NEW YORK, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Mike Tyson will fight Ray Mercer on January 19 in a pay-per-view bout between former heavyweight champions, Showtime announced Tuesday. The venue will be announced in the near future.
The former undisputed champion of the world, Tyson is the WBC's No. 1 heavyweight contender, meaning the 35-year-old is in position for a bout with Lennox Lewis.
Lewis regained the WBC and International Boxing Federation belts by knocking out Hasim Rahman in the fourth round of their rematch Saturday night in Las Vegas.
A much-anticipated meeting between Lewis and Tyson could happen in the spring.
Tyson (49-3, 2 NC, 43 KO) recorded a seventh-round technical knockout of Brian Nielsen in Copenhagen, Denmark five weeks ago. It was the first fight in 51 weeks for Tyson, who has never faced Lewis.
On the Tyson-Nielsen undercard, Mercer (29-4-1, 21 KO) knocked out Brian Scott for his sixth straight win.
Mercer, 39, has never been knocked out. He has lost to some pretty good fighters, including Larry Holmes, Evander Holyfield and Lewis.
