4 days Ago
Mike Tyson is 58 and fresh off a unanimous decision loss to Jake Paul at AT&T Stadium on Friday, and the boxing legend already has a callout from an old foe. Former heavyweight champion and fellow Hall-of-Famer took to Instagram to call Tyson out for a third fight between the two legends. Holyfield posted this image with the following caption: “The fans want it 🥊 #unfinishedbusiness.
” Don’t worry. Tyson quickly shot the idea down with his reply in the comments. “I love you brother, but the trilogy is our friendship.
” Tyson and Holyfield had two memorable fights. The first happened in 1996 when Holyfield scored a KO victory over Tyson. The rematch happened in 1997 when a battered Tyson infamously bit a piece of Holyfield’s ear off leading to a loss via disqualification.
Since then, the men have become friends and have made light of the incident countless times in commercials and even in the form of Tyson’s marijuana gummies. Holyfield and Lennox Lewis, another of Tyson’s old foes were in his locker room ahead of the fight with Paul. So many are comfortable with the thought of Tyson as this ruthless savage, but it often seems like he has evolved into a thoughtful man who is far more intelligent than most people give him credit.
Tyson took a calculated risk fighting Paul, and most don’t realize how many built-in protections were in place for the boxing icon. The fight was scheduled for eight two-minute rounds. This means Tyson only spent 16 minutes in the ring competing.
Also, the boxing gloves used were 14 ounces compared to the standard 12-ounce pair professional fighters use. Also, Paul appeared to have no desire to hurt Tyson. If you watched the action, it was clear Paul could have turned up the pressure and likely knocked the man 31 years his senior out.
Paul didn’t do that because he’s much more thoughtful than he gets credit for. Many have missed the point. Paul and Tyson combined their polarizing star power together to create an audience and a level of intrigue that we’ve He has become adept at playing the villain role.
The persona has proven profitable for him, and viewership numbers prove fans are interested. According to a graphic shared by the Boardroom , Paul vs. Tyson was the most-watched boxing match of all time, with more than 60 million people catching the action on Netflix–or at least what they could see through significant connection issues.
That viewership total tops Floyd Mayweather’s battles with Manny Pacquiao, Conor McGregor, Oscar De La Hoya, and Canelo Alvarez. People can hate on Paul’s push and influence, but the results are undeniable. So many fighters of all levels have sought a piece of the pie.
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Ryan Garcia called Paul out . Andre Ward said he’d be willing to listen if Paul “says his name.
” Holyfield, 62, went the other route, and while Tyson turned him down, it was a smarter suggestion. Holyfield and Tyson are in the same age range, and while the fight would be fought at a snail’s pace, it would be more competitive than the bout between Paul and Tyson. That said, I’m glad Tyson turned down the offer, and hopefully, Holyfield can find a similar payday doing something else.
Tyson appeared to confirm his retirement in a social media post on Saturday, but as we’ve seen repeatedly, you can never say never–especially with fighters..
