Five-time heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield vows there'll be no losers – or knockouts – in his charity match with Mitt Romney – but joked he just might let the former Republican presidential nominee take a bite of his ear for a big donation.
In an interview with "The Hard Line" host Ed Berliner on
Newsmax TV Thursday, Holyfield praised Charity Vision for bringing the gift of sight back to millions, noting it was Romney who asked him
to climb into the ring May 15 to raise funds for the organization.
"He chose me and I'm honored because he's a man who gives back," Holyfield said. "I'm a giver, he gives back – but he gives back for … a better reason."
"I came up poor and I wouldn't be the person I am if nobody had more than enough to give me," the former champ added. "This is what I do because I understand that I would've never been who I am if somebody else didn't have more than enough."
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But Holyfield said he's got one rule for Romney.
"I told him, please don't bite the ear," Holyfield said. "The only way you can bite that ear is if you have $35 million."
The reference was to a 1997 rematch between the champ and Mike Tyson that shocked fans around the world when the challenger bit off a piece of Holyfield's right ear. Tyson was disqualified from the fight.
"He can bite the ear for $35 million," Holyfield said of Romney.
While Holyfield wouldn't predict a winner of the charity event, he guaranteed there'd be no losers.
"What we're doing together is a win-win situation," Holyfield said. "I don't think he's going to lose in what we're doing."
Holyfield said he also had great hopes for boxing's rise again with youngsters who can learn self-esteem along with the sweet sport.
"The fact of the matter is every sport has what they call an amateur program," he noted, adding that "when we got from making a lot of money," the sport was taken off regular TV – and out of reach of youngsters.
"Hopefully, things would start changing now," he said. "I can see that boxing is on regular TV again and someone else would have a goal, see someone who's doing something who represents them and that they feel that they can do it."
Holyfield also will be at the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao fight Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, but Holyfield wouldn't pick a winner in that event.
"It's definitely going to be a good fight," he said. "Both of these guys qualify and they've done great things. You got Mayweather, who's undefeated and everybody knows at some point in time how it feels to be undefeated. I was undefeated for eight years and I didn't think nobody with hands could beat me in boxing."
"Unfortunately, when you stray away from your game plans and you put yourself in the position that it can happen. Rocky Marciano did it so why can't someone else?"
But he said the pair don't need the added pressure of his prediction.
"I'm going to the fight to see who's going to win the fight because I realize that regardless of what I say, it's up to them guys what they do that night," he added. "I'm hoping that the best man wins, I hope that even if it goes to the decision... I hope it's fair."
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