Los Angeles (AFP)

Like Rocky Balboa but not like in the movies: heavyweight legend Mike Tyson, caught up with the boxing bug, will return to the ring at 54 for an exhibition fight, eager to show that he still has some in his gloves .

It is through a poster on the home page of the website of its new sports project "Legends Only League", a league inviting former big names in sport, whatever their specialty, to participate in exhibition events, that Tyson announced he will face compatriot Roy Jones Jr, 51, on September 12 in Los Angeles.

"It's going to be incredible," promised Tyson, interviewed by ESPN, adding that this confrontation, even unofficial, in his eyes was "more competitive than for the show".

No details have yet been unveiled on the conditions of this fight, but its so-called exhibition nature means that the knockout will not be sought. According to Yahoo Sport, the gloves will be smaller and the clash should last 8 rounds.

Tyson brushed aside any notion of danger of serious injury to himself or Jones Jr, arguing that California rules will require both boxers to wear helmets.

"We're both accomplished fighters. We know how to protect ourselves. We'll be fine," continued the former terror heavyweight, who dominated the premier league between the '80s and' 90s during a career spanning very high and very low (50 victories including 44 by KO, 6 defeats), but which left an unforgettable memory among fans of the noble art.

- Another image -

Facing him will be Roy Jones Jr (66 wins including 47 by KO, 9 losses), who was world champion in four categories between 1993 and 2004, first in the middleweight and super-middleweight, then long enough in the light heavyweight, before finally owning the WBA heavyweight belt.

An opponent who has nothing of an expiatory victim, against which Tyson will try to show a different image than his pathetic final defeat fifteen years ago against a virtually unknown, Kevin McBride, then ringing the bell that we believed final.

Especially since the following years were that of an inexorable fall marked by depression, drugs (cocaine) and several arrests for the one who already served in prison, almost at the height of his glory, between 1992 and 1995 for rape of a young woman.

As in a ring, Tyson ended up getting up in real life, between intimate confessions in a one-man show on stage and appearances in the cinema and on reality TV, not to mention a successful legal cannabis business.

- "Scary form" -

With "Legends Only League", here he is at the head of a project to rekindle the flame in other former champions like him. On ESPN, he also hinted that other fights should be announced, in boxing and mixed martial arts, but also 1 against 1 basketball with former NBA stars such as Dennis Rodman, Allen Iverson or again Penny Hardaway.

The comeback of "Iron Mike" had been expected for several weeks. As with a Hollywood blockbuster, he turned up the heat by posting videos of his workouts on social media, where his newfound speed, punching power and fury left a very strong impression.

The internet sphere immediately took off, rumors swirling of a third fight against Evander Holyfield, 57, also seen in training, who had stripped him of the WBC belt in 1996. A year later, Tyson lost a second time, disqualified after biting both ears of his opponent until they blew, receiving an 18-month suspension.

"I've had experiences ... and now I'm back," hammered Tyson, determined to show off the "scary form" he once displayed.

The appointment is set in less than two months at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, city of Los Angeles County, in a room that can accommodate 27,000 people. But given the galloping spread of the coronavirus, it could be in camera.

© 2020 AFP