Looks like heavier than normal gloves, no head gear and it's open to other possible protections. Normally, I'd kind of shrug over that and be a bit disappointed, but I think the idea that the sport has lost a ton of star power combined with the emergence of the UFC makes me a bit more inclined to see two elder statesmen battle in a more protected environment. Anything to promote the sport and inspire some young talent to become involved has to be looked at as a positive. For the fight itself - Roy Jones (and James Toney) should never have been involved in the heavyweight division. It was more of an indictment on how far that division had fallen than it ever was proof of Jones ability to move up and still be a true force. Probably never a faster set of hands in professional boxing than Roy's but that wasn't evident at the advanced weight. As for 'Iron' Mike, all you have to do is state the name and people immediately have a mental image of ferocity. Prior to Don King, the version of Tyson that stepped into the ring might have been the purest mesh of style and power at any weight class. Nearly impossible to hit and wielding a sledgehammer fired from a cannon for mitts, Mike Tyson will always be in the discussion of the best to have ever done it. Jones (age 51) and Tyson (age 54) are only about an inch in height difference with Roy actually being the taller of the two. He'll also have about a 3" reach advantage. It will be interesting to see where they weigh in at but I would expect Jones to come in somewhere between 200 and 210 with Tyson coming in somewhere between 225 and 235. If this would have been done in their prime with Roy moving up in weight to fight Mike, IMO it would have ended with Tyson simply being too overpowering for Jones as the fight progressed ending with the knockout at some point. If this would have been done in their prime with Tyson coming down in weight to fight Jones, IMO it would have been the kind of fight that made Jones one of the biggest draws for his time with a lot of movement and angular counter punching giving him either a knockout or decision win. I expect this to be a whole lot of Roy moving away, jabbing and countering while Mike looks to land 2, 3 and 4 punch combinations when he gets into prime position. It's likely more of the former and less of the latter for the majority of a fight that goes the distance with Roy getting the decision. I'd like nothing more than to see Tyson position himself to land some heavy shots but unless his feet still have some high level lateral quickness in them the target painted for Jones lead jab may be too big for Mike to move around.
Totally agree with all of this. I am excited to see this exhibition regardless of the stipulations. Tyson should have went down in history as the best ever. When I look back at his life and career I get really disappointed because I'm not sure if there's any heavyweight that could have handled that beast in his early 20s. The upset by Douglas, the prison time, the erratic behavior, and ear biting puts some serious marks on his legacy. The only boxer I ever enjoyed watching as much as Tyson was Jones Jr. His mesh of artistic dance mixed with sheer cockiness was fun. I agree that I never liked seeing him go heavyweight. But there was a period of time in the 90s that Jones Jr was, in my mind, the undisputable best pound for pound boxer in the world. In their prime....Tyson probably puts Jones Jr in a coma. In their 50's....I see a lot of moving by Jones Jr that doesn't allow Tyson to zone in and Jones landing far more jabs. Tyson looks like he's in incredible shape but I doubt he ever gets a chance to tee off.
Wait, the guy from the Mike Tyson's Mysteries cartoons is a real guy? And a a real boxer, at that? Crazy. How many other people know this?
This, big time. Jones Jr was the best boxer of the 90s imo. Dude was basically unbeatable. I believe the only L he took was when he got DQ'd against whoever it was. And he didn't just take a fight a year, it seemed like the guy was always fighting. One of the absolute best. That said, im really not sure im a fan of this fight happening. This isn't the senior tennis tour, boxing is a serious ass business. Whatever point there is where guys shouldn't be fighting and taking the blows anymore, these two are well past it. But a bunch of scumbag suits want to make money, and Tyson's prob broke again, and Jones Jr is a fight addict, so here we are.
BTW, unrelated but UFC gets a shoutout for flooding yotube with free fights this past few months. Really helped pass the time. MVP of lockdown.
