Don’t worry, it’ll be an exhibition.
Despite plenty of talk that we would see Evander Holyfield face rival Mike Tyson one more time in the boxing ring, even for exhibitions we have to settle for less.
The former cruiserweight and heavyweight champion will step into the ring for the first time since 2011 when he faces Kevin McBride in an eight-round, no-headgear exhibition on June 5th. If the name sounds familiar, McBride was the final opponent of Tyson’s professional career back in 2005. Tyson quit on his stool in their June 2005 matchup and he retired from the sport.
Holyfield (44-10-2-1 NC, 29 KOs) is 58 years old and his last pro bout was a knockout of Brian Nielsen in Denmark to cap off a brilliant career as one of the all-time greats. I say that he hasn’t fought since 2011 but how silly of me to forget his charity bout with Senator Mitt Romney in 2015. Evander’s adviser Kris Lawrence is still hopeful a Holyfield-Tyson exhibition will be made, but talks for this summer fell through.
What happened to McBride (35-10-1, 29 KOs) after his win over Tyson? Well he never had a relevant win before Tyson and never managed one afterward. His pro career also ended in 2011, albeit on a KO loss to Mariusz Wach in Poland. The 47-year-old is really just a club fighter who gained notoriety off of beating a clearly checked out Tyson. That’s harsh but it’s absolutely true.
This will serve as chief support for the main event between undisputed lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez (16-0, 12 KOs) and mandatory challenger George Kambosos Jr (19-0, 10 KOs). The card is expected to take place in Miami in what is Lopez’s first fight outside of the Top Rank banner in his professional career.