Mike Tyson reacts to Evander Holyfield's four-word pitch for historic trilogy fight
Mike Tyson had some heartwarming remarks for Evander Holyfield in response to the latter's callout for a trilogy fight. Tyson seemingly dismissed Holyfield's callout while expressing his admiration for the 62-year-old.
Tyson recently faced Jake Paul in a heavyweight boxing match this past Friday and suffered a unanimous decision loss. Notably, 'Iron Mike's' former opponents Lennox Lewis and Holyfield were also in attendance to support Tyson.
Tyson's desire to compete at such an old age appears to have sparked the fighter inside Holyfield, as the former heavyweight champion took to social media to voice his desire for a third fight against Tyson. 'The Real Deal' shared an edited fight poster, writing:
''The fans want it''
In response, Tyson didn't seem much interested in the potential fight, as he turned down Holyfield's callout by professing his affection towards the Alabama native.
''I love you brother, but the trilogy is our friendship''
Tyson's defeat to Paul upset many, including Holyfield, who spoke to Fight Club and expressed his thoughts on the contest, saying:
''It wasn't a good one [fight]. No, it wasn't. Well, you know, you could tell something was wrong with Tyson's leg so he couldn't get his balance, his balance was off. Yeah, his balance was off. He's [Jake Paul] a pretty good fighter.''
Tyson and Holyfield locked twice in their professional boxing careers. Their first encounter was in 1996, when they clashed for the WBA heavyweight title at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Despite being a favorite, Tyson suffered a 11th-round TKO loss.
Their rematch was held at the same venue in 1997, and the infamous ear-biting incident occurred during it. Tyson bit Holyfield's ears, which led to his disqualification in the third round.
Muhammad Ali's family reacts to Mike Tyson losing to Jake Paul
Muhammad Ali had a great bond with Mike Tyson. Thus, Tyson's defeat at the hands of Jake Paul did not sit well with Ali's grandson Nico Ali Walsh. Ali Walsh criticized Paul, saying that if his grandfather was still alive, he would have called out the YouTuber-turned boxer.
In a recent X post, Ali Walsh wrote:
''Jake Paul is an embarrassment to this sport. If my grandfather was still around, he’d call him out. Absolutely no shame... Love you Mike''
Notably, Ali Walsh turned down an enormous offer to fight Paul.