Toby Morgan1st October 2024
Evander Holyfield knows better than most what it is like to face Mike Tyson at the peak of his powers, and he has now named the only current active fighter that he thinks would have a chance against a prime ‘Iron Mike.’
Holyfield and Tyson met twice in the ring, the first of which came in November 1996, where ‘The Real Deal’ upset the odds to earn an 11th round stoppage victory, becoming WBA heavyweight champion in the process.
Their rematch took place seven months later, and ended in infamous fashion when Tyson twice bit the ear of Holyfield, resulting in a disqualification.
Despite those defeats, Tyson was still a force to be reckoned with throughout the 80s and 90s, and is widely regarded to be one of the greatest heavyweights of all time.
With that in mind, Holyfield was asked by Mail Sport Boxing to name who would come out on top in some fantasy heavyweight match-ups, and claimed that Tyson would be victorious against a number of big names.
He stated that his former foe would beat all of Deontay Wilder, Vitali Klitschko, Anthony Joshua, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Wladimir Klitschko and Tyson Fury, but when asked to predict who would win out of Tyson and Oleksandr Usyk, the Ukrainian was the only fighter that Holyfield gave a chance to in the fight.
“I don’t know. I don’t exactly know that one.”
Usyk became undisputed heavyweight champion in May with a split decision win over Fury, and will be looking to triumph in their rematch when the two men meet again on December 21.
Tyson meanwhile has a controversial clash against YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul coming up in November, but one of Paul’s rivals feels the fight won’t go ahead.
