Mike Tyson fires Evander Holyfield warning as he confirms May 29 trilogy fight is ‘on’

Mike Tyson jokes that he’s a ‘beginner’ boxer

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Mike Tyson has confirmed that he will be getting back in the ring on May 29 to face rival Evander Holyfield in a trilogy bout, despite Holyfield’s manager claiming the fight was off. The pair have been in talks for several months about a trilogy fight after Tyson’s recent exhibition bout with Roy Jones Jr.

Tyson returned to the ring for the first time since 2005 when he faced Jones Jr in an eight round exhibition in November last year.

The fight ended in a draw and Tyson said afterwards that he would “absolutely” fight again.

“I could’ve done everything better,” he said. “Everything I was doing I could’ve done it better, so God willing, I’ll be better the next exhibition.”

Talks had been ongoing about a fight with Holyfield but Kris Lawrence, Holyfield’s manager, released a statement on Monday claiming that “Mike Tyson’s representatives refused to accept a $25,000,000 guarantee.”

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The statement read: “Representatives of Evander Holyfield expressed frustration after Mike Tyson’s representatives refused to accept a $25,000,000 guarantee from Team Holyfield to participate in Tyson vs Holyfield 3 at the Hard Rock Stadium to kick off Memorial Day weekend.

“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.

“However, Team Tyson’s demands recently became untenable, and not what Mike Tyson had originally agreed on in direct conversations with Holyfield.

“The event was to occur at the beautiful Hard Rock Stadium, and would have been the ideal setting for the trilogy finale of this great rivalry between two of the greatest legends in the history of boxing.

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“While neither side has announced publicly that the fight is not going to happen, with negotiations at a standstill and the date rapidly approaching, it seems unlikely that this fight will occur as planned.”

However, Tyson has insisted that “the fight is on”, claiming there is simply a “small, fundamental difference” between the two parties.

Speaking to Haute Living on Instagram, Tyson said: “There’s a small, fundamental difference.

“We’ll get some paperwork done, and it’s off to the races with me and Evander.

“I’ve learned so much. We don’t need promoters. What’s a promoter? An overrated cheerleader.

“They tell a fighter how great he is, ‘Yeah, you’re the best, you’re gonna beat everybody.’ I like promoters personally but what do you need somebody in that position [for]?”

He added: “I just want everybody to know. The fight is on with me and Holyfield.

“Holyfield is a humble man, and 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.”

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