Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. had an unorthodox meeting in 2020 as the two shared the ring.
Former heavyweight champion Tyson hung his gloves in 2005, following a retirement loss to Kevin McBride. However, he returned to have a professional boxing fight against internet star Jake Paul in 2024.
As for Jones Jr., he left the sport professionally in 2018, however, he also returned in an unorthodox boxing match. In 2023, one of the greatest light heavyweight boxers of all time fought ex-UFC star Anthony Pettis.
However, before both men made their odd returns to boxing in 2024 and 2023 respectively, the two fought one another in an exhibition fight.
Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. shared the ring in 2020
Meeting in the Staples Center, Los Angeles in November 2020, the two former greats met in an eight-round heavyweight exhibition. Stepping into the ring, Tyson would be 54 years old, while Jones Jr. was 51 years of age.
The fight card would also feature Tyson’s future opponent, Paul, who defeated former NBA star Nate Robinson via knockout.
The main-event bout would not feature any knockdowns, with most of the significant shots coming from Tyson targeting the midsection of Jones Jr.
With no judges used to score the fight, no winner was declared. The bout was officially considered a draw, although, many fans believed ‘Iron Mike’ had a performance worthy of a win.
Both Tyson and Jones Jr. would go on to lose their next professional bouts to Paul and Pettis, with each men on the losing side of a decision.
Tyson also said he was not 100% recovered months on from the Paul bout, having competed at 58 years old.
Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. share hilarious interview after bout
Both men were seemingly in good spirits following the draw result of their exhibition, as Tyson and Jones Jr. shared a post-fight interview.
The two former champions showed their respect for one another in the interview. Although Tyson felt he won, he admitted he was content with the draw result.
However, Jones Jr. jokingly said that he was unhappy with the result, before saying that “Everything hurts,” when you get hit by Tyson.
The interviewer then asked Jones Jr. if he had any fear of getting hurt in the ring, having not competed in a number of years. Before he could answer, Tyson interrupted by hilariously exclaiming, “I was afraid I might get hurt! I didn’t fight in 20 years, he only stopped fighting for three years, why nobody care about my a–?”
Jones Jr. was unable to hold in his laughter, as he was seen finding great humor in his opponent’s interruption.
Tyson rounded off his thoughts by saying, “I haven’t done this in 15, 16 years! I’m not a giant I’m a beginner,” as the interview ended in good spirits.