Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr.: A Head-to-Toe Breakdown
Returning former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson and former four-division titleholder Roy Jones Jr. are set to meet in an unexpected showdown between two of boxing's most celebrated legends.
An eight-round exhibition bout scheduled for September 12 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. It's really happening.
Two of the best boxing champions in history are going head-to-head in a long-awaited matchup that is admittedly coming about 17 years later than most people expected.
But late is better than never, or at least that's what the event's promoters are hoping.
What You Need to Know
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What: Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr.
Where: Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California
When: Sept. 12
TV: Pay-per-view and Triller app (PPV)
What's At Stake: Bragging rights? This one is just a fun bonus fight between aging boxing greats.
Mike Tyson's Tale of the Tape
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Nicknames: "Baddest Man on the Planet", "Iron Mike"
Record: 50-6, 44 KOs
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 233*
Reach: 71"
Age: 54
Stance: Orthodox
Rounds: 215
All stats per BoxRec.com.
*Official weight recorded at last professional prizefight in 2005.
Roy Jones Jr.'s Tale of the Tape
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Nickname: "Junior"
Record: 66-9, 47 KOs
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 199*
Reach: 74"
Age: 51
Stance: Orthodox
Rounds: 495
All stats per BoxRec.com.
*Official weight recorded at last professional prizefight in 2018.
Boxing Ability
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Who takes the cake when it comes to boxing ability? Who knows? And that's the truth about this head-to-toe breakdown in general.
It's one thing to envision a prime version of Mike Tyson, which would have been circa 1988, and the prime version of Roy Jones Jr. that emerged during the late 1990s.
It's quite another to judge the boxing ability of two retired fighters in their 50s.
At his peak, Tyson was a wrecking ball, but maybe he was a better bully than he was a boxer. He wrecked the heavyweights who seemed intimidated by his tremendous knockout power but lost to James "Buster" Douglas in 1990 because the latter didn't let fear overwhelm him, and he lost to Evander Holyfield in 1996 because of the same thing.
On the other hand, Jones Jr. was the boxing savant of his era. There's never been a more exciting or richly talented prizefighter than Jones Jr. was during his best years. The main issue with Jones Jr.'s excellence was that his unorthodox style only worked in combination with his otherworldly athleticism, and as soon as that athleticism started to diminish, Jones Jr. became beatable.
But both are among the all-time best boxing talents. Additionally, both were much better craftsmen than sometimes considered by fans.
Regardless, prime vs. prime, it would have to be Jones Jr. by just a hair over Tyson as far as boxing ability goes, and we'll lean Jones' way right now since he last fought in 2018, whereas Tyson hasn't done much in the last 15 years inside a boxing ring.
Advantage: Jones Jr.
Power
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Tyson is one of the hardest-hitting heavyweights ever. On top of that, his combination punching was superb, and Iron Mike's footwork was even more pristine during his prime years. Tyson would have to be given the edge over a fighter who started his boxing career in the 160-pound middleweight division and slowly moved up over time.
Jones Jr. became the first former middleweight champion to win a heavyweight title in over 100 years, and it was because of his absurd power. He could knock his opponents out with either hand from 160 to 175 pounds. At his peak, there's maybe been no greater physical marvel for his weight classes than Jones Jr.
But Tyson is one of the best knockout punchers in heavyweight history. Not even the prime Jones Jr. could compete with all that smoke.
Advantage: Tyson
Defense
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At his peak, Tyson is one of the best defenders in heavyweight history. Sure, his style was built around crushing his opponents inside the distance. But part of the incredible "peek-a-boo" tactic instilled in him by Cus D'Amato was the ability to land his power punches while avoiding his opponent's efforts to do the same.
On the other hand, Jones Jr. was virtually unhittable at his best. He was just plain faster, smarter and more explosive than any other prizefighter of his era. On top of that, even if one dared to get into punching range against Jones Jr., it meant eating four or five shots in return for maybe landing one.
Of course, neither fighter looked great defensively during his latter years. Tyson stopped moving his head and didn't have the stamina to move around more than a round or two during the latter stages of his career.
And Jones Jr.? He became a scarily easy target to hit for the elite, which is the main reason he leveled down in competition over the last parts of his career.
Judging by how each man looked last time they competed, Tyson in 2005 and Jones in 2018, let's just call this one a tie and hope for the best.
Advantage: Tie
X-Factors
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Mike Tyson's X-Factor: Bags Don't Hit Back
The heavy bag doesn't hit back, so Tyson's biggest X-factor will be how he'll respond at age 54 to an opponent who will most certainly hit him back.
Tyson is one of the best boxing champions in history, but it's not as if he has stayed close to the sport over the 15 years since his retirement. Instead, Tyson has been living the life of a celebrity icon. Sure, the ex-champion got into incredible shape over the last few months, but fitness isn't as nearly as important in boxing as factors such as timing, repetition of form and pure tenacity.
Roy Jones Jr.'s X-Factor: The Immobilizing Power of Self-Belief
Jones Jr. sometimes talks and acts as if he's still 49-1, like he was in 2003 when he was originally negotiating with Tyson for what would have been one of the biggest events in boxing history.
Maybe that version of Jones Jr. would have devastated Tyson or vice versa. Whatever the case, Jones Jr. is now a shell of what he was at his physical peak. Accepting that fact will cause Jones Jr. to keep his hands up longer for defense, his feet moving faster at smart angles and keep him from trying to land more than one or two punches at a time. Jones Jr. can beat Tyson, but he'll have to fight smart.
Prediction
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You want a prediction about two retired champs fighting in their 50s at least 17 years later than most people wanted?
The most important prediction I can make about Tyson vs. Jones Jr. is that your expectations for the fight will likely determine how much you enjoy it.
There are really only two ways to look at this thing. Either we can all put on our dusty old negativity hats and criticize, condemn and complain about the fight from the sidelines, or we can wholeheartedly embrace the fun spectacle of seeing see two boxing legends share the ring in a fight nobody thought they would ever see.
I'll be doing the latter.
But if you simply must know which fighter you should expect to win the fight, it has to be Tyson. He's a heavyweight facing a middleweight, and his power is going to carry him to victory late in the fight.
Prediction: Tyson stops Jones Jr. in the 7th round.
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