Mike Tyson's £385m demand ended potential exhibition classic against Tyson Fury

Plans for a high-profile bout between and collapsed when one side demanded an excessive fee. 'The Gypsy King' once revealed discussions for an exhibition match between the two were very much alive, but negotiations broke down when 'Iron Mike' requested a staggering £385million payment for his participation.

Fury - who was named after the former unified world heavyweight champion - was at the peak of his career having recently defeated Deontay Wilder for the first time when he disclosed this information. The 36-year old expressed his eagerness to face a legend of the sport.

"I did get a phone call with a chance to fight Mike Tyson," Fury told BT Sport in 2020. "I was like, 'What?' Yeah, I had a phone call saying, 'Would you like to fight Mike Tyson in an exhibition fight?' I was like, 'Hell yeah!'"

Unfortunately, the match never came to be, and 'The Baddest Man on the Planet' instead squared off against fellow legend Roy Jones Jr in an exhibition in November 2020. Fast forward to the present day, and 58-year-old Tyson is set to make a serious comeback from retirement when he takes on over eight two-minute rounds on November 15.

In an interview with iFL TV in October this year, Fury detailed that money was the deal-breaker: "There was talk of it. His people contacted me. Mike and I had a phone call. It was all real but never materialised.

"Whoever was offering the comeback money to Mike offered us peanuts. Mike was talking about $500m figures [half a billion], but what came back to us on paper was a joke. It was crazy. I did have a $10m (£7.5m) offer from ESPN to do the fight as an exhibition, but I think everyone has moved on now."

Despite the buzz around Tyson's upcoming fracas with Paul, a face-off between the Tysons would have been a blockbuster clash of a lifetime. Pitting heavyweight champions from different dynasties and with Fury being undefeated at the time, the showdown could have been an exhibition clash for the ages.

Ahead of his fight with Paul, Tyson may be contemplating his last dance in the professional ring. Talks suggest that following this rumble with Paul, he might hang up his gloves once and for all.

Despite these retirement rumours, the legendary puncher hasn't shut the door on continuing his combat career. However, the prospect of a punch-up between him and Fury could be gone for good.