Tyson Fury has revealed the staggering sum Mike Tyson wanted for a potential clash in the ring. Despite the heavyweight boxing sensation expressing willingness to take on the American legend, it seems financial expectations were too high to make the dream match a reality.

The ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’ is poised for a gala return to the ring against social media influencer turned boxer Jake Paul on November 15 at the prestigious AT&T Arena in Texas. While Tyson has been out of professional boxing since 2005 following a defeat by Kevin McBride, fans were treated to an exhibition match in 2020 when he squared up with Roy Jones Jr.

In an unexpected twist leading up to his bout with Jones Jr, Tyson engaged in a Zoom call discussion about a fight with ‘The Gypsy King’ himself Tyson Fury. Although the British champ was keen on the prospect, the deal crumbled under the weight of Tyson’s extraordinary pay request.

“There was talk of it,” Fury disclosed to IFL TV. “His people contacted me. Mike and I had a phone call. It was all real but never materialized. Whoever was offering the comeback money to Mike offered us peanuts.

“Mike was talking about $500 million figures [half a billion], but what came back to us on paper was a joke. It was crazy. I did have a $10m offer from ESPN to do the fight as an exhibition, but I think everyone has moved on now.”

Following that, Fury went on to face Deontay Wilder in a highly anticipated rematch between the two heavyweight giants, ultimately stopping his rival in the 11th round. He then secured victories over Dillian Whyte, Derek Chisora, and Francis Ngannou, before experiencing his first professional defeat earlier this year against Oleksandr Usyk.

Fury is currently gearing up for a rematch with the Ukrainian, aiming to avoid consecutive losses. Although the exhibition bout with ‘Iron Mike’ never materialised, Fury expressed his willingness to step into the ring with the former heavyweight champion.

“I would have loved to share the ring with him and move around,” he continued. “But if he had won, then people would have said I was rubbish because a 53-year-old beat me.

“If I had beaten him, then I would have been a bully. It was a lose-lose situation for me. It was money; I didn’t need to fight a man past his best.” 

The boxing community has raised eyebrows at the prospect of a clash between Tyson and Paul, with skepticism also surrounding Tyson’s dedication to his upcoming match.

Fans are cautious as the esteemed ‘Iron Mike’ made a surprising revelation on Jimmy Kimmel’s show about his current training regime. The boxing legend informed the astonished host, “I am training extremely hard, I do six hours a day.