Retired boxer Mike Tyson stunned fans recently when he posted a video of himself during a sparring session. “Iron Mike” still had the power and the speed that helped him pile up 58 wins and 44 knockouts during his career. Some fans even believed that Tyson could step into the ring immediately and secure a victory, and now someone is trying to make that happen.
Melbourne-based boxing promoter Brian Amatruda saw this video and immediately leaped at a chance to put together a fight. He reached out to a celebrity agent and asked him to offer Tyson $1 million to step into the ring. Amatruda believes that he could arrange a charity bout in Australia that would fill an arena with thousands of fans. He even has three possible opponents in Australian footballers-turned-boxers Barry Hall, Paul Gallen and Sonny Bill Williams.
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Mike Tyson at 53 years old is still scary 😤
(via @miketyson, h/t @ESPNRingside) pic.twitter.com/XlfHvCRU4N
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 1, 2020
“He might be 53 years old but he’s still a huge name,” Amatruda said to The Daily Mail. “And any of those blokes Hall, Gallen or Sonny Bill would jump at the chance to get into the ring with him.” The promoter even has two potential arenas where Tyson could face off against one of his foes.
“I’d hold it at Melbourne Arena where we’d get over 10,000 or even Princes Park where they got 30,000 for Jeff Fenech versus Azumah Nelson,” Amatruda continued. “It would be enormous. Not just a fight, it would be an event.” Of course, the boxing promoter acknowledged that the bout could not take place until the coronavirus pandemic is no longer an issue. That detail still hasn’t prevented him from laying the groundwork.
“The first thing I did was contact [celebrity agent] Max Markson and ask him to offer Tyson $1 million,” Amatruda said. “Max brought him to Australia in 2012. He gets on well with him and his wife but the main thing is that he got him a visa to get into the country back then and that’s the key. We’d have to wait until the coronavirus shutdowns are over of course so the fight probably wouldn’t be until early next year — as long as we can get the visa. They gave him one in 2012 and he was fine, he’s a quiet family man now. He didn’t cause any trouble then, so why shouldn’t they let him back in?”
Having a bout take place is not guaranteed, but the offer is on the table. If Tyson is interested in testing his skills once again, he can accept $1 million and step back into the ring. He can even pick between some athletes in the prime of their careers.
