Mike Tyson has declared his intention to scrap his proposed fight with David Izon on June 2 in order to pursue a crack at newly-crowned WBC and IBF heavyweight title holder Hasim Rahman.
Lennox Lewis wisely ensured a rematch clause was inserted into Rahman's contract before Sunday morning's loss to the American in South Africa.
And his advisers were in bullish mood yesterday, suggesting they had secured a date of August 18 for a second meeting.
However, Rahman's promoter Cedric Kushner rubbished that particular claim, saying his camp had not been consulted over the date and made no secret of the fact that his man could seek a mandatory defence first.
The obvious choice for that bout would be a lucrative showdown with the WBC's number one contender Tyson, and 'Iron Mike' himself is growing in confidence that he could soon be back on top of the world.
When asked about the Izon clash, Tyson told ESPN.com: "I don't think that fight's going to happen.
"I want to fight Rahman for the title. I'm going to be champion of the world again."
Tyson also revealed that he never regarded a clash with Lewis as a possibility, despite all the hype leading up to Lennox's loss to Rahman.
"I never saw the Lennox Lewis fight materialising, that was never realistic to me," added Tyson.