Mike Tyson to announce 10 further bouts

By Ant Evans: Despite him losing three of his last four bouts - all inside the distance - the public fascination with the now 40-year-old Mike Tyson continues to the point where any comeback would probably excite fan interest and draw crowds happy for even a mirage of the fighting machine who ruled boxing in the 1980s.

Now it appears a Las Vegas hotel and the Japanese mixed martial arts promotion Pride are poised to test that theory, with a confirmation expected at a press conference next week that Tyson will lace up the gloves once more in a series of exhibition matches.

According to the Las Vegas Review Journal Tyson, whose financial troubles are well documented, will have at least three of a proposed 10 exhibition bouts at the Aladdin and also hold one hour training sessions at the hotel which will be open to the public (please, no jokes about that's longer than he's trained for a fight in years).

There are also rumours that Tyson will appear on an upcoming Las Vegas Pride pay-per-view - again in an exhibition bout contested under Queensbury rules.

Pride (whose fights are contested in traditional rings, rather than the cages favoured by most MMA promotions) is hoping to break into the lucrative US mixed martial arts PPV market currently dominated by the Las Vegas based Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Tyson punching people in the head for pay, no matter his age for the "exhibition" tag, could draw attention away from the UFC and perhaps help create a market for Pride in the US.

If these reports prove accurate, there are plenty of historical precedents of faded former heavyweight champions fighting on in exhibition bouts long after their career proper had ended.

Jack Johnson, the first ever black heavyweight champion, gave exhibitions while serving jail time, and a 40-something Jack Dempsey fought in a series of fights against wrestlers and (American) football players when retirement threatened to get too boring for him in the 1940s.

What do YOU think? If Tyson does return to action in exhibition bouts - would you be interested in seeing them? Would you buy a ticket or a Pride PPV to see the 40-year-old in action? Is Tyson embarrassing himself once again, or is he merely a man trying to make a buck by plying his trade? Hit the blue "Ask the Editors" button below and let us know what is on your mind - the best questions will be answered by Ant and the boys on the site.