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Mike Tyson is looking outside boxing to pay some of his debts.
The former heavyweight champion has signed a deal with a martial arts promoter in an effort to diversify his income. The agreement, according to Japan's K-1 organization, gives it certain management rights and rights of refusal for Tyson's activities in Japan.
It apparently, however, doesn't call for Tyson to engage in a martial arts contest with K-1 star Bob Sapp, who Tyson challenged after viewing one of his matches in Las Vegas earlier this month.
"I'm confident I could beat him,'' the 29-year-old former NFL lineman said Monday. "I know he wants to fight me, and all we have to do now is work out the rules.''
Sapp and Tyson engaged in a heated verbal exchange on Aug. 15 in Las Vegas after Sapp defeated American Kimo Leopoldo in the K-1 World GP 2003.
K-1 combines karate, taekwondo and kickboxing. Bouts are regularly staged before crowds of up to 70,000 in Japan.
Sapp, nicknamed "The Beast,'' is a 6-foot-7, 350-pound former Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman.
Tyson, who hasn't fought since stopping Clifford Etienne in February, recently filed for bankruptcy protection in New York. Recent filings indicate Tyson owes $17 million in back taxes and another $10 million in other debts.
The former heavyweight champion has signed a deal with a martial arts promoter in an effort to diversify his income. The agreement, according to Japan's K-1 organization, gives it certain management rights and rights of refusal for Tyson's activities in Japan.
It apparently, however, doesn't call for Tyson to engage in a martial arts contest with K-1 star Bob Sapp, who Tyson challenged after viewing one of his matches in Las Vegas earlier this month.
"I'm confident I could beat him,'' the 29-year-old former NFL lineman said Monday. "I know he wants to fight me, and all we have to do now is work out the rules.''
Sapp and Tyson engaged in a heated verbal exchange on Aug. 15 in Las Vegas after Sapp defeated American Kimo Leopoldo in the K-1 World GP 2003.
K-1 combines karate, taekwondo and kickboxing. Bouts are regularly staged before crowds of up to 70,000 in Japan.
Sapp, nicknamed "The Beast,'' is a 6-foot-7, 350-pound former Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman.
Tyson, who hasn't fought since stopping Clifford Etienne in February, recently filed for bankruptcy protection in New York. Recent filings indicate Tyson owes $17 million in back taxes and another $10 million in other debts.
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