Mike Tyson could be set for a rematch with Evander Holyfield after the 54-year-old former heavyweight champion’s contest with the 51-year-old Roy Jones Jr generated $80m.
According to the fight’s distributer, Triller, more than 1.6m pay-per-view purchases were made for the Tyson-Jones fight, making it one of the biggest PPV events of all time. Tyson is reported to have earned $10m and Jones $3m for last month’s bout, which ended in a draw.
The financial success of the fight caught the attention of Holyfield, who has fought Tyson twice. Their first meeting, in 1996, ended in victory for Holyfield. When the pair met a year later Tyson was disqualified after biting his opponent’s ear.
“We’ve definitely had conversations, and it looks like it’s gonna happen,” Holyfield told TMZ last weekend. “I’m a very confident person, so I think it’s gonna happen. Let’s do it, baby. Simple as that, let’s do it.”
The prospect of two men in late middle age fighting is unedifying for many boxing fans – Holyfield is 58 – but aging fighters have shown more willingness in recent years for pay-per-view events that can earn them millions. On Sunday, Floyd Mayweather, who is 43, announced he will fight YouTube star Logan Paul in an exhibition in February. Mayweather is thought to have earned more than $100m for his pay-per-view fight against UFC star Conor McGregor in 2017.
