Boxing: McBride awaits as Tyson heads back to the ring

Mike Tyson has signed a contract to fight the Irishman Kevin McBride at Washington's MCI Center on 11 June.

Mike Tyson has signed a contract to fight the Irishman Kevin McBride at Washington's MCI Center on 11 June.

His manager, Shelly Finkel, said that Tyson, who has been training in Arizona, renewed his licence with the DC Boxing and Wrestling Commission this week. The former undisputed world champion has not fought since being knocked out in the fourth round by Danny Williams in Louisville last July.

Tyson, 38, filed for bankruptcy last year despite career earnings of more than £200m and Finkel said his client is more than £20m in debt. McBride had been lined up to face him last year before Williams agreed to take less money for the fight.

McBride 6ft 6in and 31 years old, was born in Clones, Ireland, but is now based in Massachusetts and has campaigned mostly in the United States. He has a 32-4-1 professional record, winning his last seven fights inside the distance. But he has been found out in previous forays towards the top level, being stopped by both Axel Schulz and DaVarryl Williamson.

McBride defeated Kevin Montiy, the Michigan-based boxer, by technical knockout on 18 March in his last fight.

Tyson became the world heavyweight champion in 1986 when he knocked out Trevor Berbick and has a 50-5 record with 44 knockouts. The stoppage by Williams was his first fight in 17 months and his first defeat in a non-title bout.

He has entered the ring just once a year since 2001, earning a technical knockout victory over Brian Nielsen in October of that year, getting knocked out by Lennox Lewis in June 2002, and knocking out Clifford Etienne in February 2003.