Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield To Fight Again in 2010?

The web site www.ringsidereport.com reported yesterday that “Iron” Mike Tyson is considering coming out of retirement to fight Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield later this year.

The aforementioned site quoted a source close to Tyson who said that, “His former promoter, Don King, has a tentative deal for Tyson to return to the ring in late 2010. The initial plan is to have Tyson-Holyfield III, but there is rumored hesitation on the part of ‘Iron’ Mike, and there is a plan B.”

Tyson (50-6, 4 KOs), a former undisputed heavyweight champion who remains the youngest man to ever win the WBC, WBA and IBF titles, was last seen during his memorable cameo appearances in last summer’s hit movie, The Hangover .

In the flick, Tyson’s portly build made Jessica Simpson look frail.

Tyson, ranked No. 16 on Ring Magazine ’s list of the 100 greatest punchers of all-time, was an extraordinary talent in the ring and his intimidating style and presence will be forever remembered by fans.

Nevertheless, Tyson is now 43 years of age and he was utterly shellacked by subpar pugilists Kevin McBride (34-6-1, 29 KOs) and Danny Williams (41-8, 31 KOs) in consecutive bouts before he retired in August 2005.

For as worn and weathered as “Iron Mike” is, Holyfield (42-10-2, 27 KOs) is possibly in worse overall condition than even Tyson.

Holyfield, 47, the only fighter to ever win the heavyweight title on four separate occasions, was banned from boxing by the New York State Athletic Commission in August 2005 due to his “diminishing skills.”

“The Real Deal” somehow managed to get sanctioned by alternate governing bodies and he was defeated in his last two matches by Nikolai Valuev (50-2, 34 KOs) and Sultan Ibragimov (22-1-1, 17 KOs).

To compound his plights, Holyfield has long been a rumored juicehead and he recently was accused of hitting and choking his wife.

If these two greats from yesteryear tangle for a third-time, it will be an utter carnival act or either Tyson or Holyfield will get seriously injured in the bout.

Famed sportswriter Jimmy Cannon once aptly called boxing, “The red light district of sports.”

If Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield battle again for the first time since June 1997, boxing will be more rogue than it ever has been before.