Evander Holyfield is in boxing’s history books for all the right reasons.
Until very recently, ‘The Real Deal’ was the only man to have won the undisputed championship at both cruiser and heavyweight, joined by Oleksandr Usyk this year.
With victories over the likes of Mike Tyson, George Foreman, Larry Holmes, Riddick Bowe and Michael Moorer, Holyfield was known for his ability, aggression and mental fortitude.
He entered a brief retirement on medical order in 1994 but returned and would fight on until 2011. He was part of an ill-advised and hard-to-watch ‘exhibition’ against MMA fighter Vitor Belfort in 2021 in which he was stopped in the first round.
Despite that poor showing, it has now been revealed that he has recently considered another return to the ring.
In an interview with TalkSPORT, co-president of Misfits Boxing, Mams Taylor, revealed the fighting legend reached out to face ‘JJ’ Olatunji, otherwise known as KSI, when discussing the upcoming controversial bout between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson.
“I know Holyfield contacted us about fighting KSI. Again, we wouldn’t do that. It needs to be two evenly matched fighters at an even age. If it was Mike Tyson or Evander Holyfield for all the money in the world we wouldn’t do that. I think it’s ironic because the cornerstone of Misfits Boxing is on a higher moral ground than some parts of traditional boxing.”
The rise of Misfits, broadcast on DAZN, has been a polarising subject in the sport of boxing. Whilst superstars like Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury give the sideshow their backing, others believe it tarnishes the traditions of the sport and the fighters who punched their way to the top from nothing.
There’s no doubt that there’s an audience for it, in particular KSI, who is CEO of the company as well as its star attraction. He has had five bouts – three wins, one no contest and a loss to Tommy Fury, also the only man to beat Paul.
Should Olatunji’s long-running online feud with Paul ever be settled inside the ropes, it would be the ultimate show on the influencer boxing scene. Paul is scheduled to face Tyson on November 15 – no doubt the catalyst Holyfield needed to get in touch.
It appears that, should KSI have accepted the offer and the two boxers turn back the clock to win, fans may have been in for a bizarre and unwelcome trilogy from their nineties rivalry.
