The former undisputed heavyweight world champion is set to compete in his first professional fight in nearly two decades against the YouTuber-turned-boxer
The former undisputed heavyweight world champion is set to compete in his first professional fight in nearly two decades against the YouTuber-turned-boxer The former undisputed heavyweight world champion is set to compete in his first professional fight in nearly two decades against the YouTuber-turned-boxer
Mike Tyson has hinted he could fight on after his showdown with YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.
The former undisputed heavyweight world champion officially retired from the sport back in 2005. ‘Iron Mike’ hung up the famous boxing gloves after quitting on the stool against Kevin McBride. That said, he returned to the ring four years ago, but this time, in an exhibition showdown against Roy Jones Jr.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweights in the history of the sport, Tyson has a professional record of 50-6-2. During the peak of his powers, the 58-year-old was a force to be reckoned with and was practically unstoppable at times. At the age of 20, the boxing veteran became the youngest champion in the division’s history having knocked out Trevor Berbick in the second round back in 1986.
He went on to defeat the likes of Larry Holmes, Michael Spinks and Frank Bruno in what was a glittering career for the boxing legend. Many fans are highly-anticipating his return to the ring. Tyson’s showdown with Paul is scheduled to take place on Friday, November 15 in Arlington, Texas, at the AT&T Stadium in front of up to 90,000 fans.
While there’ll be a lot of fans out there who believe that it’ll be a one off return to the squared-circle, Tyson has revealed that it may not be the last time people see him in the ring. In a recent interview with talkSPORT, when asked whether he’d consider fighting again, ‘Iron Mike’ replied: “It’s a possibility”.
And it’s fair to say that he will not be short of options should he decide to continue. Former undisputed heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis has opened the door to a potential rematch with Tyson. Lewis and Tyson went head-to-head back in 2002, with the Brit going on to win via knockout in the eighth round, retaining his WBC, IBF, IBO and Ring heavyweight world titles. With ‘Iron Mike’ potentially looking to level the series over 20 years later, ‘The Lion’ hasn’t ruled out a sequel between the pair.
In an interview with TMZ, Lewis said: “Let’s see how he makes out in this fight first. I have spoken to Mike, just about fighting. Let’s hope his health is ok. You can’t see things on the outside that may be affecting you on the inside. I wouldn’t want to say he is okay then all of a sudden something happens”.
Speaking to Fox Sports in 2020, Tyson was asked if he would ever consider facing Evander Holyfield in a trilogy fight, to which he responded: “Absolutely. Holyfield, Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder.” However, when asked if he wanted to “legitimately” fight for a heavyweight world title at his age, he added: “Hell no, I’m talking about exhibitions man. Helping people and stuff, that’s bigger than a title. The title’s nothing man, it’s not even real gold – it’s tin and metal.”
Mirror – Sport
