A Mike Tyson Fight Would Be the Perfect Quarantine Event: TRAINA THOUGHTS

A comeback match for 53-year-old Mike Tyson is what sports fans need right now during the pandemic.

1. Sports fans are beyond thirsty for anything new right now. Just look at the ratings for the NFL draft, The Last Dance and the Match 2, which drew 5.8 million viewers for Turner on Sunday, making it the most-watched golf match ever on cable.

It's not rocket science to realize that people trapped at home leads to high TV ratings. Sports fans will take anything, and networks are playing into that. ESPN is actually airing some Peloton competition this weekend.

I said in Monday's Traina Thoughts that some network should take a page from The Match's playbook and create a whiffle ball competition involving athletes from all sports. 

But what I'd want to watch right now more than anything is 53-year-old Mike Tyson in the ring.

Reports say Tyson, who has recently dropped some impressive workout videos on social media, is in line to get a $20 million offer from something called Bare Knuckle Fighting.

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A post shared by Mike Tyson (@miketyson)

But I don't want Tyson doing something called bare-knuckle fighting. I want him in the boxing ring for an actual fight.

Tyson's last match was a 2005 loss to Kevin McBride. That is not the way Mike Tyson should've gone out. Imagine the hype surrounding a "Tyson redemption" storyline right now while sports are shut down.

Normally, I'd never want to see a 53-year-old man in a boxing match, but after watching those training videos and seeing Tyson's body transformation, I'm all in. I'd even buy the fight on pay-per-view—something I haven't done since ... Mike Tyson was still boxing.

Finding an opponent won't be easy. I wouldn't want to see Tyson take on 57-year-old Evander Holyfield, who has said he'd have interest in taking on Tyson again. It has to be someone younger. It has to be legit. If a promoter could put that together, interest in the bout would blow away The Last Dance and The Match.

Tyson is currently working with AEW, but this isn't enough.

We need Mike Tyson in the boxing ring for one final fight against a real opponent for the ultimate quarantine event.

2. Former Browns offensive lineman and current NFL Network host Joe Thomas competed on the Rock's NBC competition show Titan Games on Monday night. I'm not familiar with the show or the rules, but I saw this clip of Thomas on Twitter, and it's damn impressive and exciting.

.@Matt1Chan is giving it his all, but @joethomas73 won't be giving up that easily! #TitanGames pic.twitter.com/LJrY1LHgdD

— The Titan Games (@nbctitangames) May 26, 2020

3. Rob Gronkowski, the current WWE 24/7 champion, reading cue cards while cutting a promo on Monday Night Raw was outstanding.

4. Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb. Don't give us gimmicks. Give us sports as is, please. Why do sports networks insist on doing bad things?

5. The latest SI Media Podcast features an interview with Andrew Perloff from The Dan Patrick Show. The Danette talks about testing positive for coronavirus antibodies, the technological issues of doing a radio show from home, his love of crazy hot takes, The Last Dance, sports documentaries we'd like to see, Breakfast Club vs. Sixteen Candles and much more.

You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher and Google Play.

6. RANDOM YOUTUBE VIDEO OF THE DAY: This month marked the 16th anniversary of one of Saturday Night Live's best skits ever.

7. SPORTS HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: Happy 81st birthday to the legendary Brent Musburger.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Stitcher. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter and Instagram.