Tyson Offered $1 Million For Exhibition Bouts
Recently, Mike Tyson has been taking over the news with a video of himself sparring. It was then reported that the 53-year-old will be returning to the boxing ring for charity. Several people within the boxing world have taken notice.
Australian boxing promoter Brian Amatruda has reached out to Tyson (50-6, 2NC) about competing against athletes from the area who have turned to the sport. Some of those stars include Barry Hall, Paul Gallen, and Sonny Bill Williams. They have all either competed in Australian football or rugby at one point.
“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 told Daily Mail. “He might be 53 years old but he’s still a huge name and any of those blokes Hall, Gallen, or Sonny Bill would jump at the chance to get into the ring with him.
“I’d make it part of a card with a world title fight for Tayla on it. It would be enormous. Not just a fight, it would be an event.”
Tyson made his professional debut in 1985 and quickly climbed up the ranks in the boxing world. In his 28th fight, Tyson knocked out Trevor Berbick in the second round to win the WBC Heavyweight Title. He became the youngest world heavyweight champion of all time at 20.
His last fight as a pro was a loss at the hands of Kevin McBride in 2005. Tyson has competed in exhibition bouts before; he faced Corey Sanders in 2006. Here is some information on the opponents Amatruda has in mind for Tyson:
Barry Hall, one of the top forwards in the Australian Football League, played from 1996 until 2011. The 43-year-old was Player of the Year in 2005 and became the first player to kick 100 goals for three AFL teams. He made his professional boxing debut in 2019 against Gallen, fighting to a majority decision draw.
Gallen is a former member of the National Rugby League’s Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, where he won the 2016 NRL Premiership. While playing rugby, Gallen started boxing in 2012 following a charity event in New Zealand. He turned professional in 2014 and continues to fight when the timing is right. With five wins via knockout, Gallen has managed to turn some heads.
Sonny Bill Williams currently plays rugby for the Toronto Wolfpack of the Betfred Super League. He is a multiple-time Cup winner, most recently winning the Freedom and Bledisloe Cup. Making his professional boxing debut in 2009, Williams has won both the NZPBA and WBA International Heavyweight Titles. His last bout was a unanimous decision win over Chauncey Welliver.
Amatruda has made it a point that he contacted celebrity agent Max Markson to offer Tyson $1 million to compete in Australia. Tyson never fought in the area, but was involved in the advertising for an Ultra campaign. In his brief interactions with Tyson, Amatruda saw nothing but good spirits from him.
“The first thing I did was contact (celebrity agent) Max Markson and ask him to offer Tyson $1 million,” Amatruda went on to say. “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.
“He was always very easy to work with and eager to please. He loved signing autographs and interacting with his fans.”
Amatruda is waiting for the coronavirus pandemic to subside and for Tyson to be allowed a visa into the country. From there, negotiations may very well take place for a Tyson return.