Evander Holyfield Reveals Surprising Pick for Tyson-Toney Matchup: "He's Just Different"

Evander Holyfield thinks Mike Tyson would beat James Toney in a fantasy fight. The former heavyweight champion shared his opinion based on his fights with both boxers during his career.

Holyfield faced Tyson twice in the 1990s. He won the WBA Heavyweight World title from Tyson in 1996 by stoppage. The following year, he kept the belt when Tyson got disqualified for biting his ear.

In 2003, Holyfield fought Toney. The fight ended when Holyfield's trainer threw in the towel after Toney dropped him with a body shot in the ninth round.

When asked about a potential matchup between Tyson and Toney, Holyfield didn't hesitate. He told ES News:

"Of course Mike would've killed him. Mike would've killed him. I'm telling you. When Mike realised that he can hit you, he's gonna get you out of there. He might tap Mike or something, but I know when he hit me, and he had that power on the punch, Mike will clean you up."

Holyfield's opinion pits Tyson's ferocious style against Toney's toughness. 'Iron Mike' became the youngest ever heavyweight champion and won 50 of his 58 fights. He was known for stopping opponents quickly.

Toney, nicknamed 'Lights Out', was a three-weight world champion with 77 wins from 92 fights. He was never stopped in his 10 losses and won the IBF Cruiserweight World Title from Vassiliy Jirov in 2003.

Tyson plans to return to the ring soon. He'll face Jake Paul in a controversial comeback fight in November 2024. The event has sparked debate in the boxing world about the safety and legitimacy of such matchups.