By Scott Gilfoid: Promoter Don King is reportedly looking to put together a fight between WBC heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne (24-1-1, 21 KOs) and unbeaten Deontay Wilder (31-0, 31 KOs) in Egypt later this year if he can get the logistics worked out. King previously put together huge Muhammad Ali fights called the Rumble in the Jungle in Zaire and the Thrilla in Manila in the Philippines.
It’s unknown what the attraction would be for him to stage the fight in Egypt, because Deontay and Stiverne aren’t hugely popular like Ali was when King made those fights.
“I want to hold it in the shadows of the Pyramids and it’s going to be called King of the Nile,” King said to The Guardian.
King also reportedly would like to match Stiverne, if he successfully beats Deontay, against 47-year-old Mike Tyson. He feels that Tyson can make a comeback in the same way that George Foreman made a comeback at age 39.
“I want him to fight Mike Tyson,” he said. “George Foreman came back at 47, and Mike can too.”
The 6’4” Foreman was a lot bigger than Tyson with an excellent jab, a good chin, and an excellent jab. It was easier for Foreman especially because he only had to beat Michael Moorer to capture a world title during his comeback. Tyson would have a lot of problems against Stiverne at this point in his career. I mean, if Tyson didn’t knock Stiverne out in the 1st round, he’d likely run out of gas and get knocked out. But Tyson likely still has good hand speed and power.
If he hits Stiverne solid in the 1st, he could take him out. But Tyson hasn’t shown any interest in making a comeback in years since he retired in 2005 following a loss to Kevin McBride. Tyson is a promoter now, and he doesn’t need to make a comeback to fight a guy like Stiverne.
Besides that, Stiverne is going to have his hands filled against the 6’7” Deontay, and I can’t see him winning that fight due to the size, power, speed and youth advantage that Deontay will be enjoying in such a fight.
King had some great ideas for venues for Ali when he was fighting, but I don’t see Egypt as being the right venue for a Wilder-Stiverne fight. Besides the travel issues involved with Americans having to travel to Egypt to see the fight, it’s not a fight that will likely resonate with the Egyptian public. I doubt that Wilder or Stiverne are household names over there the way Ali was when he was fighting. As such, I think it’s a terrible idea to place the fight there. The only thing positive about a Wilder vs. Stiverne fight in Egypt would be the scenery.
If they could have the fight staged near the pyramids, it would be interesting for fans in the U.S to have that in the background. But I think it would a fight that wouldn’t sell tickets over there, and it would create a lot of headaches in terms of the media having to fly over there.
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