Mike Tyson’s former foe, Danny Williams, has signed a contract to return to the ring at 51 years old against disgraced boxer Ike Ibeabuchi.

Williams, who famously knocked out an ageing ‘Iron Mike’ in July 2004, is a cautionary tale for rugged veterans struggling to let the sport go.

Ibeabuchi's career was cut short while he was 20-0 as a professional
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Ibeabuchi’s career was cut short while he was 20-0 as a professionalCredit: Getty
The well-travelled Brit turned over as a professional in 1995 and won the British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles in 2001 by stopping Julius Francis.

His win over Tyson is the crowning achievement of a punishing run in the pros and led to a WBC heavyweight title shot against Vitali Klitschko.

Williams was stopped in the third round, and in the years that followed, his career took a steep, unforgiving decline.

‘Dynamite Dan’ has suffered 23 losses from his last 34 fights, with most of those coming by way of knockout.

The 88-fight (55-33) veteran has been knocked out a remarkable 17 times, but on July 5, he is due to return to the ring against 52-year-old Ibeabuchi.

“Ready Fight Contract, between I and Danny Williams, valid until July 5, 2025,” read a post on X from Ibeabuchi, accompanied by an image of a contract signed by both fighters and Chad Racker, the director of Prizefighting Promotions LLC.

The document reads: “The parties hereto have executed this Bout Agreement as of the dates set forth below, the latter of which will be the effective date.”

“All I can say right now is that (Danny) Williams vs Ike(Ibeabuchi) is not on,” he told the boxing publication.

“I’ll let you know if things change.”

Ibeabuchi and Williams have signed a contract to fight in July
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Ibeabuchi and Williams have signed a contract to fight in July
While Williams fought as recently as August 2023, Ibeabuchi hasn’t stepped between the ropes since he blasted away Chris Byrd in five rounds back in March 1999.

Ibeabuchi was a serious contender in the 1990s and was on the verge of a world title at the turn of the century after compiling an unblemished 20-0 record.

However, his career was cut short before he could land his shot at heavyweight gold.

In 1999, four months removed from his career-best triumph over the previously unbeaten Byrd, Ibeabuchi was arrested after taking a Las Vegas call girl hostage.

Ibeabuchi trapped the woman in a cupboard in his hotel room, barricaded himself in the bathroom and only surrendered to police when pepper spray was discharged under the door.

The 21-year-old stripper claimed she was attacked by Ibeabuchi after she demanded to be paid upfront.

His legal defence faced further difficulty due to the reopening of a similar sexual assault allegation against him from eight months prior.

Ibeabuchi was released on bail and placed under house arrest, but was remanded after two more sexual assault allegations were made against him.

He was sentenced to 2-10 years for battery with intent to commit a crime, and 3-20 years for attempted sexual assault after being deemed incompetent to stand trial due to his bipolar disorder.

Williams stopped Tyson in 2004
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Williams stopped Tyson in 2004Credit: Rex Features
In November 2015, he was released from prison and started to make inroads towards a boxing comeback.

However, just five months later, he was arrested once again after violating the conditions of his probation and was forced to serve an additional four years in prison.

The Nigerian boxer was eventually released in September 2020 and has been a free man for just over five years now.

Ibeabuchi was initially due to face Egypt’s Ayman Farouk Abbas in Nigeria last December, but nothing ever came to fruition.