- Holyfield was brutally stopped by Vitor Belfort at the same age as Tyson is now
- There are concerns around Tyson for when he steps in the ring on Friday night
- He has not fought professionally in nearly 20 years and is the underdog for bout
Boxing legend Evander Holyfield’s shocking defeat in his comeback fight at the age of 58 highlighted the danger of getting back in the ring as a veteran.
Mike Tyson, who is also 58, raised eyebrows when he confirmed he would be stepping back into the ring as a professional over 19 years since his last fight.
He will do battle with YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul on Friday night, with Paul 31 years Tyson’s junior and the former world champion recently dealing with a number of health issues and concerns.
The fight nonetheless is set to go ahead, though fans were reminded of the concerns when one of Tyson’s former rivals, Evander Holyfield, got back into the ring at the same age three years ago.
Holyfield’s comeback against Vitor Belfort was branded a ‘disgrace’ and ‘one of the saddest events in boxing’ after the then-58-year-old was brutally stopped in the first round.
There are concerns that Mike Tyson (pictured) could suffer the same fate as Evander Holyfield
Tyson will do battle with Jake Paul (right), 31 years his junior, in Texas on Saturday night
Evander Holyfield was stopped in the first round of his comeback fight at the same age
Holyfield had stepped in as a late replacement for Oscar De La Hoya, 48, who pulled out of facing Belfort, 44, with Covid-19.
The former heavyweight champion had not fought since 2001 and had been refused to licence by the California State Athletic Commission, meaning the fight was moved to Hollywood, Florida.
But Holyfield’s return was over before it really began. He slipped early on and nearly fell out of the ring before Belfort knocked him down with a left-hand jab.
Holyfield beat the count but the Brazilian continued to let the punches fly, forcing the referee to step in and end the fight with 10 seconds of the first round remaining.
The events showed the dangers of a one-great heavyweight stepping back inside the ring way past their peak.
Calls have come for Tyson to drop out of the fight, with the bout already being rearranged once after a the veteran suffered a health scare earlier on this year.
It does, however, seem set to finally go ahead, with Tyson looking impressive on the pads in the public workout in the build-up to the bout at the AT&T Stadium in Texas.
Paul is the heavy favourite to win the fight, with thousands of fans expected to watch on PPV as Tyson makes his return to the pro game.
Paul is the heavy favourite to win the fight, which has already been rescheduled once before
Holyfield’s comeback against Vitor Belfort was branded a ‘disgrace’ after first-round knockout
Holyfield had been hoping a strong performance would earn him a trilogy fight with Tyson
Holyfield, meanwhile, had been hoping a strong performance against Belfort would earn him a trilogy fight with Mike Tyson. But despite his defeat, he has still called for a match against his former foe.
The two did battle twice in a matter of months – in November 1996 and June 1997 – with Holyfield coming out on top twice – first by technical knockout and secondly when Tyson was disqualified for biting his ear.
One bite was infamous for taking a chunk out of the heavyweight’s ear.
‘Of course I would,’ Holyfield said at the time when asked if he was still open to the idea of facing Iron Mike.
