By Barry Holbrook: ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson weighed in a well-defined 220.4 lbs for his exhibition match against Roy Jones Jr. on Saturday night. The former four-division world champion Jones Jr weighed in at 210 lbs. This the best Tyson has looked since 2003.
Former IBF/WBA/WBC heavyweight champion Tyson doesn’t plan on using an elaborate game plan for his eight-round exhibition fight against Jones Jr this Saturday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
The former heavyweight champion Tyon (50-6, 44 KOs) says he’s going to steam forward and look to land his shots from the opening bell against the 51-year-old Jones Jr (66-9, 47 KOs) in their clash on FITETV pay-per-view.
It makes sense for Tyson, 54, to go on the attack right away because he doesn’t have the stamina to get dragged into a boxing match, which would give the slightly younger and more fitter Jones an advantage.
Tyson may not be able to fight hard for more than an instant in each round, that’s going to leave him susceptible to getting worked over by Jones.
One thing that led to Tyson losing to Evander Holyfield, Danny Williams, and Kevin McBride was the way he mentally crumbled when they began having success against him.
Tyson will attack Jones immediately
“I don’t know, I’m just going to go right at him as soon as the bell sounds and see what happens,” Mike Tyson said in giving his plans for the Roy Jones Jr fight.
“For many perspectives in how they look at it, it’s going to be entertaining. I’m a fighter, he’s a fighter, and we’re going to be in there throwing punches; anything can happen.
“We’re going to see,” Tyson said when asked if he believes he can still hit as hard as he used to. As soon as I hit him good. Listen, I don’t know, maybe I don’t know how to go easy,” said Tyson.
The only way that Tyson knows how to fight is for him to go after his opponents, and he can’t change his style at this point in his life.
If Tyson were younger and gas tank, he could take his time against Jones. I don’t think he would, but he could, in theory, do that. On Saturday, Tyson will look to KO Jones as fast as possible and could see the contest ending in one to three rounds depending on his ability to get to Roy.
Mike plans on retaliating when hit
“I just don’t want to say the wrong thing because some people get angry, the boxing commission. I don’t take it as seriously as I once did,” said Tyson.
“I’ve got a little plan-B, punch him back,” Tyson said when asked what his response will be if Jones punches him in the mouth on Saturday.
Tyson is smart not to tell the media that he plans on shooting for a knockout because the California Athletic Commission previously has said that there wouldn’t be a knockout or even a winner.
It doesn’t matter that Tyson has his hands cuffed when it comes to his inability to promote the fight by telling the media about his hopes for a knockout. The boxing public expects Tyson to come out on fire, looking to KO Jones with every punch he throws.
Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr undercard:
- Jake Paul vs. Nate Robinson
- Badou Jack vs. Blake Mckernan
- Jamaine Ortiz vs. Sulaiman Segawa
- Irvin Gonzalez vs. Edward Vazquez
- Juiseppe Cusumano vs. Greg Corbin
Should we be afraid for Roy Jones Jr?
“I’m excited about all the wrong reasons, but as a fan, I love my boxing,” said Stephen A. Smith First Take on ESPN. “I’m very, very worried. You know I know Roy Jones Jr, and I’ve got a lot of love for him, and I’m scared for him.
“I’m not just talking about a knockout loss. I’m talking about the damage that will occur in getting knocked out.
“This is a Roy Jones Jr. Mike Tyson, he’s been knocked out five times in his career as well, but we know the last two [Kevin McBride and Danny Williams], he retired on the seat of his pants because he was tired and old.
“We all know who Mike Tyson is and who he was. His last legitimate knockout loss was really to Lennox Lewis, and he was beyond his time.
“Roy Jones Jr, since he moved up to heavyweight against John Ruiz, came back won and beat Antonio Tarver, and in the rematch, he got knocked out by Tarver. He’s never been the same since.
“The ugliest knockout was Glen Johnson right after that. He got knocked out twice by no names in Moscow, and it didn’t seem all there. And those two [Denis Lebedev and Enzo Maccarinelli] don’t hit like Mike Tyson.
“I’m scared for Roy Jones is going to die. That’s how scared I am. He’s going to get hit with the wrong kind of punch. You know Mike Tyson, it’s not just one punch. It’s a combination.
“I’m not trying to be hyperbolic here. I’m just scared that he’s going to get hit wrong, and he’s going to go down. I saw him how he looked after Glen Johnson, and I saw how he looked after some of these knockouts.
“I don’t like this for Roy Jones. I’m scared to death for my brother. I don’t like the fact that he’s fighting this at all. I’m totally against it, and I don’t think it should even be sanctioned.”
If you’re Roy Jones Jr, you should be very afraid of Tyson because he could get badly hurt on Saturday night if he gets caught. The way that Jones was knocked out by Enzo Maccarinelli, Antonio Tarver, Glen Johnson, and Danny Green, he cannot afford to get hit by Tyson.
Roy hasn’t been the same since the Tarver KO
“It’s important that someone in the mainstream media says that,” said Max Kellerman. “When Roy came back down from heavyweight to light heavyweight, he was never the same.
“Mike Tyson is one of the biggest sports stars in the history of planet earth, but Roy Jones is a better pound-for-pound fighter. Roy Jones at his very best, he made me wonder, ‘Is he better than Sugar Ray Robinson?’
“He was way better than Mayweather when they were both in their primes. No one thought Mayweather was as good as Roy. In fact, when Roy went up to heavyweight after he beat John Ruiz, he opened up as a 2 to 1 favorite to beat Mike Tyson.
“But you’re right, he’s backed knocked out brutally since then, and I love the man. I worked with him for years side by side. We used to watch prelim fights leading up to the HBO telecasts, and I learned so much trying to absorb some of his boxing knowledge.
“He’s brilliant, and I don’t want to see him get hurt either. Here’s the real rub. One of the ways that they sell this exhibition, headgear, two-minute, eight rounds.”
The knockout that Jones suffered against Tarver in 2004 signaled the end of his career as an elite level fighter. Since that KO loss, Jones has failed repeatedly when facing quality opposition.
It was embarrassing to watch what Joe Calzaghe did to Jones Jr in clowning him for 12 rounds.
Mike Tyson doesn’t know how to clown around
“The reason it’s going to sell is because of the danger. You see, it’s an exhibition technically. Still, if it were Muhammad Ali giving an exhibition, you could imagine him clowning and putting on a show, not trying to hurt the other guy, not trying to get hurt himself.
“In the end, people go home happy, entertained in some way, and no one got hurt. That’s not Mike Tyson. Mike Tyson doesn’t know how to do that.
“Mike Tyson knows how to do one thing. Ding-ding, round one, and as he said after he looked out Jesse Ferguson with an uppercut. He’s trying to push your nose bone into your brain.
“Mike Tyson is in the hurt business, and he’s naturally the much larger man than Roy Jones. For that reason, I do think there’s a real danger here, and that’s one of the reasons why it’s going to sell, and it’s a good thing you brought it up.
“As I said, I also feel that. I love Roy. Had he stayed at heavyweight, those 2 to 1 odds to beat Mike Tyson back then were justified.”
“I believe that when you go up that considerably in weight, and once you get hit by a legitimate heavyweight like that, all that stuff goes out the window,” said Smith.
“Yes, Roy Jones used to be a pound-for-pound, but that doesn’t have anything to do with him taking one of those punches. You don’t want Mike Tyson to hit you to the body, let alone to the head.
And we understand what we have seen with Roy. I was literally begging. I was on national TV, and I called some of his boys. ‘Don’t do this. I am scared.’ If he gets hurt, just go down and stay down until the fight is over. It’s an exhibition.
“Don’t go in there and try and slug with Tyson. If you’re going to run, run all eight rounds.
“Do what you got to do to stay the hell away from him, and if he hurts you, stay the hell down because I am scared of the residual effects of Roy Jones Jr.”