Mike Tyson has thrown down the gauntlet, declaring his readiness to take on Tyson Fury post his bout with Jake Paul this Friday. The 58-year-old boxing icon is entertaining the idea of a “full comeback” – not dismissing any possibilities.
Despite hanging up his gloves professionally back in 2005 after a loss to Kevin McBride, Tyson’s last victory in the ring dates to 2003 against Clifford Etienne. He did step back into the ring for an exhibition match with Roy Jones Jr four years ago, showcasing that he still has what it takes.
In a surprising twist, Tyson is set to make a sensational return to professional boxing against Jake Paul on November 15 at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas, potentially in front of a staggering crowd of 80,000 spectators. The fight was initially scheduled for July but had to be postponed due to Tyson suffering an ulcer flare-up.
While some fans might view this as a one-off event, Tyson, known as ‘Iron Mike’, is not closing the door on future bouts, including one against the reigning two-time heavyweight world champion Fury. “Nothing will be excluded after I knock out Jake Paul,” Tyson stated to Mail Online.
“Listen. I’m taking this one fight, one person at a time. But if this one goes as well as I expect, then a full comeback is not off the table.”
Tyson didn’t shy away from the idea of facing top fighters like Fury, Usyk, and Dubois, stating: “As I said, anything and everything would be included.”
This isn’t the first time that a potential clash between the two titans has been speculated. Fury, also known as ‘The Gypsy King’, once claimed that Tyson was seeking an exorbitant $500million for an exhibition match.
“There was talk of it,” Fury told IFL TV. “His people contacted me. Mike and I had a phone call. It was all real but never materialised. Whoever was offering the comeback money to Mike offered us peanuts.
“Mike was talking about $500 million figures [half a billion], but what came back to us on paper was a joke. It was crazy. I did have a $10m offer from ESPN to do the fight as an exhibition, but I think everyone has moved on now.”
He added: “I would have loved to share the ring with him and move around. But if he had won, then people would have said I was rubbish because a 53-year-old beat me. If I had beaten him, then I would have been a bully. It was a lose-lose situation for me. It was money; I didn’t need to fight a man past his best.”
The boxing world has voiced strong opposition to the idea of a fight between Tyson and Fury, with many fans already expressing discontent with Tyson’s forthcoming clash with Paul. Many in the boxing community feel Tyson isn’t taking the match seriously after he made quite the revelation.
