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The rumors of Mike Tyson allegedly fighting Fedor Emelianenko in a boxing match have been debunked.
In November 2020, Tyson returned to the boxing ring after a 15-year layoff for a controversial exhibition bout against Roy Jones Jr. ‘Iron’ arguably should’ve won the eight-round fight, which was scored a draw.
Most people believed Tyson’s friendly battle with Jones Jr. would be the last time he would step into the boxing ring for an official match. Yet, the combat sports community was set on fire earlier this week when “Home of Fight” posted this message on Twitter:
“Fedor Emelianenko and Mike Tyson have agreed to a boxing match. They are searching for an organization that can facilitate the fight. Source: Fedor himself.”
Fans were quickly filled with nostalgia, as Tyson and Emelianenko are considered two of the greatest heavyweights in their respective sports. Unfortunately, the excitement was short-lived because Chisanga Malata of Sun Sport debunked the rumors by saying this on Twitter:
“EXCLUSIVE Contrary to reports, Mike Tyson is NOT in negotiations to box MMA icon Fedor Emelianenko in Saudi. His reps told me today: "This is false. "Mr. Tyson has not spoken to anyone in his camp. "He is not interested in doing a fight with him now or in the future."”
Check out Malata’s official report below:
When did Mike Tyson and Fedor Emelianenko last fight?
Before fighting Roy Jones Jr., Mike Tyson’s last professional boxing match was against Kevin McBride in May 2005. At the time, Tyson’s career was spiraling out of control before he quit on the stool against McBride for his third loss in four fights.
Following the disappointing performance, Tyson officially retired from professional boxing matches.
As for Fedor Emelianenko, the MMA legend spent the remainder of his career with Bellator after fighting in various promotions, including Strikeforce, Pride and Affliction. In February 2023, Emelianenko fought in his retirement fight against Ryan Bader for the Bellator heavyweight title.
Emelianenko lost by first-round knockout, but he received a special farewell as a handful of fellow MMA pioneers joined him in the cage. It seems the Russian heavyweight great is still interested in fighting Tyson, but only time will tell if that materializes.
