Mike Tyson has turned his back on the past and is in upbeat mood for his fight against British heavyweight Danny Williams on Friday, when he climbs back into the ring for the first time in 17 months.

Tyson, who has not fought since a first-round knockout of Clifford Etienne in February 2003, meets Williams in Louisville, Kentucky.

"I let the past die. I can't dwell on the past," the 38-year-old Tyson told reporters on Wednesday.

"Most of my past was not euphoric. My future seems so much brighter than my past.

"I am ready. I'm just looking forward to fighting Friday night."

The self-proclaimed "baddest man on the planet", Tyson has amassed over $300 million in purses throughout a turbulent career but is now believed to owe $38 million to various creditors, including the Internal Revenue Service and his ex-wife Monica Turner.

Friday's fight is the first of a proposed seven in the next two years, a plan developed by Tyson's lawyers to pay off his massive debts.

Once regarded as the most feared fighter of his generation, Tyson's fierce aura and savage skills have eroded through inactivity, fighting just twice in the last three years.

Since losing a re-match with Evander Holyfield in 1997, he has fought just eight times, compiling a record of five wins, one loss and two no contests.

BRUTAL BEATING

The defeat was a brutal beating at the hands of Lennox Lewis, who sent Tyson to the canvas with a thundering right in the eighth round in Memphis in June 2002.

Tyson (50-4, 44 knockouts) refutes any suggestion that age is now against him.

"I am 38. I am not Moses," he said. "I am only three or four years older than the world champions. Age is in the mind. As long as you are physically in good shape, age should not matter."

Williams, who is being given little chance against the former heavyweight champion, was also in bullish mood.

"I have been brought over here as a knockout fighter for Mike Tyson," the 31-year-old told reporters. "They've made a mistake.

"I feel relaxed. I am confident. Mike's best chances are in the first four rounds. After that, he is mine."

British bookmakers disagree. Williams is a 9-1 underdog with critics quick to point out he was knocked out in the fourth round by compatriot Julius Francis, who failed to last two rounds when he fought Tyson.

The fight will be televised on pay-per-view. Laila Ali is also on the card, but Kentucky boxing fans have been slow to snap up the tickets, with approximately 6,000 of the 20,000 seats available at the Freedom Hall.