Boxing icon Mike Tyson is gearing up for a sensational return to the ring – and previously expressed his readiness to lock horns with heavyweight titans Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, and Deontay Wilder for charity.

Ahead of his much-anticipated fight against YouTube sensation Jake Paul next Friday at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas, Tyson is set to step back into the professional boxing arena for the first time since his 2005 loss to Kevin McBride, his last official bout before an exhibition match with Roy Jones Jr back in 2020 for philanthropic purposes.

The formidable ex-heavyweight champion, known as ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’, seemingly hasn’t lost his edge despite the years away from his heyday. In the buildup to his tie with Jones Jr, which culminated in a draw, Tyson laid out a challenge to the then top dogs of heavyweight boxing—Fury, Wilder, and Joshua—proposing to engage in exhibition bouts with them to benefit charitable causes.

Committed to contributing his earnings from his battle with the boxing legend to those in need, Tyson praised his potential opponents, saying, “I think they’re brilliant,” and further commented, “They’re brilliant fighters. They could do so much for society. They could have exhibitions and take the money from the exhibitions, because they’re such big crowd pleasers and they could help so many people.”

Fury has expressed his passion for giving back, emphatically stating: “There’s so many people out there that we can do so much for, and it wouldn’t even be a 10th of their charitable heart to do something like that. In fact, fight exhibitions with me, and most of our charity would go to people who desperately need it.”

The heavyweight champion revealed earlier in the year his desire to face off against the best in the boxing scene, with lofty goals for charity at the forefront of his mind: “If doing that means we can have bigger charity exponents, well be it, I’m down to do that too,” adding, “This is all being done for charity, and if they’re down to do that, I’m with it too. It’s entertainment, it’s just for charity – it’s for a good cause, but we’re giving our best.”

When asked about a potential clash with Joshua, Tyson couldn’t hide his excitement: “I would love to do that. That would be mind-blowing. I want you to label them as exhibitions because there are no hard feelings. It has a charity exponent and I look at that as bigger than me. ‘Buying a new car, a new girlfriend, a new mansion, a new plane’… that doesn’t do it for me anymore. It just doesn’t work.” Fury touched on the failed negotiations for an exhibition match with Tyson, citing financial disagreements as the reason the bout didn’t come to fruition.