| Mike Tyson. Evander Holyfield. Fighting each other again. No, you haven’t become ensnared in a time warp that transported you back a quarter-century or so. It’s real, apparently. It doesn’t appear to be a hoax or a prank, neither a television commercial nor a scam. According to Tyson, the fight – to follow the pair of unforgettable heavyweight encounters he and Holyfield waged in the 1990s – is going to happen. “I just want everyone to know,” Tyson announced on Tuesday night. “The fight is on with me and Holyfield. I’m going to be successful – May 29.” The obvious question to begin with: how can this be a thing? Tyson is 54 years old and last fought competitively in 2005. Holyfield took to the ring more recently, and even battled for the WBA title in 2008. But he’s 58. The fact that they would wish to fight again is somewhat ridiculous. That it seems likely now to actually go ahead is barely believable. But these are odd times, in boxing, in entertainment, and in what the public has shown it is prepared to pay for. Holyfield and Tyson have gone back and forth on negotiations for several months and the whole saga has been a wild ride. Just a day before Tyson said the fight would take place, Holyfield’s team released a statement saying Iron Mike had rejected a $25 million guarantee and that his demands had become “untenable.” Now, it seems, it’s on. Is it OK to be interested in it? Is it OK to be kind of excited? In truth, it is hard not to be at least a little intrigued, just because the characters remain two of the most interesting athletes of recent times. The 1980s and 90s were a spectacular period in boxing and the heavyweight division held a special place in the sports world. Blockbuster clashes, like the Holyfield victory in November 1996, when the referee stepped in to save Tyson, and the rematch that ended with the infamous ear-bite, which made the world stop. The upcoming matchup will almost certainly be billed as an exhibition, as that is the only way gentleman of such advanced years will be permitted to fight publicly – they’re not going to get a full license at this point. Even so, there is a certain guilt attached here. Old guys shouldn’t be fighting. Boxing is an electrifying sport but also one that comes with an inherent and extreme level of danger. It is difficult enough when you’re in your 20s and able to reach maximal physical shape. Frankly, the thought something bad could happen to Tyson or Holyfield is real and scary. And still … it’s just that their names continue to carry such weight and elicit such extraordinary memories that it’s impossible to dismiss it from your mind altogether. And that, of course, is what they will rely on with their promotional efforts. Holyfield-Tyson III has no shortage of selling points. The nostalgia, the name recognition and yes, let’s be honest, the “this is bizarre” element to it. Boxing is in a weird place. Major title fights struggle to break into even the outer reaches of the public psyche, yet bouts between rappers, or, in this case, quinquagenarians, will sell in droves if they are marketed right. It is not hard to market this one right. Last time they fought, one guy bit a piece of the other’s ear off. Sales pitch done, without even having to refer to their list of remarkable accomplishments or the status they attained in their pomp. “Just because of how heated and intense that rivalry was, there will be eternal interest in Tyson and Holyfield,” Lance Pugmire, boxing writer for The Athletic, told me. “Certainly, by these guys actually training to be in the best possible shape, they understand they can cash in as part of a new media landscape.” Tyson took part in an exhibition against Roy Jones in November that was well received and his personality, coupled with that of Holyfield, means he is more interesting to a widespread audience than many current athletes. What he says still matters. And Holyfield, carrying a pair of victories over Tyson, is obviously his ultimate foil and therefore also finds himself thrust back into a position of relevance. This is one of those moments as a writer when it is hard to comprehend what you’re actually putting down on the laptop. A fight between Tyson and Holyfield? In 2021? Really? For a long time, I lamented the fact that my career started just too late to see either Tyson or Holyfield in their prime. Now, decades later, they’re still in the spotlight enough to grab our focus, even at 54 and 58, even with everything else that’s going on. Proof perhaps that some characters never fade, and that personality remains one of sports’ most powerful currencies. Here’s what others have said … Mike Tyson, Boxer: “Holyfield’s a humble man; I know that. He’s a man of God, but I’m God’s man and I’m gonna be successful May 29.” Evander Holyfield, Boxer: “It wasn’t so much about going out there and trying to kill each other. You get paid on the commercials and the time. So I’m like, this is a business fight with no ego. Just show the people you can spar good. Nobody is going to get a decision.” Greg Couch, Outkick.com: “Tyson is a carnival act now, which is sad because young people don’t know that he once was the most fearsome champ since Jack Dempsey. Back then, he was only part-carnival act. Holyfield might actually still think he’s going to be the champ again.” |
