Former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield has given fuel to speculation of him coming out of retirement to fight Mike Tyson in the ring as he has released a training video on Twitter.
“My first week back in the gym and I feel great,” Holyfield, who hold the record of being the only four-time heavyweight champion in boxing history, said. “I’m looking forward to stepping up my training sessions and intensity as I prepare for my fight.”
Tyson, the former world heavyweight champion, has also released several training videos of his own in recent weeks. On Monday, he had come with a training video ending with the message: “I’m back.”
Tyson had fought two epic bouts with Holyfield during their professional careers, including the controversial 1997 rematch at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, where Tyson bit off part of Holyfield’s ear and was banned from boxing.
When asked whether he would take on Tyson for the third time, Holyfield told The Sun: “I would do that! Yes, I want to fight Mike Tyson.”
“My whole thing is I’m open, and I know that I want to do well for myself at age 57. I can definitely handle him.
“But Mike would have to want to do it as well,” he added.
The 57-year-old Holyfield had last week announced his return to the ring for a charity bout on Instagram.
Tyson, who became the youngest heavyweight champion of all time when he defeated Trevor Berbick in 1986 aged 20, won 50 of his 58 professional fights before retiring after his loss to Kevin McBride in 2005. While Holyfield had announced his retirement in 2014.
