By Jake Donovan

As quickly as he was able to dispatch a number of heavyweights once upon a time during his rise to stardom, Mike Tyson wasted no time in shutting down absurd rumors of a comeback.

The former heavyweight king—who turns 49 later this month—was somehow linked to a possible ring return versus fellow gray beard James Toney. Such a matchup—which would have a hard time gaining sanctioning in any state whose commission boasts a modicum of respect—was denied by Tyson himself.

“I am not going to fight James Toney,” Tyson confirmed Wednesday morning through his verified social media account. 

For what it’s worth, Toney—who will celebrate his 47th birthday in August—hasn’t fought since Nov. ’13, a (somewhat) shocking three-round decision loss to journeyman Jason Gavern in the semifinal round of a Prizefighter-Heavyweight tournament in London. The former three-division champ has been well past his prime for more than a decade. 

Tyson’s last fight took place 10 years ago, a 5th round knockout loss at the hands of Kevin McBride. The June ’05 bout marked Tyson’s second consecutive knockout defeat, convincing the one-time baddest man on the planet to retire, exiting the game with a record of 50-6-0-2NC (44KOS). 

His incredible career—which included two separate tours as a champion, including his becoming the youngest ever (at age 20) to win a major heavyweight title—was properly recognized by the members of the Boxing Writers Association of America, as he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Tyson was part of a star-studded Class of 2011 which also included Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. and Kostya Tszyu.

As for the source of a rumored comeback, Tyson’s name was in headlines in recent days due to a pair of anniversaries. 

June 11 marked the 10-year anniversary of his last fight, the aforementioned loss to McBride. Three days prior came the 13th anniversary of his 8th round knockout loss to Lennox Lewis, at the time establishing the mark for the highest-grossing Pay-Per-View event in boxing history. The financial benchmark has since been surpassed three times, all of which were PPV events headlined by Floyd Mayweather Jr. 

In the 10 years since his last fight, Tyson has appeared in various mediums, including acting both on stage and on the big screen. He also attempted a brief promotional stint, merging with Acquinity Sports to form Iron Mike Productions in 2013. The venture lasted less than 18 months before folding up shop in late 2014, with the majority of the fighters having since joined Al Haymon's Premier Boxing Champions stable.

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox