Four-division world champion Roy Jones Jr. appeared in an interview where talked about his opponent for his comeback bout, Mike Tyson. In the interview, he was asked if Tyson could still compete at the highest level in boxing.
“I know he can because he [has] one thing most of them don’t have, except Deontay Wilder, which is tremendous punching power. Anytime you got tremendous punching power like Mike got, he got a chance. Because he can — in most of the fights — win under three rounds,” said Jones.
“So it’s like most of these guys, all he gotta do is get to their chin and he got them. [Do] you understand me? Because he had that much explosiveness in his punch…
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“Yeah, I believe if he got himself in shape and took care of himself for like a six-month period, he definitely could cause a problem in the heavyweight division right [at] the end of the day.”
On being asked if Tyson could beat Joshua and Wilder, he said, “I think he could do well against those two, without a doubt… Just explosive punching power, that’s it.”
Jones and Tyson are set to fight each other on November 28 in an 8-round exhibition bout.
Should Mike Tyson take Roy Jones Jr.’s comments seriously?
Roy Jones Jr. (66-9, 47 KOs) had his last fight in 2018 against Scott Sigmon where he won via unanimous decision. He was finalized as Tyson’s opponent in his comeback this year. Mike Tyson (50-6-2, 44 KOs) will make his return to the ring after 15 years, having retired in 2005.
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Coming to Jones’ statements, although Tyson was one of the most lethal heavyweights back in the day and still looks in great shape for this bout, him competing with the best heavyweights of the generation at 54, still seems far-fetched.
Age is something that cannot be neglected in a sport like boxing, even if Tyson is in his best shape. And while fans would love to see Tyson back in the ring competing against fighters of his age, going 12 rounds with heavyweight champions in their prime might be dangerous for the legend.