Evander Holyfield, the Hall of Fame heavyweight who has been retired since 2011, will return to the ring on June 5 in an eight-round exhibition against Kevin McBride, a source familiar with the discussions told Sports Illustrated.
Holyfield-McBride will appear on the undercard of Teofimo Lopez’s lightweight title defense against George Kambosos. The event will be streamed on Triller.
Holyfield, 58, had hoped to secure a match against Mike Tyson, the former heavyweight champion who defeated Roy Jones Jr. in an exhibition match last November. Holyfield (44-10-2) and Tyson famously fought twice in the 1990s, with the 1997 rematch ending in a disqualification win for Holyfield after Tyson bit off a piece of Holyfield’s ear.
McBride, 47, is best known for his 2005 knockout win over Tyson, a loss that sent Tyson into retirement. McBride (35-10-1) has also been retired since 2011, when he was stopped by Mariusz Wach.
Holyfield-McBride will be eight, two-minute rounds with no headgear, per a source.
