Mike Tyson told he’s ‘too late’ for Evander Holyfield trilogy fight after ear bite
Evander Holyfield has shut down talk of a potential trilogy fight against Mike Tyson after insisting that it is “too late” for them to reignite their rivalry.
Iron Mike infamously bit Holyfield’s ear off in 1997 which led to Tyson being disqualified from the contest, handing victory to his opponent. It followed their initial clash in 1996, which Tyson also lost.
There had been talk that the boxing legends could return to the ring to settle their rivalry once and for all in a trilogy fight – 26 years after their first bout. Both fighters came out of retirement during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Throughout 2021, there were negotiations that the two rivals would again fight one last time under exhibition rules. However, the purse split became too much of an issue and no deal was ever agreed between the pair.
Asked by TMZ if the fight would ever happen, Holyfield replied: “Not that I know. It’s too late now, we’re all done now. I’ve been retired but no it’s done.”
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(Image: Getty Images)
That is despite Holyfield seemingly angling for another fight after losing to Vitor Belfort in 2020, insisting the referee’s call was wrong despite being savaged in the first round.
“He shouldn’t have stopped the fight that quick,” Holyfield said during his post-fight interview. “I wasn’t hurt, there wasn’t one shot that hurt me really bad. He got me with a shot and I was off balance, I’m not hurt, it’s kind of sad. The guy pushed me, the guy is strong.”
Under the Triller banner, Tyson took on Roy Jones Jr in an exhibition fight that attracted a huge audience – though the actual clash was behind closed doors. There has been talk that the former heavyweight champion could take on YouTube star Jake Paul in a money-spinning clash.
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