![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.ringsidereport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/cid_X_MA3_1269187203@aol.gif\" "\\"468")
<\/a><\/p>\nEvander Holyfield, 43-10-2, 28 KO\u2019s, has not been in the major spotlight for years, arguably since his 1999 title unifier with Lennox Lewis.\u00a0 Mike Tyson, 50-6, 44 KO\u2019s, has been out of the ring for five years.\u00a0 Despite those facts, the public still wants to see the final bout in an interesting trilogy.\u00a0<\/p>\n Don King, for everything negative that has been said about him, is one of the best promoters of all time and has been permanently linked with many of the biggest heavyweight showdowns.\u00a0 He promoted Larry Holmes, leading to one of the biggest fights of all time: Holmes vs. Gerry Cooney.<\/p>\n King\u2019s debut into heavyweight boxing came when he put together the fight that every promoter wanted: Muhammad Ali vs. Heavyweight Champion George Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle, a historic fight that launched the eccentric promoter to the top of boxing.\u00a0 He would go on to promote more Ali fights, most of the career of Larry Holmes, assume control of Mike Tyson at a time when the heavyweight division was boxing.\u00a0 When Tyson went to prison, King promoted his return against the pathetic Peter McNeeley, but made the fight an event, and the pay per view buys were through the roof.\u00a0 Now King has set his sights on a return to the heavyweight spotlight with the third bout between Tyson and Holyfield.<\/p>\n In 1996, WBA\/WBC Heavyweight Champion Mike Tyson was looking for an opponent.\u00a0\u00a0 He gave up the WBC Title, opting not to defend against the number one contender, Lennox Lewis, and sought out easier prey.\u00a0 At this time, Holyfield was seen as a spent force.\u00a0 He was knocked out by Riddick Bowe in the 8th round in a fight where the \u201cReal Deal\u201d just fell apart, collapsing to the canvas, exhausted.\u00a0\u00a0 Team Tyson felt that he may pose a problem early in the fight but would wear down and fall apart again.\u00a0 To the shock of most, it was Tyson that fell apart late, TKO\u2019d in the 11th round.\u00a0<\/p>\n An immediate rematch was set and in 1997, the fight that was known as \u201cThe Bite Heard Around the World\u201d took place.\u00a0 In their first encounter, Tyson complained about continual head butts and when reviewing the tapes, it backed up his claim.\u00a0 Mills Lane, a man that said that Holyfield was his favorite fighter, was assigned to officiate the rematch, and the head butts were even more prevalent.\u00a0 Tyson, cut over both eyes, resorted to something that shocked the entire sports world and still lives on infamy today.\u00a0 During a clinch, Tyson would bite one of Evander\u2019s ears.\u00a0 He would be warned and then when they mixed it up again, Tyson would find the other ear of Holyfield.\u00a0<\/p>\n One thing that is often overlooked when examining this fight is that Tyson tried to leave his corner without his mouthpiece.\u00a0 He was prepared to do it then, but they shoved the mouthpiece into his mouth and sent him into round 3.\u00a0 Tyson snapped due to the continual and intentional fouling of his opponent.\u00a0 If you speak to any Holyfield opponent, they will tell you that they were continually head butted.\u00a0 It is a dirty tactic that is used every chance that he gets.<\/p>\n There were rumors after this and after Tyson\u2019s suspension expired that the two would meet up again.\u00a0 There has always been a lot of money in it, but some contend that there is no money in a 2010 or 2011 showdown.\u00a0 Let\u2019s explore some of the reasons.<\/p>\n #1: Evander Holyfield vs. Frans Botha & Mike Tyson vs. Kevin McBride bombed on PPV.\u00a0 Neither can sell anymore.<\/p>\n In those two showdowns, something was missing.\u00a0 The element that was missing was Don King, a man that understands how to tell a story and would have made both fights much more profitable.\u00a0 The Holyfield \u2013 Botha PPV didn\u2019t have a chance to do well.\u00a0 The undercard was terrible on paper, the production value was incredibly bad, and the promotion leading up to the fight didn\u2019t turn any heads.\u00a0 Tyson \u2013 McBride wasn\u2019t a good sell on paper, but King understands how to sell Tyson, and would have used his magic to make is a success.\u00a0<\/p>\n With the current heavyweight division in the state that it is in, Tyson \u2013 Holyfield III makes all the sense in the world.\u00a0 Wladimir Klitschko cannot sell a fight, despite his dominance over the division.\u00a0 Vitali has the same problem.\u00a0 David Haye has some glimmer of hope, but more people know Tyson and Holyfield and it would sell, and when you place King in the role of the promoter, the PPV buys will be huge.\u00a0<\/p>\n #2: Roy Jones JR vs. Bernard Hopkins II didn\u2019t sell.\u00a0 They are legends facing off in a long awaited rematch.\u00a0 Why is Tyson \u2013 Holyfield III different?<\/p>\n Jones vs. Hopkins in 1993, when they were both in their primes was a boring fight.\u00a0 Now that one is completely shot (Jones) and the other has developed an even more boring style (Hopkins), there was no chance for an exciting fight.\u00a0 Also, the fight meant nothing.\u00a0 Jones was stopped in the first round of his fight prior to Hopkins.\u00a0 Hopkins has been putting the audience to sleep for years.\u00a0 There was no drama and there was no way it would sell.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tyson \u2013 Holyfield III is nothing but drama.\u00a0 What will happen when these two warriors stare across the ring at each other?\u00a0 Holyfield, the WBF Heavyweight Champion, phoned King, according to a source close to Tyson, and inquired as to what were the chances of a third encounter and how soon it would be.\u00a0 King is currently scrambling to convince Iron Mike to come back as soon as possible with one tune up and then into the 3rd showdown with Evander.<\/p>\n The return of Tyson still appears to be on track, but time is of the essence.\u00a0 He is not getting any younger at the age of 43, he needs to return soon.\u00a0 What bodes well for him, which typically doesn\u2019t for most fighters, is the layoff.\u00a0 He has gotten his head straight and now will return rejuvenated.\u00a0 How that translates into trading punches with other heavyweights is still to be determined, but at least now, he will go out with no excuses, which is something that is important to him.<\/p>\n Holyfield has stated that Tyson can only make money by fighting him, but it\u2019s actually the other way around.\u00a0 Holyfield fought the champion, Nikolay Valuev, the world yawned.\u00a0 He took on Sultan Ibragimov, the WBO Title Holder, and the world was once again unimpressed.\u00a0 His fight with Botha wasn\u2019t seen by many, but when word got out that there was a Tyson return, everyone in the world turned their heads.\u00a0 The money is there for a third bout, Don King is organizing it and with the money involved, get ready to see it happen.\u00a0 The clock will be turned back to 1996, a King PPV with Tyson and Holyfield colliding in the main event.\u00a0 I for one, cannot wait.<\/p>\n Advertise Now On RSR<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.ringsidereport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Tyson-Holyfield-rematch-header.jpg\" "\\"Tyson")
<\/a>By Geno McGahee<\/strong><\/p>\n