An exhibition boxing match between Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. ended in a draw. The fight of the former absolute world champions took place in Los Angeles at the Staples Center arena.
Tyson will earn $ 10 million for the fight, Jones - $ 3 million. Both athletes will also receive a percentage of the sale of paid broadcasts.
World boxing legends returned to the ring at the age of 50. Tyson is 54 years old, Jones is 51 years old, the former retired in 2005 after a streak of two defeats, the latter had his last fight in 2018 and won 12 of 13 previous fights. Boxers could have met during an active career - in 2003, when Jones became the world heavyweight champion by defeating John Ruiz. But, according to boxer Andre Ward, first Jones asked for a fee of $ 10 million more in return for the proposed $ 40 million, and then Tyson began various everyday troubles - legal squabbles with his wife, financial conflict with promoter Don King, beating of two men in a hotel, bankruptcy - and it was not possible to agree on a duel.
The current fight was in the nature of an exhibition and, according to the regulations, consisted of eight rounds of two minutes each, and the boxers entered the ring not in 10-ounce gloves, which are usual for modern boxing, but in 12-ounce gloves, as well as without protective helmets. There was no official refereeing of the fight, but the leadership of the World Boxing Council (WBC), which made a special WBC Frontline Battle Belt for the winner, organized an unofficial refereeing - former world champions according to this organization Christy Martin, Vinnie Patientsa and Chad Dawson, who and delivered a verdict.
Tyson is fine
Before the fight, many experts and fans wondered whether the boxers would fight seriously, despite the exhibition nature of the fight. The rivals themselves assured everyone of this. During the fight, Jones did not invest in strikes at full strength, inflicted light combinations and thought more about defense. Tyson tried to deliver power punches, but also did not charge for the knockout.
There were also many questions about the physical fitness of the boxers, especially regarding Tyson, who has only had one training camp in the last 15 years. As a result, Tyson looked quite decent, only, perhaps, he did not have enough strength for the last round, but he remained dangerous throughout the fight. Tyson managed to hit cleanly several times, but Jones delivered a little more accurate punches, which lacked strength.
According to the fans, this fight can be called the best among the exhibition fights in boxing.
The result of this bout will not be included in the official boxers' statistics. Tyson had 56 fights, won 50 wins (44 by knockout), suffered six defeats. Became the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, the owner of the WBC belts, the World Boxing Association (WBA) and the International Boxing Federation (IBF).
Jones, who has Russian citizenship, was the undisputed light heavyweight champion of the world, as well as the world champion in four weight categories. In total, he has 66 wins (47 by knockout) and nine defeats.
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