Clifford Etienne's manager has accused Mike Tyson of faking illness ahead of Saturday's heavyweight showdown in Memphis.
Tyson pulled out of the contest on Monday claiming he was suffering from flu and a stomach illness. However, the former world champion made an amazing U-turn the following day and the contest is now back on track after a brief show of resentment from Etienne.
"I think it was a ploy from Tyson all along, so I told Clifford not to get involved and caught up in it," Les Bonano said. "I think it was all choreographed and it worked. Tyson has always been an intimidator."
Etienne himself threatened to boycott the bout with Tyson, insisting; "the world does not revolve around Mike Tyson".
However, Bonano confirmed that his charge had now agreed to go ahead with the 10-round event at the Pyramid Arena.
"He called me and said: 'I'm going to the gym and I'm going to fight,"' added Bonano.
Tyson's bizarre behavoir of the past week - skipping a week of workouts, getting a tribal tattoo on his face and calling off the fight before deciding to box - upset Etienne, whose 'Rhino' nickname came from his aggressive head-on punching style.
Tyson, 36, needs an impressive knockout of Etienne, 32, to stir interest in a rematch with Lennox Lewis, the World Boxing Council champion who beat Tyson here last June in the most recent fight for each.
With prize money lost to a second divorce and bills still owed to Showtime, Tyson needs the $5 million from this fight and the bigger riches offered by another Lewis fight.
Etienne, 24-1 with one draw and 17 knockouts, needs a victory over Tyson, 49-4 with 43 knockouts, to earn a chance to fight for a major world title.