David Haye has 'no issues' with trilogy between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield
David Haye's verdict on Tyson vs Holyfield 3: "As long as everyone’s healthy to get in there and do it, crack on. What else are you gonna do?"
The two heavyweight legends have been sending fans into frenzy after teasing a return to the ring. ‘Iron’ Mike - who last fought professionally in 2005 and ended up being knocked out by American journeyman Kevin McBride - ended his exile from the ring against Roy Jones Jr. in November, 2020.
Former foe Holyfield has signalled his intentions to be Tyson’s dance partner once again after releasing several videos of himself training with the likes of Wladimir Klitschko on social media.
True power comes from within. What we seek, we already have. #TEAMHOLYFIELD pic.twitter.com/PngD6M6vUb
— Evander Holyfield (@holyfield) November 30, 2020
The "Real Deal" stopped Tyson in the penultimate round in 1996 before the "Iron" Mike got himself disqualified in their rematch a year later for infamously biting off a chunk of Holyfield’s ear.
"One of them gets knocked out," says Haye
"It's been fun watching the likes of Tyson and Holyfield talking about having a big comeback. I’m all for fighters of old fighting, as long as it’s a 50-year-old fighter fighting another 50-year-old fighter.
"No issues with that, just like I wouldn’t mind Andre Agassi and Boris Becker having a tennis match. I don’t mind, that’s fantastic, I’d be happy to see that," Haye told talkSPORT.
"But let them [fight], if they wanna earn some money, if they wanna entertain people during lockdown, I'm all for it. What’s the worst that can happen?
"One of them gets knocked out. Well, they’ve spent their whole lives doing that anyway. That's what they do, they’re both born fighters, that’s what they’re here for. They’ve both been put on this Earth to fight people and that’s what they've done their whole lives. They both look in great shape, I saw Tyson hitting the mitts. He looked like his old self.
"I know it was only a small 15-second clip, but if you’d have said, 'That’s prime Mike Tyson,' I'd have said, 'Yeah, course it is, look at him. Look at that movement.' The punches were fantastic. If he’s ten percent of that in the ring, let him get in the ring.
"As long as they pass the medical, as long as they’re physically healthy enough to do it. As long as they pass the brain scan and the blood tests. As long as everyone’s healthy to get in there and do it, crack on. What else are you gonna do?"