Boxing's once and forever Man of the Ear and the youngest heavyweight champ in history has recast himself as a promoter and raconteur, writes Murray Greig.

It's been 28 years since a truculent ball of hate named Mike Tyson exploded on the scene like a cruise missile and became the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history. And it's been eight years since he retired following an ignominious KO at the hands of journeyman Kevin McBride. But now the sport's once and forever Man of the Ear is back with a bang. He'll make his promotional debut on Friday night at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York, fronting the IBF super featherweight title clash between champion Argenis Mendez (21-2) of Argentina and Canadian challenger Arash Usmanee (20-1).

Tyson opened Wednesday's final media conference by introducing himself ... and apologizing for his fractured pronunciation of some of the fighter's names.