Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield May Be Considering a Third Fight for Charity

Last week, BLACK ENTERPRISE reported that ex-heavyweight champion Mike Tyson has been in the gym training and considering getting back into the ring. Now we hear that his former nemesis, ex-heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield, is doing the same. Holyfield has even said that he envisions having a third bout against Tyson but this time, they will do it for charity, according to Boxing Scene.

At 57 years old, Holyfield is making a return to the ring and has his eyes set on having a third fight with the 53-year-old Tyson. According to reports, he would like to stage an exhibition boxing match to raise money for his charity Unite 4 Our Fight.

“I’ve already done what I wanted to do in my career, and have been the best that I could be. If it wasn’t for charity, I wouldn’t fight Tyson,” Holyfield told Boxing Scene in an interview. “I don’t look at it as being a winner in this fight. This is a charity event helping our foundations. The thing is knowing what you’re doing it for.

“I’m not afraid of [Tyson] or anything like that, as long as it works for both of us [financially]. I wouldn’t ask for him to do it if he didn’t want to. He’d have to ask me. It’s like being the bully, I already beat him twice.”

Just last month, Tyson said he’d consider making a comeback and fight in four-round exhibition matches. After seeing a video of Tyson training, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship offered Tyson $20 million for a fight with one of its athletes.

Tyson also spoke to rapper and entrepreneur T.I. on Instagram Live and revealed that he is back in the gym and wants to involve himself in some charitable exhibition bouts.

“I’ve been hitting the mitts for the last week,” Tyson said. “That’s been tough, my body is really jacked up and really sore from hitting the mitts. I’ve been working out, I’ve been trying to get in the ring. I think I’m going to box some exhibitions and get in shape. I want to go to the gym and get in shape to be able to box three or four-round exhibitions for some charities and stuff. Some charity exhibitions, make some money, help some homeless and drug-affected (expletive)s like me.”

According to Boxing Scene, bookmaker SportsBetting.ag listed that a pro or exhibition boxing match in 2020 between Tyson and Holyfield would be a tossup with even odds of -120 on both sides.

“My whole thing is that I’ll do exhibition matches with people that I trust,” said Holyfield. “It’s important in an exhibition to describe how you want it to be. You talk about how to work together. It’s not going to be a tough fight. If you hit me hard, I hit you back hard. That’s my attitude. I have the hand speed and can pop you and move on with my business. I can hold my own, but I’m not here to hurt people. I can fight — plus, I am in better shape than them. If I wasn’t in shape, I wouldn’t go in there with anybody.”

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The Access Project is Looking for Women Entrepreneurs to Join Their Business Accelerator

Amid the global pandemic, there are a number of companies looking to help entrepreneurs and small business owners make a way out of what can feel like no way. The economic impact COVID-19 is having on business owners is projected to leave a lasting mark on some businesses and in efforts to help combat that The Access Project will accept three women-owned businesses into their accelerator.

The Access Project is a nonprofit, seed-stage startup accelerator for women-owned businesses that leverages the expertise of the fashion and beauty industry, namely branding, marketing, and design. They believe that building your brand—and not just a product—is a way startups can be more resource-efficient and increase their probability of success. In addition to an elite mentor list, startup participants will have access to agency resources and work alongside team members focused on business development.

The Access Project runs two, 12-week accelerator programs a year for a group of 2-3 startups (each flight) selected from a highly competitive application pool.

The mentorship board for The Access Project includes trailblazing women that are artistic directors, professional communicators, and executives that are behind the scenes in pivotal campaigns. The mentors are Stephanie Powell, Jamé Jackson, Cierra Jaye’, Jasmine C. Green, and Valese Jones. The chosen candidates will benefit greatly from the guidance of these trailblazing women.

This time around, The Access Project is accepting up to three women-owned businesses to join its program. This incubator will lend its expertise in the fashion and beauty industry, branding, marketing, and design.

In a statement released by The Access Project, the group shared, “We believe that building your brand—and not just a product—is a way startups can be more resource-efficient and increase their probability of success.”

To learn more and apply for the accelerator, click here.

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Texas-Based Plumbing Company Expands Area Coverage With All-Day Service

It takes an incredible amount of work to start a business, and it takes a lot more to keep an existing business afloat in an unpredictable market. Many resources are dedicated to helping entrepreneurs start their business dreams by providing the proper knowledge and structure on how to write a business plan and secure a business loan. Those resources become limited once you actually start the business and now have to maintain your newfound venture. According to data collected from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, roughly 20% of small businesses fail within their first year of operation. By the end of their fifth year, that number rises to 50%.

In a report by Investopedia, the four most common reasons why small businesses fail are a lack of sufficient capital, poor management, inadequate business planning, and overestimating marketing budgets. In a survey reported by Fundera, founders of startup ventures cite running out of capital or failure of an established audience that fulfills the demand for your product.

For this Texas-based business owner, he managed to beat the odds and make his business thrive while further expanding his reach.

Dajadt Azakytu is the owner of DAZ Plumbing & Locating based in Waxahachie, Texas. The family-run business has also been focused on providing quality service to its customers with its fleet of 12 service vehicles. The company has now announced that it will be expanding its service area to include the entire Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area in addition to Ellis and Tarrant. Its services include sewer line repairs to basic bathroom repairs for commercial and residential buildings.

“We understand that plumbing problems are more than an inconvenience,” Azakytu told Black Business. “They can also be a health and safety hazard, and can do serious damage to your property. Our goal is to provide solutions that protect customers’ safety, health, property, time and money.”

The plumbing company will also now offer services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/3cpSuIV

Texas-Based Plumbing Company Expands Area Coverage With All-Day Service

It takes an incredible amount of work to start a business, and it takes a lot more to keep an existing business afloat in an unpredictable market. Many resources are dedicated to helping entrepreneurs start their business dreams by providing the proper knowledge and structure on how to write a business plan and secure a business loan. Those resources become limited once you actually start the business and now have to maintain your newfound venture. According to data collected from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, roughly 20% of small businesses fail within their first year of operation. By the end of their fifth year, that number rises to 50%.

In a report by Investopedia, the four most common reasons why small businesses fail are a lack of sufficient capital, poor management, inadequate business planning, and overestimating marketing budgets. In a survey reported by Fundera, founders of startup ventures cite running out of capital or failure of an established audience that fulfills the demand for your product.

For this Texas-based business owner, he managed to beat the odds and make his business thrive while further expanding his reach.

Dajadt Azakytu is the owner of DAZ Plumbing & Locating based in Waxahachie, Texas. The family-run business has also been focused on providing quality service to its customers with its fleet of 12 service vehicles. The company has now announced that it will be expanding its service area to include the entire Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area in addition to Ellis and Tarrant. Its services include sewer line repairs to basic bathroom repairs for commercial and residential buildings.

“We understand that plumbing problems are more than an inconvenience,” Azakytu told Black Business. “They can also be a health and safety hazard, and can do serious damage to your property. Our goal is to provide solutions that protect customers’ safety, health, property, time and money.”

The plumbing company will also now offer services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/3cpSuIV

Prisoners in L.A. jail attempt to get COVID-19 for early release

Some prisoners in a Los Angeles jail wanted out but they chose a head-scratching way to try to do so. According to the Los Angeles County Sherriff, a group of prisoners tried to get the coronavirus, hoping that would be their ticket out.

READ MORE: ‘Just Mercy’ launches COVID-19 fund to help the incarcerated 

According to the San Jose Mercury News, approximately two dozen inmates passed a cup of water around and shared a mask, likely in the hopes of passing the virus to each other, thinking that would earn them a release from jail, says Sheriff Alex Villanueva.

 

“There was some mistaken belief among the inmate population that if they tested positive, there was a way to force our hand and somehow release more inmates out of our jail environment, and that’s not gonna happen,” he told media via a virtual press conference.

The men were jailed at the Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic, Cal. The all-male jail, part of Los Angeles County, is a large jail complex off I-5 in Southern California.

The men were caught on surveillance footage apparently drinking hot water in the hopes of elevating their temperature before a health check, reports CBS Los Angeles.

A week later, there was a 60% increase in COVID-19 cases in the prison, which until authorities saw the tape, they couldn’t explain. Now there are 357 inmates that have tested positive an increase from 123 in less than two weeks.

“There’s a reason why these people are behind bars to begin with, because they violated the norms of society,” Villanueva said at the briefing. “But to then imperil not only their only safety, but the safety of their fellow inmates who did not want to participate in this behavior. It also endangers all the personnel, both the professional staff and the sworn staff.”

READ MORE: Coronavirus rips through notorious Riker’s Island jail complex 

Over 5,000 inmates have been released from the Los Angeles County inmate population which had a total of 17,000 inmates in February. The coronavirus has forced the release of non-violent prisoners nationwide as the infection spread.

Social distancing is almost impossible in most prisons and jails and the virus has proliferated. One of the more high-profile felons releases since the epidemic is Black Mafia head Terry Flenory who was sent to home confinement with six more years on his sentence. His brother, Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory, is still awaiting a final decision on his on early release request.

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