Scottish Daily Mail

Evander could be next into Tyson’s Old Curiosity Shop

- By JEFF POWELL

in the Old Curiosity shop which was the staples Center in Los angeles on saturday night, Mike tyson did enough to keep the pot boiling for an extension of boxing’s new veterans’ tour. Charles Dickens would have been proud of him. if perhaps not of Roy Jones Jnr, who saw it as his part in the story to keep blocking, grappling, holding and ducking to prevent iron Mike putting the hammer on him. the scoring of a diplomatic draw was in keeping with the nonaggress­ion pact which the organisers tried to impose. but, in truth, tyson was a bodybeltin­g winner in this meeting of two of boxing’s grandest old boys. so the Once baddest Man On the Planet was encouraged to say: ‘Of course i’ll do this again. i’m content with the draw because what really mattered was entertaini­ng the fans.’ since the majority watched on television, what really, really matters is if they will again fork out for pay-per-view. no doubt they will if evander holyfield agrees to a rematch. that will require a pay-rise. tyson’s purse this weekend was $7.5million ‘for charity’. Jones received $2.5m he needs. the Real Deal is said to be demanding at least $25m to get it on a third time with tyson, who does look much the part. Whether that would be good for holyfield’s health is another question, since there is now audible blurring of his speech. and could tyson really constrain himself from seeking some measure of revenge for two defeats? he did not look fully paid up to the stipulatio­n that he and Jones Jnr should refrain from hurting each other. and his distinguis­hed opponent confessed that the blows to his midriff had rendered him gasping to survive even the abbreviate­d eight two-minute rounds. ‘i’d trained to get back my six-pack but i needed a 12-pack.’ still, expect the freak show to go on. Lennox Lewis is interested, saying: ‘i’ve got unfinished business with Riddick bowe.’ after all, at 55, he’s only a year older than iron Mike.

 ?? GETTY IMAGES ?? Still got it: Tyson keeps Jones at bay with his jab
GETTY IMAGES Still got it: Tyson keeps Jones at bay with his jab

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