Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr. - 20 years too Late
2020 has been a year full of surprises and the announcement of “Iron” Mike Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) vs Roy Jones Jr. (66-9, 47 KOs) was no different. The bout was originally meant to take place on September 12th but was officially postponed until November 28th. The thought by team Tyson is that they could capitalize by making more money with it being Thanksgiving Day weekend. The bout is expected to be an 8-round exhibition but once the two step into the ring, who knows how this will play out. Jones has been out of the ring since 2018, while Tyson has not fought since 2005. Both are training hard and while some rumours have surfaced about Jones Jr. pulling out of the fight, we think it will still happen come November 28th.
Let’s first look at the one and only Mike Tyson, who after all this time has not lost a step. Since the announcement of this exhibition he has posted numerous training videos showing off not only his speed but his inevitable power. His main advantage to wining this fight is the one punch capability to knock Jones Jr. out. Tyson has been training with Rafael Cordeiro, in which he almost knocked out in training recently. Although power is normally one of the first things to go in a heavyweight, Tyson is showing as the exception at the ripe age of 54. Tyson ended his career with some losses to journeymen, but he seems to be excited to be back in the sport. He is ready to recapture his glory and although they stated to not go “for the kill”, can we really expect anything else? After five months of intense training Cordeiro stated he learned just as much as he taught with Tyson. They went at it five days a week and Tyson is in some of the best shape of his life. Tyson will use his footwork and ability to cover large gaps to create a close fight and finally use his power. We hope to see the classic Tyson we all know and love, and not a potential mistake where he could get seriously hurt.
Next up, Roy Jones Jr. who really hasn’t been out of the ring all that long. Roy has power but compared to Tyson it is no contest, but what he does have is patience and pure boxing skill. Perhaps he will start low and try to let the overzealous Tyson punch himself out. If the fight goes the entire eight rounds, then this could work in his favour. Three things that could give this fight to Jones Jr. are his power hooks, his speed, and his raw accuracy. Another item in Jones Jr. favour is that he never fully lost his physique. He maintained everything with regular training, while Tyson has only recently worked himself back into amazing shape. Roy knows that Tyson is the bigger, stronger man, but also thinks the pressure of first round fireworks are fully on the Tyson side. Many have thought Jones Jr. is getting in above his head, while others think he is “punch-drunk”, but in the end I think we will see a solid effort put forth.
There were initial rumblings of Jones Jr. upset with the push back of the fight date and he was considering backing out. It was also rumored he made a mistake by thinking of stepping into the ring with the most feared man on the planet. During this time the one and only Shannon “the cannon” Briggs (60-6-1, 53 KOs) said if needed he would step in for the fight with Tyson. But at this point we do not see Jones Jr. pulling out of the fight and it seems all systems are a go. Recently other fighters who once retired have stepped back into the ring and their results were not so good. All boxing fans don’t want to see anyone get hurt and most think the fight should not be sanctioned. However, we all know come fight night our eyes will be locked on the screen, in anticipation of seeing the old school glory of two fighters who were the best to ever step into the ring.
Who do you think will win this showdown? Let us know in the comments below!
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