Evander Holyfield on Tyson Fury-GOAT Talk: 'Gotta Beat More Than One Guy'

Former undisputed cruiserweight and heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield has said it's too early to place Tyson Fury among the greatest boxers of all time, saying he needs to build a more impressive resume.

The Real Deal was asked about the Gypsy King after Fury beat Deontay Wilder in their rematch and whether he's now in the conversation among the greats of the sport, per TMZ:

"That's an opinion. The thing is, you gotta beat more than one guy. He did beat [Wladimir] Klitschko and fell off. ... He beat him, but he gotta do a bit more than that, though.

"He definitely got the potential. ... He made mistakes just like people do. All people make mistakes. [He] overcame it and when he fought Wilder, he said he was gonna take it to him and he took it to him and he won the fight."

Holyfield also said Wilder's knockout power means the outcome of the third fight in their trilogy is no guarantee.

The Bronze Bomber and Gypsy King met February 22 for their rematch after their first fight in 2018 ended in a draw. Fury dominated from the opening bell, knocking down Wilder in the third round and getting the stoppage in the seventh when Wilder's corner threw in the towel.

Wilder has used a clause in their contract to force a third showdown:

Fury has been the lineal champion since beating Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, arguably the best win on his resume. It also gave him all the belts, but he never defended them and didn't fight again until June 2018.

By beating Wilder, the 31-year-old reclaimed the WBC title, but all of the other titles reside with compatriot Anthony Joshua. A unification bout after the third Wilder fight seems likely, and Joshua's promoter, Eddie Hearn, wants to make it happen:

A win over Joshua would be a major boost to Fury's GOAT resume, giving him victories over three major names in the division and two runs as the unified, undisputed champion. But per the Mirror's Phil Cardy, his wife Paris has urged the Gypsy King to hang up the gloves sooner rather than later, possibly removing the chance to keep building his resume.

Holyfield remains the only boxer to win the undisputed titles in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight division, something Oleksandr Usyk is trying to emulate. The Ukrainian made his heavyweight debut in October 2019 and could be another high-profile opponent for Fury in the future.