As BoxingScene.com previously reported, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship [BKFC] is willing to pay Mike Tyson more than $20 million for one bare knuckle bout.
Tyson had already rejected the offer of $20 million – and the promotion is going to submit an increased offer.
And BKFC views MMA legend Wanderlei Silva as the perfect opponent to get in the ring against Tyson.
According to Silva, BKFC reached out to him with an offer of $10 million to fight Tyson in a bare knuckle boxing match.
Silva agreed to the terms with no hesitation.
Silva, who turns 44 in July, has been out of the cage since September 2018, when he was knocked out in two rounds by Rampage Jackson. His MMA record stands at 35-14-1 with one no-contest.
Tyson, nearly 54-years-old, has been out of the ring since 2005, when he was stopped by heavyweight journeyman Kevin McBride.
The former undisputed heavyweight champion has been actively training for a ring return. He wants to take part in a few exhibition fights to raise money for charity.
Silva believes a fight with Tyson would do tremendous business on pay-per-view.
“This fight has everything to sell a lot, especially now that everyone is stuck at home (due to the coronavirus pandemic),” Silva told MMA Fighting. “It would be the perfect moment to book a fight like this.
“[BKFC President] David [Feldman] came to me once and said, ‘Look, you’re the first fighter that came to mind when I created this promotion. They offered me a few names in the past, but I said no – those names and that money weren’t worth the risk. To do something this crazy and fight without gloves again, it has to be something really advantageous in terms of name recognition and prize.
“He asked me if I would agree to fight Mike Tyson, if I had the guts to fight Mike Tyson with no gloves. [I said], ‘Look, first you have to ask Tyson if he has the guts to fight me without gloves.’ I was a world champion (in MMA), [and] I fought with bare hands before, and he never did. I think it would be a memorable fight.
“There’s nothing going on right now, so a fight like this has everything to generate more money than (Floyd) Mayweather’s fights because of the entertainment and other factors. He’s aggressive and so am I; I’m in great shape both mentally and physically, so it has everything to be a great show for everyone.”