Five opponents Mike Tyson could fight next after Roy Jones Jr fight including Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua
MIKE TYSON steps back inside the ring for the first time in 15 years this weekend when he faces Roy Jones Jr in an exhibition bout.
The 54-year-old pits his wits against his American compatriot at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
And Tyson’s trainer Rafael Cordeiro has already stated that the Baddest Man on the Planet will continue to showcase his talents in 2021.
He said: “He is very happy to do three more fights next year and suddenly fight for great things.”
Tyson himself recently confirmed he is willing to face Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua for charity.
Iron Mike told BT Sport: “I think they’re brilliant. They’re brilliant fighters. They could do so much for society.
“They could have exhibitions and take the money from the exhibitions, because they’re such big crowd pleasers and they could help so many people.
“There’s so many people out there that we can do so much for, and it wouldn’t even be a 10th of their charitable heart to do something like that.
“In fact, fight exhibitions with me, and most of our charity would go to people who desperately need it.”
With that in mind, SunSport looks at five possible opponents for Tyson after his clash with Jones Jr.
TYSON FURY
The Gypsy King revealed he received an offer from ESPN to fight his namesake in an exhibition encounter.
And the WBC heavyweight champion stated that it would be an ‘honour’ to share the ring with Kid Dynamite.
Asked by Behind the Gloves about whether he would consider a bout against Tyson, Fury said: “Yeah of course.
“I’m named after the guy, I think it’ll be ironic, I think it’ll be legendary, Tyson vs Tyson, the old vs the new and it’ll be absolutely amazing.
“We can’t change time, we can’t turn the clock back, but we can deal with what we have today, I would love to share the ring with Mike Tyson, it’ll be an absolute honour in an exhibition fight, have a move around. It’ll be amazing.”
DEONTAY WILDER
The Bronze Bomber revealed earlier this year that he would knock out prime Tyson due to his ‘killer instinct’.
To which Tyson said: “I just heard Deontay Wilder said he would destroy a young Mike Tyson.
“My thoughts are that it’s easy to talk until you actually get in the ring.
“I like Wilder, but he’s never been in there with someone that ferocious [and] who truly wants to break his ribs with every punch. I don’t see it!”
And Tyson recently called the 2008 bronze medallist out for making excuses as to why he lost against Fury in February.
ANTHONY JOSHUA
Speaking in September, Tyson spoke of his desire to face the WBA, WBO and IBF champ despite their 24-year age gap.
He told TMZ Sports: “Listen, I’m very interested. If doing that means we can have a bigger charity exponent, well so be it, I’m down to do that, too.
“I would love to [fight Joshua]. That would be mind-blowing.”
However the chances of that fight is slim, as AJ told SunSport: “With all due respect I wouldn’t.
“Even if I fought Iron Mike and beat him, I think I’d be the only one cheering.
“People would boo. He is a legend. He is the greatest boxer of the modern era.
“There are only two recognised champions the world knows of, Ali and Mike Tyson — the most recognised faces in the world when it comes to boxing.”
EVANDER HOLYFIELD
Holyfield twice beat Tyson in the 1990s, but he has teased a trilogy bout against his rival in the future.
Taking to Instagram earlier this month, he posted a picture of him punching Tyson.
Captioning the image, he asked his followers: “Who would like to see Holyfield vs Tyson 3?
“Or who else would you like to see me get in the ring with in an exhibition?”
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OLIVER McCALL
The 55-year-old former WBC champ last fought in May 2019, so it can be presumed he is still in good shape.
And in an interview with iFL TV in May, he called out Tyson.
He said: “I don’t think Tyson wants to get in there with me, I can tell you that now!
“Mike Tyson, now you talking about wanting to come back, but I don’t think you want Oliver McCall.”