Mitt Romney and Evander Holyfield are ready for their close-ups

Cancel your Friday night plans, because former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is boxing heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield for charity, and it will be broadcast for the world to see. (That means you, too, Newt Gingrich.)

“I’m staying far away from his ears,” Romney told the The New York Times, referencing the 1997 fight in which Mike Tyson famously bit off part of Holyfield’s right ear. But that was the only time Romney distanced himself from Tyson, so perhaps he’ll show up tonight with a face tattoo.

A promo video for the fight, which was released earlier this week, simply proves what we already knew: Dogs don’t feel comfortable being held in Romney’s arms. (“I was affectionately known as Bird Legs during high school,” he also revealed to the Times.)

The Romney/Holyfield face off comes just weeks after the highly-anticipated and extremely lucrative match between Floyd Maywhether and Manny Pacquiao. It remains to be seen whether Romney and Holyfield will continue the drama after they both leave the ring.

Proceeds from the fight will support Charity Vision, an organization that helps treat blindness in developing countries with vision screenings and sight-restoration surgery.

May the best man win.

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