Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson has confirmed his next bout will be against former rival Evander Holyfield in an exhibition match on May 29.
Both boxers previously fought twice, 1996 and 1997, the latter in which Tyson controversially bit his opponent’s ear and got disqualified.
Tyson recently returned to the ring in a first eight-round exhibition tango with Roy Jones Jr. that ended in a stalemate, and the 54 years old New Yorker confirmed his next fight in a live Instagram interview with Haute Living.
“I just want everybody to know, the fight is on with me and Holyfield,” Tyson dubbed “the baddest man on the planet” started.
“Holyfield’s a humble man, I know that. And he’s a man of God, but I’m God’s man. And, listen, I’m going to be successful on May 29th.”
While Iron Mike has propped up the encounter and has confirmed the clash, the Holyfield camp earlier said the fight deal was near collapse.
“Team Holyfield sincerely believed a deal was imminent, especially after the Hard Rock threw its support behind the project, and there were multiple other offers conveyed to Team Tyson,” he added.
“However, Team Tyson’s demands recently became untenable, and not what Mike Tyson had originally agreed on in direct conversations with Holyfield.”
Tyson lost twice to Holyfield, suffering an eleventh-round technical knockout in 1996 then lost by disqualification a year later.