Roy Jones Jr. Says Mike Tyson Fight Will Be Like 'Playing with a Pit Bull Pup'

In theory, Roy Jones Jr. and Mike Tyson are only participating in an eight-round exhibition September 12.

Yet Jones knows better than to expect a playful bout from the man who said "everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth."

In an interview with ESPN's First Take on Tuesday, Jones admitted that he's looking to play around with Tyson, but he can't be sure which side of the former heavyweight champion will come out when they get in the ring.

"I know how to have fun in the ring and try to make it the best that I can make it," Jones said. "But at the same time, you know Mike ... it's like playing with a pit bull pup. You know a pit bull pup, he'll play, but he'll get lost because all he knows is to go at it, you know what I mean. So that's all Mike knows, go at it."

As for whether that means Tysons deserves to be the favorite in their matchup, Jones balked.

"I wouldn't be mad if they said he was the favorite," Jones said. "But I wouldn't agree with that."

The 51-year-old's reasoning comes back to another boxing axiom: The legs are the first to go, the power the last.

Jones was known more for his footwork in the ring than anything, while it was Tyson's power that made him a star. When Jones enters the ring in September for his first fight since 2018, he'll be ready to prove both of boxing's most famous phrases wrong.