BoxRec

Just hear on Talksport Holyfield v Tyson in Abu Dhabi in November official annoucment next week.

Of course they are

Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?

I hope this isn't true.

Saying that; for a long time, I believed that there'd be a Holyfied -v- Tyson 3, but as the years have passed & Mike Tyson's waistline has expanded exponentially, I began to think that it would never happen.

As Holyfield won't go away & add in the fact thay Holy is morally the WBA HW champ & Tyson needs money & the only way Tyson can earn money is by fighting, I can actually see it happening.

It would be interesting to see what shape Tyson would be able to get himself into these days, as last time I saw him, Jabba The Hut was lambasting him for being fat!

Well Mike is in his 40's and hasn't boxed in 2 1/2 years , so i'd say he's entitled to get fat.

Don't think i would watch it even if it happens,
Just too sad......

Guys,

I've cut and pasted the below from arabianbusiness.com - I'm living back in Dubai now (moved back two weeks ago) and in contrast to rumours of big fights being staged here in the past which I've rubbished, I've reason to believe this is unfortunately probably likely.
Anil is close to the Abu Dhabi people mentioned and they've undoubtedly got the revenues to stage it without having to rely on either a big gate or TV money. So I hate to say it, but you should probably take this seriously...

Tyson and Holyfield to fight in Abu Dhabi
by Anil Bhoyrul


BIG MONEY: Tyson (pictured) and Holyfield are expected to earn more than $34 million each for the Abu Dhabi clash. (Getty Images)Boxing legends Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield will stage an epic third fight in Abu Dhabi this October, Arabian Business can reveal.

Full details of the historic fight will be announced on Feb. 1. It is understood that the bout will be held at the open air Zayed Sports City Stadium in front of 25,000 boxing fans, with sources indicating it will be the “richest fight in history.”

The Tyson/Holyfield fight will be the finale to an evening that will first feature two separate world title bouts. One tentative date is Oct. 31, the night before the first ever Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Tyson, the 42 year old former world heavyweight champion - facing financial troubles - last stepped into the ring in November 2005, when he lost to Ireland's Kevin McBride.

Story continues below ↓
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Holyfield, now 46 years old, fought for the WBO heayweight belt in October 2007 when he was outpointed by Russian holder Sultan Ibragimov.

Holyfield won both the previous two encounters with Tyson, including the famous “bitten ear” incident during their second meeting in 1997.

Holyfield, who knocked out Tyson when they first met in 1996, was paid a record $34 million for their second meeting. Sources suggest that each fighter will earn more than $34 million for the Abu Dhabi clash, which is expected to be televised world-wide.

It is also understood that a chunk of the earnings from the October event will be donated to an Autism charity.

The fight is being put together by Hydra Properties CEO, Sulaiman Al Fahim, who said in a telephone interview on Sunday: “We have agreement from everyone needed and will make the official announcement next week.

The idea is to stage the biggest ever fight in boxing history and to do it in Abu Dhabi, which would be a great global event for the UAE capital.”

Going on Mike's last couple of showings, i'd say Holyfield KO's him in the first couple of rounds

I can't believe anybody would pay for this. It's like putting Pele in Brazil's next world cup squad. Pathetic.

This will be a sad pathetic spectacle, and I doubt it will make anywhere near enough money to pay them both that money, who is going to shell out to watch two ancient heavyweights in action - it's not even a bloody title fight.

Pipe dreams.

jamesmcdonnell wrote:This will be a sad pathetic spectacle, and I doubt it will make anywhere near enough money to pay them both that money, who is going to shell out to watch two ancient heavyweights in action - it's not even a bloody title fight.

Pipe dreams.

Well it know it won't happen, but maybe the WBA might over turn the Valuev decision.

Old bones Ian wrote:Well Mike is in his 40's and hasn't boxed in 2 1/2 years , so i'd say he's entitled to get fat.

I agree with you.

The fact that Tyson is fat is of no consequence to me.

My point was, how can a fighter so woefully out of shape can be in any condition to fight against an opponent who although older, is the epitome of fitness & is always ready to fight.

I believe that this fight should not be allowed to happen as it could end up a very sad night for Tyson.

Matt W wrote:I can't believe anybody would pay for this. It's like putting Pele in Brazil's next world cup squad. Pathetic.

so you wouldnt watch it ? honestly ?

jamesmcdonnell wrote:This will be a sad pathetic spectacle, and I doubt it will make anywhere near enough money to pay them both that money, who is going to shell out to watch two ancient heavyweights in action - it's not even a bloody title fight.

Pipe dreams.

You missed my earlier point James - Abu Dhabi, along with Doha in Qatar, is one of the only places in the world that doesn't need to balance the book. It still has a surplus of billions of pounds and believe me the costs involved in staging this is absolute peanuts compared to some of the other projects they're currently embarking on.
If this fight doesn't happen, it won't be because of a financial issue.

Here's just a 'snapshot' of the sort of money AD has to play with:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Dhabi_ ... _Authority

Tyson would quit again

Why are folk talking about Tysons weight, reading that article he would have 8 months to get in shape - That is enough time.

I'd watch it for sure :)

who wouldn't come out of retirement for 34m dollars.

foreman v holmes on the undercard anyone. :)

I sincerely hope this does happen. Tyson is the reason I became interested in boxing & I want to remember him for the fighter he once was - a great fighter, blessed with the unique combination of great hand-speed & power to an enormous level. Not just that, Tyson was a solid defensive fighter.

Now, all he has is his name, MIKE TYSON. Nothing about Tyson now relates to the guy who tore threw the HW division years ago. Damn, the Tyson of now doesn't compare to the guy who foguht Holyfield for the second time & Mike's best days were behind him THEN! That was 1997 for crying out loud.

If Tyson stays retired, I feel he will be inducted into HOF come 2010. I will definately NOT be watching this if it happens, no matter how much money is involved. Both were great fighters, have given a lot to boxing, but its history now.

FFS, let it go guys will you!

belowthebelt wrote:

Matt W wrote:I can't believe anybody would pay for this. It's like putting Pele in Brazil's next world cup squad. Pathetic.

so you wouldnt watch it ? honestly ?

I definitely wouldn't watch it (and especially when having to pay for the privilege). Tyson couldn't fight for more than 2 rounds years ago and Holyfield throws hardly anything. I don't want to see two great fighters sully their reputations like this.

Old bones Ian wrote:Well Mike is in his 40's and hasn't boxed in 2 1/2 years , so i'd say he's entitled to get fat.

No one should willingly get fat; it is disgusting and unhealthy.

Deserter wrote:

jamesmcdonnell wrote:This will be a sad pathetic spectacle, and I doubt it will make anywhere near enough money to pay them both that money, who is going to shell out to watch two ancient heavyweights in action - it's not even a bloody title fight.

Pipe dreams.

You missed my earlier point James - Abu Dhabi, along with Doha in Qatar, is one of the only places in the world that doesn't need to balance the book. It still has a surplus of billions of pounds and believe me the costs involved in staging this is absolute peanuts compared to some of the other projects they're currently embarking on.
If this fight doesn't happen, it won't be because of a financial issue.

va

So what is the motivation for them staging it then? Why not just stage a world title fight with two genuine top flight fighters, rather than two ancient has-beens? Sounds like a load of old bollocks to me.

Deserter wrote:Here's just a 'snapshot' of the sort of money AD has to play with:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Dhabi_ ... _Authority

I am well aware of how much money Abu Dhabi has, I have clients there. This is not the issue, what precisely would be the motivation to stage a fight between two totally past it fighters.

I believe it could be a huge event for corporate entertainment for ex-pats out there who don't know boxing but know the names Holyfield & Tyson.

I honestly would have no interest in this now. Even before Tyson decided to double his weight he was being stopped by Kevin McBride. I think that would be enough to stop any real boxing fans showing any interest.

jamesmcdonnell wrote:

Deserter wrote:

jamesmcdonnell wrote:This will be a sad pathetic spectacle, and I doubt it will make anywhere near enough money to pay them both that money, who is going to shell out to watch two ancient heavyweights in action - it's not even a bloody title fight.

Pipe dreams.

You missed my earlier point James - Abu Dhabi, along with Doha in Qatar, is one of the only places in the world that doesn't need to balance the book. It still has a surplus of billions of pounds and believe me the costs involved in staging this is absolute peanuts compared to some of the other projects they're currently embarking on.
If this fight doesn't happen, it won't be because of a financial issue.

va

So what is the motivation for them staging it then? Why not just stage a world title fight with two genuine top flight fighters, rather than two ancient has-beens? Sounds like a load of old bollocks to me.

It's very simply the fact that to non-hardcore fans, these remain rightly or wrongly two of the biggest names in the sport. Just think about it for a second, what do you think is going to give Abu Dhabi more press coverage around the globe - Holyfield Vs Tyson or Klitschko vs Valuev (as an example). If you get out of your hardcore boxing fan mindset and think about it from a pure publicity angle, it's a no-brainer.
Abu Dhabi is investing millions in sport to 'showcase' the emergence of the city on the world stage - it's the same approach that it's using in the world of culture (it's building 'branches' of the Louvre and Guggenheim). It's spending far more money on staging Formula One - the sort of money needed to stage this fight is pocket change compared to their other investments.
Whatever it is, I guarantee you it's not bollocks - and if you think I'm being naive check my previous posts where I've rubbished every other suggestion that a major fight would be staged in the UAE... this one is different because of the funding and the goal.