away at the age of 75. The legendary defender played...

Premier League

Bayern Munich Pursuit Fails Fulham's Joao Palhinha recently shared that a surprising transfer offer from West Ham came before his potential move to Bayern...

Advertisement
Advertisement

Facebook

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement