Boxing legends Roy Jones Jr. and Mike Tyson are set to collide under the bright lights of the Staples Center in Los Angeles this evening.
The former champions and icons of the sport, Jones and Tyson, are set to headline a six-fight pay-per-view event with most of the proceeds going to charity.
Roy Jones Jr. (66-9) will be returning to the ring for the first time since February of 2018, where he picked up a unanimous decision victory over Scott Sigmon. The former four-division World Champion has gone 9-1 over his past 10 fights overall and will enter tonight’s bout with Mike Tyson on a four-fight winning streak.
Meanwhile, Mike Tyson (50-6), now age 56, will be returning to the squared circle for the first time in fifteen years for tonight’s exhibition bout. In his most recent effort in June of 2005, “Iron Mike” stunned the boxing world by quitting on the stool before the seventh round of his match-up with Kevin McBride.
While Roy Jones Jr. is willing to acknowledge that Mike Tyson is still “a killer”, he knows that the former heavyweight champion has a “cheetah mentality” which he believes will prove to be Tyson’s undoing.
“Not only does Mike look like a killer, Mike is a killer, but the whole thing people need to realise is, Mike is a killer, Mike not a cheetah.” Roy Jones Jr. explained to TMZ Sports.
“Mike’s got to go kill quick, if he don’t kill quick he got problems on his hands. If he can’t kill quick then he is fighting one of the smartest, savviest guys to ever do things, if he don’t kill quick then he’s in trouble.”
Roy Jones Jr. continued to discuss his gameplan for Mike Tyson:
“I’m not going to go out there and try to collide with him in the first round – take him out like I’m a fool. He good early, he still a strong lion, but he’s got a cheetah mentality, a cheetah mentality means I gotta get it quick, if he don’t get it quick, it belongs to me then.”
‘Iron Mike’ also shared his gameplan for tonight’s bout with Jones Jr. (see that here).
Who are you picking to win tonight’s Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. exhibition bout? Share your predictions in the comments section PENN Nation!
This article first appeared on BJPENN.com November 28, 2020