Mike Tyson Linked With Another Shock Boxing Return Against MMA Legend

One of the biggest stories in boxing in 2024 was the legendary Mike Tyson returning to the boxing ring against Jake Paul on November 15 in Arlington, Texas, in what was the first live boxing event to be broadcast by Netflix.

The fight was a smash hit, reaching a record 65 million concurrent viewers (and averaged an estimated 108 million live viewers), becoming the most-watched sporting event in history at the time. Then again, the fight wasn't necessarily a smash hit from an entertainment perspective, as the 58-year-old Tyson looked 58 years old against his 27-year-old adversary, never really looking to have a chance to beat Paul and ultimately losing via unanimous decision.

Given the health concerns that Tyson had before the fight took place, along with general unease about someone his age fighting at all, most fans were content that Tyson wasn't badly hurt in that bout, and are hoping that he'll never lace the gloves up again.

However, it now appears that Tyson is being courted back to the ring once more, which was revealed by a quote from APL President Alimzhan Bektaev that was transcribed in a May 27 article from The Mirror.

"We are planning a bout between Mike Tyson and Fedor Emelianenko." Bektaev is quoted as saying. "Work in this direction is already underway... The tournament, where we want to invite Mike Tyson, is scheduled for December."

It remains to be seen whether Tyson will indeed agree to fight Fedor Emelianenko, who is 48 years old and considered one of the greatest heavyweight MMA fighters in history. He finished his MMA career with a 40-7 record (1 NC) that included 16 knockouts and 15 submissions, and was ranked as the top heavyweight fighter from 2003 until 2010.

While this seems like a more appropriate potential fight for Tyson (a fight that is far from finalized), most boxing fans would probably prefer he remain retired.