Iron Mike Tyson and Ray Jones Jnr.engaged in a fun boxing “exhibition” for eight rounds Saturday,28th November 2020 but it didn’t officially yield a winner. Those scoring the fight at Staples Center called it a draw even if the internet essentially decided to take over judging and name Iron Mike the winner. Because it was not an officially sanctioned match, the California Athletic Commission did not have official judges working the bout. That result belied the overwhelming public opinion that Tyson should have been declared the winner. Mike Tyson obviously outdid Ray Jones in nearly every aspect of the fight. Only the sixth round saw the two actually tie in punches landed. From the eye test, Tyson’s punches had much more power behind them as well. Stares at Jones after the final bell. Don’t be surprised to see Mike do this again.
The two legends were not technically supposed to be going hard, but that didn’t stop the former Baddest Man on the Planet from ripping some hard body shots to Jones. He earned the respect of more than one analyst for his strong performance considering he’s 54 years old. The much anticipated Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. pay-per-view boxing match was a happy break from reality.
It was the main event for whatever Mike Tyson’s Legends Only League ultimately turns out to be, streamed by sudden boxing pay-per-view leader Thriller, and it featured an eclectic collection of talent you probably never saw coming. The match was hosted by Mario Lopez of Saved By The Bell fame, and musical performances by French Montana, YG, Saint Jhn, Ne-Yo and Snoop Dogg .The action was called by Show time’s Mauro Ranallo, UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and retired boxing legend “Sugar” Ray Leonard. And then Snoop Dogg joined the crew on the mic for the main event.
Both of the main event participants were over 50 years old. Tyson, 54, from Brooklyn, New York, had been the youngest heavyweight champion in history back in 1986 when he knocked out Trevor Berbick at the tender age of 20.He went on to become the most popular boxing champ this side of Muhammad Ali, but all of that was a long time ago. Ray Jones jnr., 51, from Pensacola, Florida, was his era’s best overall fighter. He won world titles in four different weight classes, including heavyweight. Sure, both of them were in tremendous shape for their ages. But where Tyson’s peak saw him as an unstoppable force of ferocity and the legend of Jones was as a slippery-footed savant with savage intentions, Saturday night’s fight was mostly about brief glimpses of the past. The fight boiled down to Tyson tracking Jones down while the former middleweight danced around as much as his shaky legs would allow him. Tyson looks legitimately pissed that Jones wouldn’t engage. There were spurts of good action in the fight.
Well, there were as many spurts of good action that one could possibly expect from two ageing warriors fighting eight two-minute rounds a long time after anyone ever thought they would see them doing anything like that again. It wasn’t the Thrilla in Manila, but it was totally worth the $49.99 pay-per-view price tag. And while the three celebrity judges assigned with scoring the fight from unseen and undisclosed remote locations called the contest a draw, the reality is that nobody needed a winner to be announced anyway. Jones tried to make a late rally and had some moments, but on the whole, it was Tyson who appeared to be more in shape. Which came as a surprise, as Jones’ last professional bout took place in 2018 when he came away with a win over Scott Sigmon.
Author: Bunmi Johnson
olu20@hotmail.com