Roy Jones Jr. admitted his 2020 exhibition with Mike Tyson didn’t turn out to be as friendly as expected, as the pair traded blows over eight rounds.
The former Pound for Pound King and light-heavyweight master went the distance with Tyson at 54, fighting to a draw. The event was only supposed to be a move-around for the fans to reminisce.
However, Tyson and Jones went full-blooded for the duration of the rounds, rolling back the years for portions of the rounds. Ultimately, ex-professional boxer and world champion judges Christy Martin, Vinny Pazienza, and Chad Dawson couldn’t separate them on the cards.
Martin scored 79-73 for Tyson, as Pazienza somehow carded 80-76 for Jones despite only landing with fifteen percent on his punches. Dawson scored 76-76 in a fight many thought Tyson did enough to win.
After the fight, Jones made a stark confession that may have led YouTuber Jake Paul to think twice about his clash with Tyson on July 20.
Roy Jones Jr. says everything from Mike Tyson hurts
On whether he was satisfied with a draw, Jones responded to Jim Gray: “Hell no, I’m not satisfied with a draw. I don’t do draws. But the dude is so strong, man. I understand why some people say things are on their bucket list. Because if he hits you, it’s his head, punches, and body shots. It’s don’t matter. Everything hurts.
“For me, I thought I did enough boxing on the outside to tear it up. But I’m cool with a draw. We might try to do it again. ”
Tyson stated: “I’m good with that. I think I won the fight, but I’m good with a draw because I entertained the crowd. The crowd was happy with that.”
Later, Jones added: “This is better than fighting for championships. We’re humanitarians now. We can do something good for the world. We’ve got to do this again.”
Paul vs Tyson
Paul and Tyson will share the ring in another boxing anomaly this summer. The event is expected to be a smash hit on Netflix with its 260 million plus subscribers.
The lack of Pay Per View is a clear ploy to get more eyes on Paul’s boxing career, which had begun waning before the announcement of the Tyson fight.
Whether beating 58-year-old Tyson or, for that matter, getting knocked out by ‘Iron’ Mike will be able to do that is considerably up in the air at this point.
Tyson is already posting ten-second clips of his ‘training camp’ to drum up interest. Not too many seem to be falling for the same tactic again as “The Baddest Man on the Planet” prepares to box a YouTuber thirty years his junior.
Read all articles and learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor Phil Jay.
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