Former undisputed world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson has claimed a third meeting with old nemesis Evander Holyfield will take place on May 29, a day after The Real Deal’s representatives stated the exhibition bout was dead in the water.
“I just want everybody to know the fight is on with me and Holyfield,” said Tyson, 54, during an Instagram Live session with Haute Living.
“Holyfield’s a humble man I know that and he’s a man of God but I’m God’s man. Listen, I’m going to be successful May 29.”
One day earlier, Holyfield’s manager Kris Lawrence had said: “We thought this was a done deal but it quickly fell apart when Tyson’s people declined all offers. We were negotiating in good faith all along and it appears we just ended up wasting our time.”
Holyfield’s camp claimed Tyson had turned down a $25 million guarantee and wanted a bigger percentage of the fight’s revenue. ‘The Real Deal’ is now 58 but remains in incredible shape for a man of his vintage. Now it appears the fight is back on, at least from the Tyson perspective.
If it does take place, the ‘trilogy’ bout is expected to be staged at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. In their prime, Holyfield proved to be Tyson’s kryptonite scoring two wins (WKO11 and WDQ3) in 1996 and 1997 respectively.
Veteran Tyson returned last November to engage in a lucrative exhibition with four-weight world champion Roy Jones on the entertainment app Triller. That bout was ruled an eight-round draw, but Tyson was enthused enough to continue boxing.