3 potential bouts for Mike Tyson's boxing comeback

Even though he’s been out of the ring for 15 years, there’s no denying the magnetism of "Iron" Mike Tyson. The 53-year-old former heavyweight champion has set the boxing world on fire with news of his imminent comeback.

Let's examine who may be on Tyson's shortlist for his first post-retirement bout.

Evander Holyfield

Perhaps no fighter is more intertwined with Tyson’s legacy than "The Real Deal." The two rivals clashed in a pair of legendary bouts in the 90s, both won by Holyfield, including the infamous bite fight that sent shockwaves through the media.

Holyfield, now 57, posted his own workout in response to Tyson’s vid, and issued a challenge to his former rival. While the bad blood between the two cooled in the decades since their fights, both fighters may see this as a last ditch effort to make one final big score. If Tyson is making a proper return to the ring, the odds are that Holyfield will be his opponent, and there would be no hotter ticket anywhere.

Shannon Briggs

Fellow former champion Briggs came into his prime as Tyson was exiting his, and the two walked parallel paths for the majority of their careers with nary a mention of a potential clash. However, the 48-year-old Briggs is trying to lure Tyson into a bare knuckle boxing match that would be an unavoidable freak show if it actually were to happen.

The heavy-handed Briggs has been out of the ring for some time, though has desperately attempted to position himself for a lucrative payday that has avoided him his entire career. We’d be quick to see how much Tyson has left in the tank, especially as the asthmatic Briggs has a smaller gas tank than Tyson. Tyson’s temper and Briggs’ borderline insanity would make for an incredible press tour, and should the two meet be it bare knuckle or conventional boxing, this fight wouldn’t go beyond six rounds and fans accustomed to Tyson’s violent style would go home happy.

Danny Williams

If Tyson is looking for some measure of revenge or redemption in his comeback, then he’ll look no further than former conqueror Danny Williams. Williams shockingly defeated Tyson back in 2004, stopping him in four rounds in his second-to-last fight.

Though Williams used the Tyson fight to springboard into a horrifying beating at the hands of then champion Vitali Klitschko, Williams was always a regional journeyman at best, and is still competing today. From what we’ve seen of Williams lately, he’s a man fighting well past his expiration date and can barely scrape past only the most unworthy of competitors.

Though Williams doesn’t have the name value of a Holyfield or Briggs, Tyson may finally get some semblance of closure in beating a man who had no business being in the ring with him in the first place.

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