Yahoo Finance Mike Tyson's third fight with Evander Holyfield is off ... again
The third fight between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield is off again, though it was apparently never really on in the first place.
A day after Tyson proclaimed the fight was on in an interview on social media, Tyson's representatives clarified to TMZ that the boxer misspoke and wasn't aware how far away the two sides are at the negotiating table. Barring "something drastic," the fight is reportedly not happening.
That revelation is in line with what Holyfield representatives were saying on Monday, that Tyson's camp had rejected an offer with $25 million guaranteed to fight at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium on Memorial Day weekend. The statement claimed the two sides have been in intense negotiations for several months and that Holyfield's side believed a deal was "imminent," only for Tyson's side to up its demands:
“We thought this was a done deal but it quickly fell apart when Tyson’s people declined all offers,” said Kris Lawrence, Evander Holyfield’s manager. “We were negotiating in good faith all along and it appears we just ended up wasting our time.”
So you can imagine Holyfield's confusion when Tyson was saying this on Tuesday:
"There’s a small, fundamental difference to get some paperwork done, and then it’s on to the races with me and Evander,” Tyson said. "I've learned so much. We don't need promoters. What's a promoter? Overrated cheerleader?
“I just want everyone to know, the fight is on with me and Holyfield. Holyfield’s a humble man, I know that, and he’s a man of God, but I’m God’s man, and I'm listening, and I’m gonna be successful May 29.”
Obviously, this could all be another ploy for Tyson's side to retain leverage, so we'll just have to wait and see how that works out.
Triller another obstacle for Mike Tyson
Negotiating with Holyfield isn't even Tyson's only front of negotiations, as he also remains in a dispute with streaming service Triller, which reportedly claims to have the rights to stream Tyson's next fight. Triller had previously streamed Tyson's exhibition against Roy Jones Jr. in Nov. 2020, a draw for which Tyson was paid $10 million according to Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole.
Tyson released his own statement saying that Triller's claims aren't true and he will never again do business with the service, though it's becoming pretty clear how valuable his word is when it comes to business affairs.
More from Yahoo Sports:
