“No more excuses. This is the fight that must happen for both our legacies.”
Evander Holyfield has called for a trilogy bout with Mike Tyson following ‘Iron Mike’s’ eight-round exhibition with Roy Jones Jr. this past Saturday.
Tyson, 54, fought Jones to a draw but many pundits scored the bout in favor of Tyson, who, all things considered, looked in phenomenal shape for his age. The former heavyweight boxing champion was happy with his performance and has vowed to continue fighting, teasing of a rematch with Holyfield at the post-fight press conference at Staples Center, Los Angeles.
Holyfield, who had a chunk of his ear bitten off by Tyson back in 1997, soon got word of Tyson’s comments and responded to the heavyweight phenom with the following statement.
“My side tried to make the fight happen and we got nothing but excuses,” Holyfield said in a recent press conference (h/t MMA Fighting). “Now I can see why he wanted a tune-up fight before thinking about fighting me. Roy Jones was a good local opponent for Mike. But a fight with me would be a global event and the only fight that anyone wants to see is a fight between us. There is absolutely no reason why we shouldn’t make it happen.”
“No more excuses,” he added. “This is the fight that must happen for both our legacies. Saturday night you said you were ready to fight me, so sign the contract and get in the ring, Tyson. The world is waiting and it’s on you now. I’m ready.”
Holyfield is 2-0 over Tyson, with the rematch ending in a disqualification after the latter bit Holyfield’s ear in the third round. Despite the first fight ending via TKO, it is the rematch that is considered the most memorable due to the controversial nature of the result.
Holyfield, 58, hasn’t fought since his 10th round TKO of Brian Nielson in 2011 and is widely considered one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time.