Fan hopes of seeing heavyweight greats Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson square-off in a trilogy took a big hit with recent developments.
Holyfield was locked in talks with his old rival. Tyson eventually walked about from Triller entirely.
“The Real Deal” is now returning on June 5th, without “The Baddest Man on the Planet.”
Triller boss Ryan Kavanaugh believes ex-Tyson conqueror Kevin McBride is an excellent choice to face Holyfield after the collapse.
Kavanaugh then turned to McBridge, the last man to defeat Tyson before his initial retirement.
“Our continued reinvention of boxing as four-quadrant entertainment now adds one of the biggest names in the history of boxing, Evander Holyfield,” said Kavanaugh.
“Holyfield goes up against one of the best opponents, Kevin McBride.
“He joins a lineup featuring some of the most elite fighters who are on their way up the ranks. Plus, world-class musical entertainment.
“We present a multifaceted experience for fans of every interest in four action-packed and exciting pay-per-view hours.
“Fight Club has created and named this match the Legends Title Fight. It will be delivering the winner the Triller Fight Club Legends Champion Gold Belt.
“It’s the first of Fight Club’s championship belts.”
MIKE TYSON TRILOGY
Tyson will now only fight in his own Legends Only League, meaning it’s much more difficult for their trilogy to go ahead in the future.
Given that Holyfield is 58 years old, gauging how many bouts he has left – if any in the first place – is tricky until the first bell.
Unless Holyfield decides to walk away after one fight with Triller, as Tyson did, their third fight will be what might have been.
Joining Holyfield vs. McBride of the bill is an undisputed lightweight championship battle involving Teofimo Lopez.
Lopez fights mandatory challenger George Kambosos Jr. for all the 135-pound marbles.
The 23-year-old holds a ranking as the world’s fourth-best active boxer by World Boxing News.
Australian Kambosos has held the IBF Pan Pacific lightweight title since 2017.
He previously held the Australian NSW, Australian, WBA-PABA, and WBA Oceania lightweight titles between 2013 and 2017.
Kambosos (19-0, 10 KOs) became the IBF mandatory challenger after defeating Lee Selby by a split decision in October.
