Is Mike Tyson facial tattoo removed? Or April Fools’ joke?

It seems Mike Tyson may have removed his facial tattoo he has had it for ten years.

Mike Tyson, 46, tweeted on Monday that he was about to get laser treatment to have the ink removed.

However, the boxer’s announcement may very well be an April Fools’ joke.

Mike Tyson posted on his Twitter page: “At the doctors office this morning. Getting this tattoo removed from my face. This is going to be painful.”

Then he retweeted a message from one of his fans urging him to keep the inking.

“@MikeTyson is getting his face tattoo removed !!!!!!” the user wrote.

“Don’t do it mike!!!”

While it seems likely that the declaration is just a prank, Mike Tyson was not quick to call April Fools on the social networking site.

It is understood that Mike Tyson got the swirling tattoo, which stretches from his forehead to his cheek on the left side of his face, in early 2003.

It can take several sessions using a laser to remove a tattoo, and the process is said to be extremely painful.

Mike Tyson is set to appear in cameo roles in upcoming film Scary Movie 5 and The Hangover Part III. In the second installation of The Hangover, Ed Helms’ character Stu gets a tattoo to match Mike Tyson’s.