The release of some workout videos of 53-year-old Mike Tyson has created something of a sensation. And this came in conjunction with an announcement that he would be engaging in exhibition bouts for charity. There is nothing more that has been discussed, outside of speculation by writers. BetAnySports patrons may have read about some of this.
Yet there is a lot of amateur matchmaking going on. And prospective opponents are coming out of the woodwork.
Who wants to fight Iron Mike?
Evander Holyfield has been asked about it. His response, in so many words, was that he’d be willing, although not in a situation in which they would be going full-throttle at each other.
Tito Ortiz expressed a desire to fight him. So has his sometime-nemesis in the UFC, Ken Shamrock. Shannon Briggs, who seems to be on a years-long campaign for a payday, even announced that the fight was set.
And there’s more. One bare knuckle fighting organization has made Tyson an offer of $20 million. That wouldn’t seem to represent an “exhibition” rate.
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A top-ten guy?
The WBC has expressed that it would be interested in ranking Tyson. Apparently they had lost sight of the fact that in his last fight, fifteen years ago, Tyson had been knocked out by clubfighter Kevin McBride. The WBC president, Mauricio Sulaiman, walked some of that back later, noting that if Tyson’s experience in these exhibition bouts leads to something, including actual licensure by an athletic commission, they would be happy to recognize him then.
But the concept of an “exhibition” can mean any number of things. They could be fights “for real” that just don;t go to a decision. So don’t assume that Tyson or his opponents would simply be doing a dance around each other.
All this doesn’t sit very well with everybody.
The “champ” has a beef
Dillian Whyte is the WBC “interim” heavyweight champion. He has also been the WBC Silver champion, not that anybody outside of his circle of friends of really aware of any of this.
He is going to defend against Alexander Povetkin on July 4 in Manchester, but that’s small potatoes compared to what he could make from a match against Tyson. So naturally he is upset at the intimation that Tyson could conceivably fight Tyson Fury, the REAL WBC champion, as has been implied by the organization’s president, Mauricio Sulaiman.
As Whyte told British reporters, “What if he comes back and dies in the ring? What’s going to happen then? We’ve already got enough darkness and enough mud thrown on the sport as it is, we don’t need any more.”
Whyte will concentrate – we assume – on this next fight, where he is the favorite, according to what is posted at BetAnySports:
| Boxer | Odds |
|---|---|
| Dillian Whyte | -410 |
| Alexander Povetkin | +330 |
Gym work is a bit different – naturally
Yes, Whyte is probably being a little dramatic, but he is right about one thing regarding the former heavyweight titleholder. We may be watching short clips of Tyson, and they are impressive. But when it comes to fighting three-minute rounds against someone who is world-class, that is quite something else. And that is something a lot of people have to understand about this ring return, whether it is “on the record” or not.
But what is absolutely certain is that it is going to draw money. Maybe it says something about the marketability of today’s fighters that there are a lot of offers for Tyson. Whatever he winds up doing, it is going to produce a lot of interest. At the same time, we can’t be sure whether the interest will dissipate when things open up more and more.
By the way, whenever it takes place, if there’s a third fight between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder, Fury is a -250 favorite at BetAnySports, where you can get the most comprehensive list of fight odds anywhere…….. Don’t forget that sports are opening up soon, and they’ll be there to take you wherever you need to go……… You’ve got five different casino options to choose from, including two with live dealers……. And you can open up an account using a debit card, credit card, person-to-person transfers or the virtual currency of Bitcoin, which is fast and easy with their automated system, and NEVER incurs a transaction fee!
