It’s not the Mike Tyson fight that most had been hoping for but 58-year-old Evander Holyfield is set to end his hiatus from the ring when he takes on ‘The Clones Colossus’ Kevin McBride on June 5.
Holyfield had been heavily linked to an exhibition fight with old foe Tyson in May but talks for that one appear to have ground to a halt, for the time being at least, leaving Holyfield to take on McBride — the man who defeated Tyson in his final professional fight in 2005.
McBride, who is 47, hasn’t fought in the ring since losing to Mariusz Wach in 2011 to cap a run of six defeats in his final seven fights. He retired soon after with a pro record of 35-10-1.
Per DAZN’s Chris Mannix, the fight will take place across eight, two minute rounds and no headgear will be worn.
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Holyfield has stoked rumours of his comeback since last summer when he began posting a series of training videos to his social media profiles, much like Tyson who ended his own exile from the ring last November when he boxed fellow ring icon Roy Jones Jr. to an eight-round draw in an exhibition fight as part of Tyson’s “Legend’s Only” comeback tour.
Both Tyson and Holyfield appeared to be on a collision course but now it seems as if Tyson may well opt to box another opponent instead ahead of potentially revisiting the Holyfield fight a little further down the line.
The fact that Holyfield is set to fight Tyson’s conqueror McBride, though, suggests that another added wrinkle to their storyline could well be written and provide even further fuel to a third showdown between two of the best heavyweight boxers of their generation.
