Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. will square off in an exhibition bout next month, and fighters typically do not try to injure one another in situations like that. Not surprisingly, Tyson seems like he is treating the match like it’s another heavyweight title fight.
California State Athletic Commission executive director Andy Foster told Yahoo Sports recently that Tyson and Jones will be wearing gloves that are larger than normal and not trying to “take each other’s heads off.”
“This isn’t a situation where they’re going out there to try to take each other’s heads off,” Foster said. “They’re just going to be in there moving around the ring and letting fans see these legends.”
Tyson, however, has a somewhat different mentality. Following a training session on Saturday, the former champion told TMZ he is not going to pass up a chance to knock Jones out.
“If the opportunity comes, I’m always looking for it,” Tyson said with a shrug. “This is search and destroy and I’m looking forward to recapturing my glory.”
Tyson is 54 and Jones is 51. Jones actually had a “real” fight in February 2018, when he defeated Scott Sigmon in a unanimous decision. Tyson’s last fight was in 2005.
If you’ve seen some of the terrifying workout videos Tyson has shared on social media, you know he isn’t taking his comeback lightly. Iron Mike didn’t knock out 44 opponents in his career by going easy on people. Exhibition or not, his mentality inside the ring will likely be the same.
