Could Boxing Be Following In The Footsteps Of The Big 3 and ATP Champions Tour?
Many times throughout boxing, we’ve seen many great fighters past their primes come out of retirement to face opponents they probably shouldn’t be facing at that particular point in their lives. While it makes for a great conversation and promotion, often times we see just how big a mistake that really is when the bell rings.
While fans would get behind their favorite fighters from the past, most ponder how would they do against either an opponent they’ve already fought or should have fought but didn’t years after retirement.
In the last few years, we’ve seen some of basketball’s best players partake in the Big 3, a basketball league put together by legendary hip hop artist and actor Ice Cube. By doing that, it gave former professional basketball players the opportunity to compete in organized competition against players in similar physical condition and age brackets.
Tennis has done the same thing since 2000 with their ATP Champions Tour. Past greats like John McEnroe, Björn Borg, Boris Becker and Pete Sampras have participated. The tournament was created solely for retired past greats to compete in match-ups that may have never happened due to generational gaps.
COULD BOXING BE NEXT?
Recently, two of boxing’s biggest names and greatest fighters have revealed their intentions to come out of retirement, kind of, to fight again. They would return not in a professional manner, but for charity. Rivals-turned-friends Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson are prepared to compete in action for a good cause.
HOLYFIELD-TYSON 3?!
Not so fast!
Holyfield told TMZ the following regarding who he desires to face in his charity fight.
“My manager, they’ve been talking and all that but the fact is that with me personally, I think for me to ask, the only person that I would actually really ask is Riddick Bowe.”
He also added that he and Tyson are “buddies”.
While the two have become friends over the years, no one could ever forget the infamous night when Tyson took a chunk of Holyfield’s ear in their 1997 rematch.
HOLYFIELD HAS OTHER PLANS!
Holyfield wants to reignite his rivalry with former heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe. The two men fought three times in one of boxing’s greatest trilogies of all time. He went 1-2 against Bowe.
However the only thing that’s official is Holyfield and Tyson are coming back to fight. The aforementioned Riddick Bowe hasn’t revealed whether or not he’s willing to lace up the gloves again or not.
As for another potential great fighter willing to get in the squared circle again, James Toney has stated he would be willing to come out to fight again. However, nothing is official on his part either.
If these fighters indeed decide to lace them up again, let’s hope these fights materialize. Past their primes or not, a good fight is a good fight.
This could open the doors for other past greats in smaller divisions to follow suit.
By: Jerrell Fletcher
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