MIKE TYSON will only make a sensational ring return to fight “another bona fide boxer.”
Big-money offers and spoof announcements have been flying around the internet since the 53-year-old returned to training.
But one possibility is a mouthwatering third match between Iron Mike and old foe Evander ‘Real Deal’ Holyfield.
An Aussie matchmaker offered Tyson a £500,000 charity bout against New Zealand rugby star-boxer Sonny Bill Williams.
Then a USA bare-knuckle boxing promoter pledged the Baddest Man on the Planet £16million in a comeback deal.
And even Tyson Fury’s father and ex-heavyweight John Fury, 55, claimed he is prepared to DIE in the ring in trying to beat Tyson, known as one of history’s most venomous punchers.
On Friday, a fake Twitter profile tricked a number of high-profile personalities into believing Tyson had agreed to a bare-knuckle bout with fellow veteran and former world heavyweight champ
Shannon Briggs.
The prank was swiftly uncovered, leaving fans teased by the short viral clip of Tyson smashing the pads with his new trainer deflated.
But a source close to one of the moves in play to promote a Tyson comeback told SunSport that all hope is not lost.
The insider said: “Mike has ruled out the prospect of the exhibition bout in Australia because he does not want to fight a cross-over athlete.
“If Mike returns to boxing, it will only be to fight another bona fide boxer.
“Mike believes anything else would be an insult to the sport.”
Holyfield, Tyson’s most infamous ex-rival, who had part of an ear bitten off in their gory 1997 rematch, also announced a return to the ring, coincidentally.
The super-fit 57-year-old is to box in an exhibition show for Covid-19 charity Unite 4 Our Fight.
