Mike Tyson has sensationally claimed he's ready to step in the ring with Anthony Joshua after he finishes with Roy Jones Jr.
The former undisputed heavyweight champion is making his ring comeback in November in an eight-round charity exhibition, albeit an unusual one with no head guards and judges present at ringside.
However after that, Tyson has said in an interview he'd be very much open to taking on some younger heavyweights - and was particularly excited by the idea of Britain's Joshua, saying that would be a "mind-blowing" event.
Speaking to TMZ Sports, Tyson was asked about fighting a current heavyweight. "Listen, I'm very interested," he replied. "If doing that means that we can have bigger charity exponents, well be it. I'm down to do that too."
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Asked specifically about getting in the ring with AJ, the 54-year-old said: "I would love to do that. That would be mind-blowing."
Tyson has got himself into terrific shape in 2020, despite not having laced up the gloves and fought professionally for 15 years. However, Tyson is making it clear that he's only thinking about future charity exhibition bouts rather than a crack at Joshua's world heavyweight title belts (erm, probably).
Earlier this year, AJ himself made it clear he had no desire to fight Iron Mike. "With all due respect I wouldn't [face Tyson]," the 30-year-old told The Sun.
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"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."
A totally understandable reaction. Although it will be interesting to see if Joshua changes his mind if it's under the strict proviso that the two are meeting in a genuine exhibition, just moving around the ring, rather than AJ swapping bombs with a man 24 years older than him.
Mike made that aspect clear when he told TMZ: "Listen, it's entertainment. It's just for charity, it's for a good cause, but we're giving our best."
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Joshua's more pressing concern is his mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev, who he's scheduled to meet later this year. Plus Tyson still has to face off against Jones - a naturally smaller boxer but active professionally as recently as 2018 - in a bout where nobody is precisely sure how seriously the two combatants will be going at it.
After that, what odds that we see AJ vs Mike Tyson in 2021 in a charity fight (one that ends with Joshua lying drooling on the canvas and a glaring Iron Mike standing over his decimated form)? Well, let's just leave it all up to the imagination for now.
Imagery: PA Images/Instagram @miketyson
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