Former four-time heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield, 58-years-old, is open to the idea of having a fight with YouTube star Jake Paul.
The 24-year-old Paul is 3-0 as a pro with all three wins by knockout.
Last month, Paul blasted out MMA veteran Ben Askren in the first round of a pay-per-view card that was backed financially by the Triller app.
Holyfield was scheduled to fight in an exhibition clash with Kevin McBride on June 5, as part of the Teofimo Lopez vs. George Kambosos undercard – but the Triller backed event was pushed back to June 19 and Holyfield-McBride is no longer on the card.
If the money is right, Holyfield is ready to give Paul his first taste of facing an actual boxer in the ring.
“Jake Paul being a guy who didn’t come through amateurs, he is someone who fights now and does it as a hobby. He has a little bit more weight behind how to do things because people like him are doing it for the fun of it. They are not fighting in an association which is being operated by a union such as the WBC, IBF,” Holyfield told The Sun.
“The thing is it’s about ego what he’s doing. People he wants to fight, if people agree to fight him, they know he’s got all these followers. And if he believes he can beat me, and he gave me enough money, oh, yes, I’d get in the ring with him. And I’d show people what would happen.
“He’s a popular guy, and he said, ‘Hey, if they let me do it my way, there’s no rules or regulations, I’m a guy who brings in a lot of attention’. He obviously is making other people a lot of money, that’s the reason he’s fighting. He’s not fighting for nothing. It’s something that draws people in, so he’s challenging pro fighters who have an ego, obviously people who feel they can beat Jake. But when they get in there they cannot beat him.”