He may not be interested in fighting Sonny Bill Williams but American boxing legend Mike Tyson has hinted at a return to the sport.
Tyson first sparked chatter about a potential comeback after wowing fans in a ferocious sparring session in a video that went viral.
The 53-year-old, who hasn't entered the ring as a professional in 15 years, has posted another impressive sparring video on social media before saying "I'm back".
Tyson has yet to announce any plans to return to fight again, though he did suggest in a previous Instagram post he might make himself available for 3 or 4-round exhibitions if the price was right.
That sparked interest from Australian boxing promoter Brian Amatruda who was keen to get Tyson downunder for a charity bout against one of several sports stars, including former All Black Williams – with reports that an offer of $1 million was on the table.
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Amatruda has promoted cards featuring the likes of Danny Green, Lucas Browne and Anthony Mundine, and said several of the part-time boxers who bring in big audiences in Australia – including Williams, NRL legend Paul Gallen and AFL great Barry Hall – would fill Australian arenas if paired up against Tyson.
Sydney promoter Max Markson told The Daily Telegraph that Tyson got in touch via email and it was a no to the offer from Amatruda.
"Mike felt it would be an insult to boxing if he fought a footballer," Markson said.
"He doesn't have any interest in coming to Australia at the moment – plus, there is no international travel anyway because of the coronavirus – but said if anything changes I'll be the first to know."
Tyson's first video showing him hitting mitts in a gym not only generated more than 9 million views in just a few days but also some buzz about just what the aging former champion might have left.
"He hasn't hit mitts for almost 10 years. So I didn't expect to see what I saw," trainer Rafael Cordeiro told ESPN. "I saw a guy with the same speed, same power as guys 21, 22 years old.