Mike Tyson was beaten by Jake Paul on his return to the boxing ring. But the heavyweight legend could have already lined up his next opponent for a rematch.

Mike Tyson is said to be considering stepping back into the boxing ring for a rematch with nemesis Evander Holyfield – the heavyweight champion whose ear he famously chewed off during a bout.

Tyson is poised to take a deal to go toe-to-toe with Holyfield, who beat the Brooklyn brawler twice in the 1990s. The astonishing claim comes from actor and martial arts champion and expert Paulo Tocha, who has an insight into the fight game and potential secret plans for Tyson.

Tocha suggested that Tyson is on course to step back between the ropes despite telling fans he was retired after losing to Jake Paul in the highly viewed Netflix clash last year.

Tocha, who starred opposite Jean Van Damme in Bloodsport, appeared nervous to spill more details when pressed on his inside knowledge of the Holyfield suggestion. But the South African, 69, feels that Tyson shook off some of his ring rust against Paul and is in better shape for second comeback bout.

He insisted Tyson was telling the truth when he suggested that may want another ring rumble immediately after the end of his Paul fight. Speaking exclusively at the premiere of ‘Chuck Zito: An American Story’, Tocha revealed: “At the end he kind of let us know there’s another one coming.

“Lemme put it this way, if Tyson trains correctly and prepares himself, he should take on another fight. A more serious fighter, a more serious opponent, and a bigger money maker.

“Most probably it’s going to be Evander after all. He and Evander – after what happened to his ear and all that. So most probably it’ll be something like that.“

Holyfield was one of the commentators for Netflix’s Tyson comeback. In 2021 the “Warrior” lost in the first round to Vitor Belfort in a return, which sparked controversy among the fight community.

Heavyweight boxing legends Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield
But many social media fans blasted Tyson too for his performance and apparent lack of menace or ferocity against Paul. But Tocha believes the entrepreneur, who runs a cannabis empire, needed that match up to sharpen his skills again.

“That’s why I thought it was a good show, a warmup for Tyson,” he added. He got to get some rust off of the ring, got to feel himself again, caught himself back again on top.

“What do people expect him to do, really? I mean, good luck to him. He is a great warrior. He is a big champion and he’s one of the biggest, if not the biggest name in boxing. “

“But you’ve got to understand the fighter’s game and at that age, you’re not supposed to be in the ring, even if you’re spectacular. It’s just not so good for the brain. “

Tocha, who is friends with members of Tyson’s inner circle, was not happy with the backlash over the fight. He added: “I think in today’s fight world, it’s a fruit salad and you cut it all up and sometimes it comes out sour and sometimes it comes out sweet.

Tyson was beaten by Paul after eight rounds in Texas ( 
Image:
Getty Images for Netflix A 2024)

“And I feel with Tyson, he is exactly in that spot because the audience that’s watching him now doesn’t understand boxing from the old days. They’ve got no clue. He’s just a new name, a newcomer, and he’s part of a family tradition of fighters who watched Tyson throughout his career. It doesn’t matter when or if it’s raining or snowing or sunshine. It’s Tyson that’s fighting. It’s the name. I love him because of that.”

But Tocha believes Tyson would get his revenge on Holyfield, who took the Brooklyn brawler’s WBA Title with an 11th round TKO in Nov. 1996. Seven months later their second fight shocked fans when Tyson bit off a part of Holyfield’s ear and then chomped down on the other before being disqualified.

Asked who would win almost 30 years on from their bite night fright, Tocha smirked: “Between those two? Oh, Tyson. Always on Tyson, any way. But it’s business, man. It’s business. It’s smart. Where else are you going to make this kind of money in today’s world, in today’s society? It’s genius.”

He spoke at the premiere of close friend Chuck Zito’s film premiere for his documentary An American Story. The doc tells the story of how Zito went from being a New York Hell’s Angel to a celebrity bodyguard, actor and now close friend of Donald Trump.

Close friend Tocha said: “He’s as real as it gets. He’s a good actor, man, and he’s real. And Hollywood has got this problem with reality. They don’t accept it. They are chicken sh–, He’s a good dude.”