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Video: Evander Holyfield Open to 3rd Fight vs. Mike Tyson; Jokes About His Ear
May 10, 2020
Evander Holyfield is open to fighting Mike Tyson in an exhibition, but Iron Mike is apparently not his first choice.
"My manager, they've been talking and all that, but the fact is that with me personally, I think for me to ask, the only person that I would actually really ask is Riddick Bowe because me and him are buddies," Holyfield told TMZ Sports.
Bowe and Holyfield fought three times in the 1990s, with Bowe defeating the Real Deal twice—including his first professional loss. Holyfield's 1993 win over Bowe is the only loss of his career.
Bowe, 52, has not announced any intention to return to the ring. His most recent fight was a unanimous-decision win over Gene Pukall in 2008, and he has only fought three times since 1996—due in part to a prison sentence for kidnapping his estranged wife and five children in 1998.
Tyson, 53, and Holyfield, 57, each announced their intention to return to boxing for exhibition matches for charity within a week of one another. The heavyweight legends fought twice in the 1990s, with Holyfield coming away victorious in both bouts. Their 1997 fight infamously ended when Tyson bit off part of Holyfield's ear.
"The ear only represents that $35 million that got paid. For a guy to get $35 million in nine minutes, that's amazing," Holyfield joked.
Holyfield said he and Tyson have a better relationship now, which could make the third bout even more of a possibility.
