Mike Tyson has already made fight plans and rematch stances clear after Jake Paul

Despite being past his prime at 58, Mike Tyson hasn’t ruled out returning to the squared-circle after his November showdown with Jake Paul – and he’s mentioned names he may wish to revisit

Mike Tyson has said that he’s not opposed to getting back into the ring after his upcoming fight with Jake Paul.

While the former WBA, WBC and IBF heavyweight title holder hasn’t stepped into the squared-circle in a professional setting since his 2005 loss to Kevin McBride, ‘Iron’ Mike is set to make a grand return when he takes on YouTuber-turned-pugilist Paul come November 15.

In what is predicted to be a showdown for the ages, a hard-hitting 50-6-2(NC) Tyson will step into the ring with ‘Problem Child’ Paul, who has carved out an illustrious record of 10-1 since making his pro debut back in 2020. And while many fight fans worry that the youth, athleticism, and activity of Paul may prove too much for Tyson, the 58-year-old is raring to put on a show at the ATandT Stadium in Arlington, Texas and will believe in his own skills and capabilities in getting the win.

While boxing promoter Eddie Hearn famously branded the bout as a “freak show” that “not one boxing person” wants to see, Tyson has showed a sense of enjoyment at the prospect of a late career resurgence, telling a press conference in May: “Hey, this has been pretty fun. Maybe we’ll do it again, yeah.”

He was quick to shut down any names in particular in that instance, adding: “Can I take care of Jake first, please?” But ‘Iron Mike’ has previously noted that there are some historical fights that he may want to revisit down the line, as well as a number of current stars who he may want to face.

Speaking to Fox Sports in 2020, Tyson was asked if he would ever consider facing Evander Holyfield in a trilogy fight, to which he responded: “Absolutely. Holyfield, Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder.” However, when asked if he wanted to “legitimately” fight for a heavyweight world title at his age, he added: “Hell no, I’m talking about exhibitions man. Helping people and stuff, that’s bigger than a title. The title’s nothing man, it’s not even real gold – it’s tin and metal.”

Tyson famously lost his WBA strap to Holyfield in November 1996 when he was bested by an 11th-round TKO. The immediate rematch the following year was a far more fiery state of affairs, which saw Tyson disqualified in the third round for ripping a chunk out of Holyfield’s ear with a bite.

Despite having two exhibition bouts to his name against Mitt Romney and Vitor Belfort, a more relaxed bout between Holyfield and Tyson is yet to make it past the 2020 conversation on Mike’s part. Roy Jones Jr, meanwhile also flirted with the idea of a rematch with Tyson following their own 2020 exhibition bout entitled ‘Lockdown Knockdown’.

The two warriors went to war over the course of eight rounds at the Staples Centre in November 2020, in a bout which was ultimately scored as a draw by the WBC after going the distance. While Tyson was content with the showing, Jones Jr told BT Sports Box Office after the bout: “I don’t do draws man, but I understand why they say certain things are buckets lists, because when he hits you, if it’s his head, his punches, his body shots, it don’t matter.

“Everything hurts. For me, I thought I did enough boxing on the outside, but I’m cool with the draw. We might have to do it again.”

An exhibition rematch between the two former world champions is yet to have come to fruition. Should Tyson hope for a rematch with Paul after their showdown next month, he may have to wait a little longer than he wants to.

That’s because the 27-year-old last week announced that he hopes to take a break from boxing for a little while after the upcoming clash of the titans, telling streamer Adin Ross: “I feel like I’m gonna take a little break. I’m gonna pull an Adin Ross and just disappear, man. I’m just gonna go off-grid.

“I’m gonna keep fighting for sure. But I think my plan is to just get through November 15, have the best performance possible, knock Mike Tyson out and then just see how I’m feeling based off of that.”