“I. AM. BACK.”

54-year-old Mike Tyson needed no more than these three words to send his fans into a frenzy and all hyped up for September 12th.

Yes, ‘Iron Mike’ is coming out of retirement for an eight-round exhibition at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.

It’s been 15 years since Tyson’s otherwise impressive career came to a halt with Kevin McBride exhausting all the fight out of him in six rounds.

Despite this rather disgraceful exit, Tyson is ready to dazzle with a once-in-a-lifetime chance to reclaim his title as a boxing GOAT.

“I feel like I took better care of my body and my state of mind than most of the fighters before me that retired and came back,” Tyson told ESPN.

A Worthy Opponent

So who bit the bullet?

Well, it’s none other than Roy Jones, the four-weight world champion who at his peak was considered one of the most sublime athletes to grace the ring.

“I had no intention of going back and fighting and fighting again but, for the sake of Mike Tyson, I agree to make an exception,” he told Sky News 

“For me, this is an opportunity that I cannot refuse. Of all those who wanted to go into the right with him, he chose me. And since he did that, how can I say no?”

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Unfortunately, the two superstars are way beyond their prime, so both will be wearing headgear and oversized gloves for maximum protection during the bout.

Likewise, CBS reports that the referee will have the authority “to stop the fight if it strays outside the boundaries of a competitive boxing exhibition.”

Gearing Up Against ‘Emptiness’

Never mind -- for ‘Iron Mike,’ a knockout is not necessary. Just getting back into the scene is enough to fill the ‘emptiness’ of retirement.

Four months ago, the relentless fighter was not able to hold his tears back as he talked about his legendary past and lamented that “those days are gone.” 

In this episode of the ‘Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson podcast,’ cried about missing the person he used to be.

“I know the art of fighting,” he said. “I know the art of war. That’s all I’ve ever studied. That’s why I’m so feared. That’s why they feared me when I was in the ring. I was an annihilator. That’s all I was born for. Now those days are gone. It’s empty. I’m nothing. I’m not that person anymore.”

Well, on September 12th, Mike will be that person again. For one last time, he will get to do the one thing he was born for -- and history will be there to bear witness.