A clash between Mike Tyson and heavyweight champion Tyson Fury could be 'deadly', according to Bob Arum. 

Fury said 'hell yeah' when asked if he'd fight the heavyweight legend in an exhibition but his promoter Arum wants nothing to do with any contest unless it is purely for entertainment rather than competition. 

'If it's anywhere near serious, I'm not going to be a participant in something that could be really deadly,' he told Sky Sports. 

The Top Rank boss went on to add: 'Mike Tyson was a great fighter, he's in his 50s now. 

'(He) doesn't go and fight really seriously a guy who is at the top of his game in his 30s. 

'That's not right and nobody should encourage it. If it's a joke, they go and spar a round, who cares? And particularly for charity, that's great.'

Fury previously admitted he'd been called up and asked if he'd be interested in fighting Tyson. 

The American has been considering opponents after announcing his intention to return to the ring and fans have been amazed by his physique and punching power on clips shared on social media. 

Evander Holyfield and Shannon Briggs have also been touted as possible opponents for 'Iron Mike'.   

As for Fury, he has to get past Deontay Wilder once again to set up an all-British unification bout with Anthony Joshua, providing AJ beats his mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev later this year.

Arum believes Fury vs Joshua will be 'massive'. He said: 'Next year there'll be this huge fight with Fury and Joshua, that's the way the cards turn. It will be a massive, massive fight wherever it takes place. US, UK or someplace elsewhere.

'Really big fights are going to be hard to put on. We have Tyson Fury with Wilder and we hope to do that fight in November or December.

'Whether it's for a full audience or a limited audience in the United States or put it on in Macau, which may be open for full arenas as early as November. You know, we're exploring all our options.'