The old guard: why is it better for Tyson, Holyfield and Maskaev not to resume a boxing career

Over the past few weeks, three former boxers who crossed the 50-year milestone have announced their desire to return to the ring. First, Oleg Maskaev announced his readiness to do this, and then Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield. But if the Americans intend to hold exhibition fights, the Russian said that he would not refuse to take part in a real battle.

It is not surprising that the statements of the boxers caused serious excitement among journalists and fans. If Holyfield and Maskaev managed to hold several fights in the early 2010s, then Tyson has not been seen in the ring since 2005. Then Iron Mike was knocked out by Kevin McBride, and then decided to hang gloves on a nail. The opportunity to see legends in action again, if not encouraged, then at least excited the sports community, weaned from competitions during the coronavirus pandemic. Thus, from a marketing point of view, the ideal moment was chosen for such ads.

In this case, it is necessary to pay tribute to all three. Each of the athletes is still in relatively good physical shape and, with the right approach to business, would be able to regain the conditions necessary for the performance. This is exactly true for Tyson and Holyfield, who plan to hold exhibition fights lasting three or four rounds. Maskaev is more difficult in this regard, but there is no reason not to trust his words: Oleg himself says that two months of preparation will be enough for him to return to the ring.

In an interview with Sport-Express, the Russian said that the elbow injury did not bother him, and he learned to handle vertebral hernias correctly. Mike amazes fans with furious combinations during training, and Evander looks practically no different from himself from the early 2000s. It would seem that this is more than enough to put on gloves again, but there are a number of other factors that speak against the return of the stars.

Firstly, the reason lies in the format of the fights. This primarily relates to Tyson and Holyfield, who intend to box for fun, and not to achieve a sporting result. Such events have never enjoyed serious popularity in world sports. Therefore, there is a risk that the venture will result in failure from a commercial point of view. As soon as the fans realize that instead of an epic battle involving famous athletes, they get a semblance of a show, the hype may noticeably decrease.

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Publication by Mike Tyson (@miketyson) May 1, 2020 at 12:07 pm PDT

Unlike Muhammad Ali, Tyson and Holyfield were never perceived as showmen. If the Greatest could afford to meet with the center of the San Francisco Warriors basketball team Wilt Chamberlain or wrestler Antonio Inoki and generally arrange a show in the ring, then his colleagues are unlikely to be able to. Evander has never been famous for its striking fighting style, and Mike is hard to imagine entertaining the public. Everyone is used to the fact that these boxers are fighting exclusively for the sake of victory, so they may not understand their reincarnation.

Suffice it to recall the duel between Floyd Mayweather and Tensin Nasukawa in Japan. Yes, the American managed to earn a lot of money, but that event became a one-time action. After that, he never held a single exhibition battle, which indicates the level of interest in this kind of events. And this taking into account the fact that the former champion in five weight categories relatively recently completed his career and not only remains extremely popular, but is in excellent shape.

This certainly cannot be said of Tyson, Holyfield, and Maskaev. Despite the assurances of the fighters themselves, the years take their toll, and now they are unlikely to be able to demonstrate the same qualities as before. 15 years have passed since Mike’s last fight, and nine years have passed by Evander. But if the Americans are able to work out four rounds, then Oleg’s task seems completely impossible. Despite the enormous experience, in the current state he is unlikely to be able to provide real resistance to a worthy opponent and withstand the 12 rounds set for professional combat.

Thus, veterans risk not only not making enough money, but also seriously ruining their own legacy. Fans with experience are unlikely to experience the pleasure of the performance of 50-year-old fighters, and such a performance will not attract young fans. Given the fact that boxing is now more and more inferior to MMA in popularity, this may further weaken its position.

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Posted by Evander Holyfield (@evanderholyfield) May 6, 2020 at 1:54 PDT

In this regard, a vivid example is the return to the cell of the legend of MMA Chuck Liddell. In November 2018, at that time, the 48-year-old athlete held the first fight in eight and a half years and was severely beaten by his long-time opponent Tito Ortiz. Chuck looked extremely poor and led many to criticize the decision of the California Athletic Commission (CSAC) to issue him a license. And one of the most ardent opponents of this idea was Dana White - a long-term employer and friend of Aisman.

It will be a shame if in the same way Maskaev says the last word in his career. At the moment, he is remembered as one of the strongest Russian heavyweights, who twice defeated Hasim Rahman and fought against David Tua on equal terms. To overshadow the track record with a crushing defeat is not the best option for the illustrious veteran.

However, there is no reason to believe that future battles involving fighters will be commercial success. To attract the attention of the public, it is not enough for Maskaev to announce his return - you need to choose a worthy and well-known opponent. But to arrange this will be quite difficult, because the current representative of the heavyweight elite is unlikely to be interested in a duel with a 51-year-old opponent, and the battle with the jornimen will not provide the necessary excitement. You can be absolutely sure of this, because even the battle of Liddell with Ortiz did not interest the audience, as evidenced by only 40 thousand sold broadcasts.

These old boys should never have been in the cage # Liddell # Ortiz # LiddellOritz3pic.twitter.com / MwrQj8wI8H

The same goes for Tyson and Holyfield. In the USA, fans do not lack bright shows and are unlikely to agree to pay for the performance of age-old athletes, so promoters will have to look for happiness in other parts of the world. In particular, this is confirmed by the statements of Vladimir Khryunov, who announced negotiations with the Iron Mike.

Of course, for Russia, the arrival of Tyson will be a bright event. At least for the reason that local boxing fans did not have the opportunity to watch the athlete during his bright career. The opportunity to personally see the live sports legend will be a great gift for many, but the question is what impressions will remain from this event. Many may not want to spoil the memories of the great boxer and decide not to watch the show, while others risk being seriously disappointed with what they saw.

Undoubtedly, the fight between Alexander Emelianenko and Mikhail Koklyaev showed that they are ready to look at near-sport fighting events in the country. Perhaps this is why Tyson sees Russia as a possible venue for the battle. But will such an event benefit the development of boxing in the state? More likely no than yes.

Tyson’s battle with Emelianenko or Sergey Kharitonov will surely help fill the arena, but will not cause a surge of interest in sports. For this, it is necessary to bring to Russia current champions and star fighters, arrange fights for titles, as is done in Saudi Arabia, and not allow legends to earn old age.