Mike Tyson Announces Comeback vs Roy Jones Jr.
Mike Tyson, 54, stirred up the boxing world, when he announced he will fight Roy Jones Jr. in the very near future.
Tyson has recently been teasing a return to the ring with workout posts to social media and talk of making a comeback. It has been 15 years since Tyson (50-6) last fought in the ring. He last fought Kevin Mcbride and was defeated in six rounds. Now the former heavyweight champion seeks to take on 51 year old Roy Jones Jr. (66-9) in an eight round match on September 12th. The match takes place at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. Viewers can catch it on pay-per-view or on social media platform, Triller.
When asked about his motivations behind his comeback in an interview on ESPN’s First Take, Tyson said:
“It’s because I can do it. And I believe other people believe they can do it too,” Tyson said. “Just because we are 54, it doesn’t mean that we have to start a new career and our lives are totally over. Not when you feel as beautiful as I do, and I’m sure that other people feel the same way.”
Jones himself, displayed interest in a comeback. He stated, “I’ve been trying to enjoy retirement, but people don’t seem to want to let me retire, They keep calling me, telling me that Mike wants to come back, and that you’d be a great opponent for Mike.”
At his prime, Tyson middleweight, reigned as the undisputed heavyweight champion from 1987-1990. At the age of 20, he was the youngest boxer to ever hold the heavyweight title. Tyson is known for his quick knockouts, ending his first 19 matches of his professional career in a KO, with 12 of them within the first round. Despite his boxing talents, Tyson has remained a controversial figure due to his behavior and past actions. He served three years in prison after he was convicted for rape, and famously bit off the ear of Evander Holyfield in their 1997 rematch. In recent years, Tyson has moved to acting, playing himself in “The Hangover”, and voicing himself in the “Mike Tyson Mysteries”.
Tyson’s opponent, Roy Jones Jr. is another American legend in the boxing world, lauded for his speed and quick reflexes. He held world championships in four weight classes, including middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight. He is the only boxer to begin his professional career in the junior middleweight class, and then go on to become the champion in the heavyweight class. Jones is also an Olympian, winning the silver medal in the junior middleweight division for the US in the 1988 Summer Olympics. His most recent fight was as recent as two years ago, in what he declared would be his final fight. In a close ten round match, Jones fought and defeated Scott Sigmon. He then declared his retirement after.
Despite Jones’ words, it looks like both the boxing legends will be coming back to the ring in an exciting match that will air this coming September 12th.