One promoter wants Tyson v Williams to take place. Photos / Getty and Photosport
One promoter wants Tyson v Williams to take place. Photos / Getty and Photosport
Australian boxing legend Jeff Fenech has warned that Mike Tyson could put Sonny Bill Williams "in the morgue" if they were to meet in the ring.
Boxing promoter Brian Amatruda has tried to cash in on Tyson's rumoured comeback by attempting to arrange a charity bout against one of several footy sports stars – with reports that an offer of A$1 million is on the table.
Amatruda has promoted cards featuring the likes of Danny Green, Lucas Browne and Anthony Mundine, and told the Daily Mail that several of the part-time boxers who bring in big audiences in Australia – including Williams – would fill Australian arenas if paired up against Tyson.
Fenech, a good friend of the 53-year-old former heavyweight world champ, said the fight is "not going to happen", but if it did, it wouldn't end well for the former footballers.
"Great publicity, but it's not going to happen," Fenech told the Sydney Morning Herald. "They're offering him half a million or a million dollars - he could get more than $20 million to do it in Saudi Arabia. Why would he come here?
"Let me tell you something. If he hits Sonny Bill Williams or Paul Gallen, he will be up for manslaughter.
"I'm serious. If he punched Paul Gallen, he could kill him. These guys have never been punched by somebody like Mike.
"You see what he's doing to the pads, imagine Mike hitting one of those guys with one of those uppercuts. More than likely they will be in the morgue the next day.
"Fighting Sonny Bill? Who has Sonny Bill fought? Sonny Bill won't even fight Paul Gallen because I don't believe he can beat him."
One promoter wants Tyson v Williams to take place. Photos / Getty and Photosport
Amatruda claims he has already begun the process of trying to get Tyson to Australia.
"The first thing I did was contact (celebrity agent) Max Markson and ask him to offer Tyson $1 million," he said. "Max brought him to Australia in 2012. He gets on well with him and his wife but the main thing is that he got him a visa to get into the country back then and that's the key."
Tyson got a visa to visit in Australia in 2012, a week after he was denied one by the New Zealand government, due to being convicted of rape in the US in 1992.
As for Williams, the former All Blacks midfielder is now with the Toronto Wolfpack in the Super League, and was reported to be in talks to return to the ring next year against Hall.
Williams has a 7-0 professional record, but has not fought in a pro bout since 2015, or a charity bout since 2018.
Meanwhile, Gallen said he would accept a fight with Tyson if a deal could be reached.
"He was a beast for so long and they say 50 is the new 40, so that might be in his favour," Gallen told wwos.com.au.
"If he's able to get fit, and at age 50 it would be hard, but with his natural ability and power he'd probably compete with a lot of world-ranked heavyweights these days I think.
"Mike Tyson was my hero growing up; not only mine, I'm sure a lot of people's. He was just this phenomenal beast that was 5'11'', looked like half the size of the blokes he was going in against and he'd knock them out with one punch.
"He's an idol of a lot of people and he's probably still the most famous name in boxing. I think it would be great if we could have him in Australia, but I think we have to be realistic.
"I'd be happy for a charity to be involved, but I'd be getting paid for it. You've got to remember, Mike Tyson is Mike Tyson - he hasn't got an off switch, he hasn't got an exhibition fight switch. If he gets in the ring with someone, we've all seen what he's done to people in the past and that mentality is not going to change.
"How could you not want to get in the ring with Mike Tyson."
