Holyfield: MMA isn't taking over, boxing is not as publicized

Evander Holyfield, four-time heavyweight champion, on the state of boxing, the rise of MMA and his licensing deal with Icon and his boxing career.

Evander Holyfield, four-time world boxing champion, earning the nicknames “The Real Deal” and “The Warrior”, talks the future of the sport.

With the rise in popularity of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), boxing champions are no longer the household names they once were.

Holyfield attributes that to the sport not being publicized as much.

“I don’t think [MMA] is taking over [boxing], I think we’re not being publicized as much as [MMA]. So people believe what they see on TV, we’re not on TV as much as we used to be,” Holyfield said during an interview on FOX Business.

“People don’t talk about boxing as much in America.”

The sport has seen recent competition with the rise in popularity of UFC, but stars like Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Manny Pacquiao have been able to carry the sport.

Mayweather and Pacquiao fought in “the Fight of the Century” last year and contributed to Las Vegas casinos making more than $1 billion dollars in revenue during May 2015.