The Killers want Mike Tyson

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The killers

The Killers want boxing legend Mike Tyson to star in a new film based on a track they've written about his most famous loss.

The song, Tyson vs. Douglas, which appears on their forthcoming album Wonderful Wonderful, pays homage to Tyson's infamous 1990 defeat against Buster Douglas, an outsider whose odds of winning the fight were 42-1 against.

Before the fight in Tokyo, Japan, Tyson was undefeated and the undisputed world heavyweight boxing champion, but he lost by knockout in the 10th round.

The Killers drummer Ronnie Vannucci, 41, now wants Iron Mike to star in a film to accompany the track's release.

"I don't know if he's heard our song yet, but I have a good idea to get Tyson involved in a film version of the song," he tells Britain's Daily Star newspaper.

"It's not a video, but a full film, I really hope he's up for it," he explains. "We did a thing with him a while back which was interesting so there's a chance it will happen."

The band previously filmed a comedy sketch with Tyson, 51, for the 2008 NME Awards, where the group won Best International Act.

Tyson fell from grace after his loss to Douglas, as in 1991 he was arrested for rape and was sentenced to six years in prison the next year.

He returned to boxing after his release from jail in 1995, but failed to regain the dominance over boxing he had before his loss to Douglas.

The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers, 36, was a childhood fan of Tyson and explains that seeing his hero hit the canvas for the first time was a transformative experience.

"Tyson got knocked out and my whole view on the world changed," he explains. "It wasn't supposed to happen"

Wonderful Wonderful is released next month.