EVANDER HOLYFIELD has discussed Mike Tyson’s upcoming exhibition bout against Roy Jones Jr as he stated he hopes to face his former foe in the future.
The former heavyweight world champion had been in talks to face Iron Mike later this year, but the 57-year-old has been overlooked by the Baddest Man on the Planet.
Evander Holyfield remains keen to face Mike Tyson for a third timeCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Instead, Tyson will now fight four-weight champ Jones Jr on September 12 in an eight-round affair in California.
But Holyfield has insisted he isn’t disappointed to have been robbed of the chance to face his rival, as he declared he hopes his battle with Captain Hook doesn’t effect his chances of a future match-up.
Speaking to BoxingScene.com, he said: “Mike may have wanted another exhibition before fighting me. By him doing this, it may mess up a future one [against me].
“We’d talked about it, but there was nothing solid on paper. We knew we wanted to do it first.
“When you do it second, people are going to judge how the first one is.
“Fans may not want to see it again once you stink up the place. It comes down to, ‘does he really want to fight me?’ Everybody wants to see me and him do it, so what is he doing?”
Asked whether he believes Tyson’s team dodged him in order to face Jones Jr, Holyfield added: “I can’t speculate. Whatever happened has happened. I was only dealing with one person.
Mike Tyson is set to fight Roy Jones Jr in an exhibition bout on September 12Credit: Instagram
“I’ll call my guy and see what we choose to do. It’s not like [a Tyson bout] was a guarantee.
“People do what they choose to do. I don’t have a problem with people choosing and making a decision based on what direction they want to go in. That’s fine with me.
“We just have to move on. I have no problems. We’re OK with it. I’m not upset. There is no reason to be upset. I wish him well.”
Mike Tyson smokes a huge joint as he signs the deal for comeback fight against Roy Jones Jr
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
