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Boxing

Two decades after refusal to disrespect 'calibre of fighter', Mike Tyson returns for Jake Paul encounter

Two decades after refusal to disrespect 'calibre of fighter', Mike Tyson returns for Jake Paul encounterJustin Setterfield/Getty Images
Having hung up his professional gloves with a desire to not disrespect his opponents, does a clash with a YouTuber-turned-fighter change the game for Iron Mike?

Mike Tyson will end a near-two-decade hiatus from professional boxing when he steps out of retirement to face Jake Paul this month - in a fight that's a far cry from his heyday.

Fifty-eight and more than three decades older than his foe, The Baddest Man on the Planet still looks set to have the blockbuster draw he once had for this comeback clash.

But even with an opponent like the YouTuber-turned-fighter - who previously was beneath Tyson on his undercard against Roy Jones Jr. - there is a marked contrast to Iron Mike.

Nineteen years after his last professional fight, it is worth remembering just what kind of figure  the legendary heavyweight cut as he stepped out of the ring for the last time.

Then, Tyson had faced off with Irishman Kevin McBride, a journeyman fighter, for what he later admitted was simply a payday. By reputation, the former trumped him in name.

But it was clear the American had little left to give, and he retired halfway through the contest, at the start of the seventh round, effectively ending his thirty-year career.

Speaking afterwards, Tyson had been adamant that he wished to carry on, but it had dawned on him during the first six rounds he had nothing more to give.

"I would have liked to continue, but I saw that I was getting beat on," he said. "I don't have it anymore. I've got the ability to stay in shape, but I don't have the fight and guts.

mike-tyson-mcbride-getty-ftr(Getty Images)

"I'm just sorry I let everybody down. I don't have this in my heart anymore. I'm just fighting to take care of my bills. I don't have the stomach for this kind of work no more.

"I don't have that ferocity. I'm not an animal anymore. I'm not going to fight again. I'm not going to disrespect anymore by losing to this calibre of fighter."

Two decades down the line, the question lingers as to just what has reignited Tyson's passion for the ring. There is no obligation for this clash with Paul to be a professional dance.

Perhaps the clues lie in his changing views of modern combat sports. He has already spoken about his admiration of that new breed - the social media star-turned-boxer.

There is little doubt that Paul is a draw too, a post-millennium pop-culture behemoth for Generation Z and the new legions of fans he has turned onto the sport.

But maybe it comes down to those final words all those years ago too. At the end of the day, for all his efforts, Paul is yet to truly mix it with a seasoned fighter.

He remains untested at the top, by old legends or the new guard. Tyson presents that challenge for him - and in turn, offers the legend a fighter without that crucial calibre.

Defeat here for a 58-year-old man will bring no shame to a star whose lengthy career saw him scale to the summit of the world twice.

But nor would victory change a legacy too that might have otherwise risked a bizarre footnote if he had truly gone the Rocky Balboa route in search of success once more.

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