Mike Tyson has confirmed that his highly-anticipated trilogy fight with Evander Holyfield will take place as expected on May 29.
On Monday, Holyfield’s camp insisted ‘Tyson’s people had dismissed all offers’ amid speculation that ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ rejected a $25m (£18m) deal for the fight to take place.
However, speaking in an Instagram Live on Tuesday, 54-year-old Tyson poured scorn on those rumours by saying that the ‘fight is on’ after their legendary 1996 and 1997 encounters.
‘I just want everybody to know, the fight is on with me and Holyfield,’ Tyson said, in a social media chat with Haute Living.
‘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.’
Previously, Holyfield’s manager Kris Lawerence said: ‘We thought this was a done deal but it quickly fell apart when Tyson’s people declined all offers.
‘We were negotiating in good faith all along and it appears we just ended up wasting our time.’
However a fight in Miami – expected to be at the 64,000-capacity Hard Rock Stadium – has now been confirmed by ‘Iron Mike’, following his comeback exhibition bout against Roy Jones Jr back in November, which ended in a draw.
Holyfield, four years older than Tyson at 58, then called his legendary rival out, and a date now seems to have been set.
The pair have been in training for months, as they look set to do battle for a third time following two wins for Holyfield in 1996 and 1997 – one via TKO and the second via disqualification following the infamous biting incident when Tyson took a chunk out of his opponent’s ear.
