Instagram smokescreens were removed on Friday as Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. – two old fighters with nothing to prove – hit the scales for what can only be described as a saddening sight.
Tyson at 54 and Jones Jr. at 51 looked in decent shape, the former especially, but not for a paid Pay Per View event.
Social media had been in full effect to promote the fight. More on the part of Tyson. Although when push came to shove in real-life flesh, the boxing legends should really not be charging fans fifty bucks to see them fight.
Triller, producers of Tyson vs. Jones, expect the sport’s fans to fork out a hefty fee in the United States and £20 in the UK – plus more worldwide – when maybe $10 or $15 was sufficient.
Jones had flesh hanging over his loose shorts at the scaling. While Tyson – for his best efforts – looked nothing like his pre-fight photoshoots.
Two men in their fifties are about to punch each other in the head for entertainment and investor purposes. And how it was sanctioned without head guards, who knows.
As much as I love Mike and Roy, idolizing them as a kid, this seems to be a step too far for any boxer, past or present. If they do go hell for leather, for as long as that may last – probably thirty seconds per round – one of them could get damaged.
Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. weigh-in
They don’t seem in a fit state to fight for eight two-minute rounds. The length of the contest should be reconsidered at best.
Hopefully, the conditions (no knockouts and sparring) that Triller denied were in place beforehand remain on the table. They will almost certainly be needed.
Nobody needs to be looking for a knockout in this fight. It will be a triumph if both fighters walk away unscathed.
As for the undercard, there are few highlights. One YouTuber who likes to ‘play boxing’ took his opportunity to make a further mockery of the sport we love.
In a nutshell, the vlogger is pretending to be a ‘Celebrity Boxer.’ The trouble is, he’s neither a well-known celebrity nor a boxer.
Let’s hope this is the last ever PPV featuring any ex-stars past age fifty. It’s so disheartening to see.
OFFICIAL WEIGHTS:
Mike Tyson 220
Roy Jones Jr. 210
