The fantasy fight we all wanted has taken a step closer to fruition: boxing legend Mike Tyson has received a whopping $20 million offer to make an ungloved return to the ring in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC).
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It’s over three decades since ‘the baddest man on the planet’ became the youngest ever world heavyweight champion aged 20 but BKFC president David Feldman is trying to temp Tyson back into action with a huge bid to join his promotion.
“While we did make a guaranteed offer of $20 Million for Mike [Tyson] to fight for BKFC,” Feldman said of the comapny’s offer to the 53-year-old Brooklynite, Heavy.com reported.
“We’re open to many different options as to how we can work together. Obviously, the excitement of seeing Mike’s video showing himself training and desire to participate in exhibitions inspired us to reach out and make the offer.”
It was 1986 when Tyson entered the history books as the youngest man to win a heavyweight title aged 20 years four months and 22 days but recent viral footage of Tyson smashing the pads with MMA coach Rafael Cordeiro showed that despite ‘Iron Mike’ having gathered some ring rust, the former ‘Kid Dynamite’ could still put a few fuses out.
The amount offered by BKFC is only $10 million dollars short of the biggest payday of Tyson’s iconic career when he received $30 million to face Evander Holyfield for a second time in 1997, a rematch which became infamous for Tyson biting both of his opponent’s ears and resulting in his disqualification.
Despite Tyson having amassed $140 million in total fight purses alone during an illustrious career, mismanagement and overspending on a lavish lifestyle have contributed to slightly more modest current financial circumstances, so there is an outside chance of Tyson being persuaded by the offer.
Holyfield, who himself has mismanaged a vast fortune, has also announced plans to once again lace up the gloves to take part in a charity boxing match to help raise funds for Unite 4 Our Fight aged 57.
That naturally sparked talk of a third instalment of his rivalry with Tyson, although there is more chance of Iron Mike stepping inside the bareknuckle arena.
BKFC has attempted to make an impact on the fighting landscape, signing a number of former boxers and MMA fighters past their prime, including former boxing champion Paulie Malignaggi and McGregor teammate Artem Lobov, who fought last summer.
