WATCH | Why Sonny Bill would be smart to turn down Mike Tyson fight

Former All Blacks star Sonny Bill Williams has been linked to a boxing bout with the legendary Mike Tyson.

According to the Daily Mail, Australian promoter Brian Amatruda has approached Tyson's management team about the former world heavyweight champion fighting in Melbourne, listing Williams as an option alongside former rugby league stars Barry Hall and Paul Gallen.

Tyson, now 53, recently revealed he wanted to return to the boxing ring in charity fights. He has been training for the last three weeks under MMA coach Rafael Cordeiro.

"The first thing I did was contact (celebrity agent) Max Markson and ask him to offer Tyson $1 million," Amatruda said.

Reports later added that the figure was bumped up to $3 million in an attempt to lure the former heavyweight champ Down Under.

Williams, who played rugby union and rugby league for New Zealand, has seven professional boxing fights under his belt.

He has won them all, including one against South African heavyweight Francois Botha in Brisbane in February 2013.

However, the South African, nicknamed "White Buffalo", was left fuming after he lost on points in their WBA International heavyweight bout.

Cut short from the original 12 rounds to 10, Williams looked in control for most of the fight.

Botha, however, hit out at officials after the decision was made to shorten the bout, with the South African looking to have worn out Williams by the end of the 10th round.

"You know I love Sonny Bill, I think he's a great guy, a gentleman, but this was bulls**t," Botha said in an interview after the fight.

"If you look at the crowd, you know who won. You've got to win fair and square, not with the advantage of the judges, you've got to fight. According to me I won, hands-free."

Looking at the video below, even at age 53, Tyson still bangs hard - and Sonny Bill may well be best persuaded to politely decline any offer of climbing into the ring with the "Baddest man on the planet".

I’m a Bad Boy for Life. Watch #BadBoysforLife now on DVD Blueray @realmartymar #willsmith #stillthebaddestmanontheplanet pic.twitter.com/R9Zmz19GFm

— Mike Tyson (@MikeTyson) May 1, 2020