Is Mike Tyson set to make a comeback?

From Tiger Woods at The Masters to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, sport is littered with historic and emotional comebacks. But could Mike Tyson be about to make the greatest comeback of them all?

That’s right, Iron Mike is ready to step back into the ring 15 years after his 58th – and at the time of writing final bout – a 6th round TKO by Kevin McBride after Tyson failed to answer the bell all the way back in 2005.

It’s been a long time between drinks for the former undisputed heavyweight world champion, so before we get onto his possible opponents, let’s remind you of his greatness.

Mike Tyson’s Record

Tyson is widely recognised as one of the greatest fighters that ever donned a pair of gloves – and with good reason. He was the undisputed world champion, defended his titles a mammoth nine times and went 37-0 before finishing with a 50-6 record, excluding two no contests.

You only need look at the list of opponents that he put on the canvas to get a sense of his ability. Larry Holmes, Michael Spinks and Frank Bruno are just three of the names who couldn’t cope with Tyson’s incredible power.

And it’s that power and brutality that marks Iron Mike out as one of the greats. He’s regularly named as one of the best punchers in boxing history and was ranked no.1 in ESPN’s ‘Hardest Hitters in Heavyweight History.’

Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield did later get the better of him, although Tyson did get the better of Holyfield’s ear, but there was to be no disputing his record inside the ring following his retirement in 2006.

Possible Tyson Opponents

Unless Tyson fancies doing a spot of shadow or Wii boxing on his comeback, he’ll need an opponent. The question on everyone’s lips is, who dares go toe-to-toe and fist-to-fist with The Baddest Man On The Planet?

Even at 53 years-of-age, we bet Iron Mike can still pack a punch, so whoever takes him on will need to be on their guard. Rugby ace Sonny Bill Williams, Lennox Lewis, Roy Jones Jr. and John Fury have all been mooted.

However, it’s that man Holyfield who keeps popping up. The Real Deal has confirmed reports that the two are in talks for a rematch 23 years after they last met under the lights at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

It’s likely that all proceeds from the trilogy fight would go to charity, and with two legends like Holyfield and Tyson involved, it’s easy to imagine the sort of hype and exposure such a contest would generate.

Other Boxing Comebacks

Tyson isn’t the only Boxer to have thought about or have made a comeback. Plenty of other famous fighters have been down for much longer than a standing eight-count over the years only to step back into the ring.

Vitali Klitschko took a four-year break between 2004-2008, while Muhammed Ali spent over three years out of the ring between 1967-1970. Even Holyfield himself kept on fighting professionally until he was 48.

In more recent times, Floyd Mayweather Jr. defied a near two-year absence to defeat Conor McGregor back in 2017, and closer to home Ricky Hatton lost to Vyacheslav Senchenko after three years off in 2012.

Those were all remarkable comebacks for one reason or another. But their relative timescale compared to Tyson’s 15-year lay-off gives you some sense of just what Iron Mike is trying to achieve in 2020.

All odds and markets correct as of date of publication