Well, apparently the on-again, off-again Mike Tyson-Evander Holyfield exhibition is off again.
A day after Mike Tyson said a third meeting between the rivals would take place on May 29, Tyson’s representatives told TMZ that it isn’t so. The fighter was unaware that the two sides are far from an agreement.
A Tyson handler said the fight will not happen barring “something drastic.”
Holyfield’s representatives said as much in a news release on Monday, which stated that Tyson rejected a guarantee of $25 million for an exhibition on Memorial Day Weekend at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
“The parties have been in intense negotiations for several months and Team Holyfield sincerely believed a deal was imminent, especially after the Hard Rock threw its support behind the project, and there were multiple other offers conveyed to Team Tyson,” the release read.
“However, Team Tyson’s demands recently became untenable, and not what Mike Tyson had originally agreed on in direct conversations with Holyfield.”
Holyfield’s representatives said in the release that a deal could still be struck but it’s “unlikely that this fight will occur as planned.”
“We thought this was a done deal but it quickly fell apart when Tyson’s people declined all offers,” said Kris Lawrence, Holyfield’s manager. “We were negotiating in good faith all along, and it appears we just ended up wasting our time.”
Tyson then announced during an IG Live session with Haute Living on Tuesday that an exhibition with his rival is on for May 29.
“I just want everyone to know the fight is on with me and Holyfield,” Tyson said. “Holyfield’s a humble man. I know that. And he’s a man of God. But I’m God’s man. Listen, I’m going to be successful May 29.”
The meeting would be the third between the two former heavyweight champions. Holyfield knocked out Tyson in 11 rounds in 1996 and Tyson was disqualified in the rematch after twice biting Holyfield’s ear.
Tyson returned to the ring this past November, when he and Roy Jones Jr. engaged in an eight-round exhibition at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The bout ended in an unofficial draw.