Boxing's comeback culture may have reached its nadir after Evander Holyfield indicated he could fight Mike Tyson for a third time.

Almost a quarter of a century since part of his ear was bitten off by his American rival, Holyfield said he and fellow old-stager Tyson could get into the ring again for an exhibition fight.

Both men have in recent days declared they will pull the boxing gloves on again and fight, with 57-year-old Holyfield and 53-year-old Tyson having spent years in retirement.

Four-time world heavyweight champion Holyfield has not fought since May 2011, when he knocked out Brian Nielsen in his 57th professional outing, and he quit in 2014.

        View this post on Instagram                   I’m a Bad Boy for Life. Watch #BadBoysforLife now on DVD Blueray @willsmith @martinlawrence #stillthebaddestmanontheplanet A post shared by Mike Tyson (@miketyson) on May 1, 2020 at 12:07pm PDT

He intends to return to the ring to raise funds for charity Unite 4 Our Fight, revealing Riddick Bowe would be his preferred opponent.

But when asked about the prospect of facing Tyson again, Holyfield told TMZ Sports: "It wouldn't bother me to do so. I'm always thinking that the person who takes care of themselves well, they're the ones that tend to last even though I'm four years older than him. It would be no problem.

"My manager, he had talks and all that, but the fact is with me personally I think that's for me to ask; the only person I would actually really ask is Riddick Bowe because me and him are buddies."

Bowe, like Tyson and Holyfield, is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, and the 52-year-old has not fought since 2008.

Holyfield was asked about his relationship with Tyson, more than two decades on from the shameful scenes in Las Vegas that saw Tyson disqualified from their second world title fight, and said the pair now get along.

"I would think so," he said. "Life's about two people really trusting each other and what can we do now."

And Holyfield said the ear injury that Tyson inflicted on him was a reminder less of the bite, but of the $35million he said he received for that 1997 bout at the MGM Grand.

The first fight between the two in 1996 saw Holyfield stop Tyson in the penultimate round to win the WBA heavyweight belt, with the 1997 rematch going down as one of sport's most extraordinary occasions.