On the 29th November 2020, Mike Tyson fought Roy Jones Jr in an exhibition bout during the early hours of the morning. The matchup between the two retired boxers was an incredibly high grossing event that saw millions around the world purchase the PPV, with the chance to see two of the greatest boxers ever just too good to turn down. Given the nature of this project, and the journey I have undertaken to understand more about why boxers struggle to retire, I thought it would make sense to sit down and offer some of my thoughts on what we saw during the return of Tyson and Jones Jr.
Mike Tyson had not set foot inside a boxing ring in over 15 years, but given his status as one of the all-time greats, many had teased his return over the years. Whilst “Iron Mike” was one of the best inside the ring, his struggles outside of it have been well documented over the years. The now 54 year-old Tyson had recently begun training again, appearing in tremendous shape online, and adding fuel to the fire by openly asking for fights. By the time we had thought 2020 could not become anymore bizarre, an exhibition bout with future hall of fame boxer Roy Jones Jr had been signed and agreed. The world immediately went into a frenzy, with all sorts of questions being asked. Should either be boxing again? Is this just a big money maker? How can they make this work? Despite what anybody thought, it was still impossible to not take an initial interest in the event, and not be intrigued by who could actually come out on top.
I will be the first to admit that I was incredibly fascinated in the run up to the fight, and reached into my wallet to be able to watch it at 5am. How could I say no? As a 20 year old boxing fanatic I had only heard stories from older relatives of how good prime Tyson was, and often wished I had been alive to witness him conquer the heavyweight division with ease. Now was my one chance to be able to sit down and watch him fight live, and there was no chance I was missing it - regardless of age and form. In terms of the event, I really enjoyed the coverage. They managed to put a good show on in the midst of a global pandemic, and the undercard featured some really competitive bouts. I was never going to turn a blind-eye to what would always be a good night of boxing, but like most I had some doubts in the run up to the main event, and some clear thoughts afterwards.
Credit: USA Today sports
I think that we all questioned whether both could actually fight anymore, despite being some of the greatest ever. We all know Mike Tyson is the ultimate pedigree of fighting man, and although he has turned his life around in recent years, his previous controversies and issues had many wondering whether he could even get in there without fighting to a poor standard. Less thought this of Jones Jr, but that is obviously due to the fact he has not long retired, and has arguably looked after himself a lot better than Tyson has at times. I myself began to doubt whether a fight between two 50 year olds would be enjoyable, when it seemed unlikely they could maintain a high level of boxing over the course of a fight. My questions over the enjoyment factor of this event were cast further into doubt when the special rules for this exhibition were announced. Whilst I knew it was an exhibition bout, I was shocked to find out that the fight would be stopped if either were to be cut, with the rules also stating that the contest would not be officially judged, and that both should not be searching for a knockout victory. Whilst I understood that extra measures would need to be taken to protect the retired duo, it seemed stupid to think for a second that both would adhere to these rules, as opposed to giving it everything in the ring.
The contest itself surprised me greatly, and was definitely the most competitive and enjoyable exhibition you are going to see. Both men went to war, with a fast-paced and technical contest on display between the two 50 year olds. Unsurprisingly, the bout was announced a draw, despite the fact that Tyson landed the more effective shots in the last three or four rounds. Jones Jr looked very busy too, throwing tidy combinations and moving quickly before looking to tie his heavy-hitting opponent up. I found the contrasting reactions and mindsets of both men very interesting, as they gave their opinions in an interview after the fight. Jones Jr looked understandably drained, and seemed very uneasy when asked if he would do it again. Mike Tyson on the other hand, looked ready to go another eight rounds, and was incredibly fired up. It was obvious that for the first time in a while, he felt alive again. This could be considered a good or bad thing, and brings me back to my initial worry about this event, that I still unfortunately maintain afterwards.
For me, this exhibition bout shows a lack of desire to move on from boxing, and a lack of help from others to allow the fighters to do so. This is definitely mostly the case for Tyson, who has at times been almost lost in life since retirement. Whilst he has many endeavors away from the ring and has been incredibly successful with his Tyson Resorts and Ranch projects of late, his return to the ring against Jones Jr highlighted a sad refusal to let go of a huge part of his life that has been over now for some time. It is obvious that Tyson will fight again in another exhibition, and whilst it is blatant that he can still somewhat box competitively, I feel as if he should have let go a long time ago. Again, it must be understood that you can never totally take the fight out of a fighter - especially one such as Mike Tyson, and engaging in the preparation process of a fight has probably done his own mental health wonders. However it just feels as if he has taken a step forward, and now two backwards after trying to delve into fighting again. It will be interesting to see if Jones Jr and Tyson run it back again, or if Tyson will fight someone new, but another ‘exhibition style’ event in the future seems incredibly likely to happen. It will be inevitable that I will be eagerly watching if something does come to fruition, and I can only hope that any retired boxers taking part in these events are being advised and protected properly.