MIKE TYSON turned down £16milion to make his bare-knuckle boxing debut – as he looks to focus on a comeback next month.
After the heavyweight legend, 54, announced plans to fight for the first time in 15 years he was inundated with wildcard proposals.
Bare-knuckle Boxing Fighting Championship promoter David Feldman twice tried to convince Iron Mike to fight with exposed fists.
But he has officially given up with Tyson instead focusing on his return to boxing, which is supposedly taking place next month.
Feldman told Ring Magazine: “We offered Tyson $20million (£16m) and some additional benefits, but he turned it down.
“Who knows what’s going to happen with Mike Tyson.
“(His management team) said he was going to fight in July already, but then they said he was going to fight in August, so who knows what’s going to happen with him.”
Tyson has been training since March with MMA mastermind Rafael Cordeiro.
The American was even offered a bare-knuckle bout against one of Cordeiro’s former fighters Wanderlei Silva.
But according to Ring Magazine, the American has no plans to make the switch.
A source said: “His people told me last week that Mike wasn’t even considering bare-knuckle.”
