The manager of media sensation and now fighter KSI has revealed that the influencer turned down a fight offer from legendary Evander Holyfield. The star’s representative, Mams Taylor, revealed that his client was put off by the age of the man once known as ‘The Real Deal’.
The revelation comes amid the legality of the upcoming Mike Tyson-Jake Paul fight, which remains a divisive topic within the boxing community. With a 30-year age difference between the former world heavyweight champion and the former Disney child star, the prospect of a fight has recently become a controversial topic.
Tyson is preparing to return to the ring for the first time as a professional since hanging up his gloves in 2005. But he is not the only icon of yesteryear attempting a stunning comeback – former undisputed cruiserweight and cruiserweight world champion Holyfield has reached out to KSI.
According to KSI’s manager Taylor, the 61-year-old, who hasn’t fought since 2011, has approached the British YouTuber’s camp about potentially hosting a competition. Speaking to SportsTalkrevealed details of their conversations, saying: “I know Holyfield has been in touch with us about the KSI fight.
“Again, we wouldn’t do it. It has to be two equal fighters of equal age,” he said, revealing that the decision was made to reject the veteran’s advances. “If it was Mike Tyson or Evander Holyfield for all the money in the world, we wouldn’t do it.
“I think it’s ironic because the foundation of Misfits Boxing is a higher moral standard than some of the established boxing. We take care of the fighters, we make sure the testing is good, that’s why the fighters are so popular. We do that and we do a much more thorough medical before they’re allowed to fight.”
Giving more details about the reasoning behind their decision, he added: “We’re fighting with people who are matched at a similar level, that’s our ethos and I think there’s something for everyone. But we have a moral compass and we’re going to try to stick to that no matter how much money we get.”
The comments come after KSI himself admitted he had some doubts about the wisdom of Tyson’s upcoming fight with Paul. He previously said: “Jake is getting heavier and heavier, obviously, because he’s just looking at the Mike Tyson fight – which I still don’t think is going to happen.
“I think they’ll try and do a trial run and then Mike will finally realize he can’t really fight, and then I don’t know what they’ll do then. But as far as me, the Jake fight, I’ll just wait. I don’t really have to chase him, eventually he’ll have no choice but to come to me.”
The Internet star added: “He’s just not trying to get involved. He’s in a bit of an awkward situation, so I think it’s probably easier for him to just leave it at that.”