Tyson-Holyfield: Does This Fight Interest The Public?

By Sargon Solomon: It’s been almost three years since former heavyweight champion of the world Mike Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) last fought, a time in which he quit in the 6th round against Kevin McBride. Following that defeat, Tyson walked away from boxing, stating that he no longer wanted to continue if he could no longer fight at his best. For most people, they figured that would be the end of Tyson, that he would never attempt to enter the ring again. However, in the past two weeks both Tyson and former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield have stated in interviews that they could possibly meet against each in a future third bout between the two of them.

Both fighters naturally want to be well paid if there is indeed such a bout, and that would likely be the reason for them fighting or not fighting. The question is, would the general public be interested in such a bout? After all, Tyson is 41 years-old now, and hasn’t fought in almost three years. Even then, he’d lost three out of his last four bouts. Whereas Holyfield, 45, was recently beaten in a one-sided bout by former WBO heavyweight champion Sultan Ibragimov in October 2007.

Holyfield stubbornly persists with his boxing career, hoping to get another title shot in the future. However, that appears remote at best, because in order for that to happen Holyfield will likely have to beat a top 10 fighter in the heavyweight division, and not just a handful of hand-picked journeymen opponents. At this point, I see Holfyfield having little luck in that venture, despite his excellent appearance for a 45 year-old fighter.

Minus another title shot against one of the heavyweight champions, Holyfield isn’t likely going to get another big-money bout against a top fighter in the remainder of his career. For that reason, I see Tyson as the perfect option for him, perhaps his only option to get a big payday, and to come out on top once again. There’s no way that Holyfield stands any chance of beating one of the top heavyweights, nor any real chance at beating a good top 10 contender like Eddie Chambers or Alexander Povetkin. More likely, Holyfield would be knocked out once again as he was against James Toney, a light-hitting heavyweight, in October 2003.

Neither Tyson or Holyfield are the same fighter they were years ago, but that hardly matters to the public. Many of them would come see the fight based on the popularity of Tyson along, and when you add Holyfield to the mix, it’s a combination that will almost surely sell a lot of tickets. Above that, the fight, even if it’s a short one, will likely be much more exciting than the recent heavyweight bout between IBF heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko vs. WBO heavyweight champion Sultan Ibragimov. Both fighters were terrified of each other, afraid to throw almost hard punches for the entirety of the bout. Tyson and Holyfield have never lacked courage, even in the late stages of their careers as they tend to go all out for as long as the fight lasts.

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