FINALLY, this fight billed as Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. is going down this weekend. It looks surreal to actually even read that in the year 2020. But yes, it’s happening.
LEGENDS. Once upon a time, Tyson was the “Baddest man on the planet” and Jones was the “Greatest fighter in history.” But that was then, and this is now.
Tyson retired at the age of 39 years old back in 2005. Roy Jones last fought in 2018. When they meet this Sunday, Tyson will be 54 and Jones, 51.
TYSON. The last time he fought he was desperately trying to break Kevin McBride’s arm during a clinch en route to a stoppage loss. Prior to that he also got knocked out by Danny Williams.
Tyson retired because he was a spent fighter. The power was still there, but he was a poor shell of his old dominant, ferocious self. His stamina was gone, and so were his cat-quick reflexes.
JONES. Before he retired in 2018, Jones won his last three fights, but against paltry opposition. Prior to that, he fought someone named Vyron Philipps who was chosen through a Facebook poll and was making his first pro fight.
ADVANTAGE. Because he fought more recently than Tyson, in terms of ring familiarity, it will be Jones who has the advantage. For Tyson it will have been 15 long years since he has stepped inside a ring.
But come fight time, that advantage is only as good as how far each man has kept in shape and trained well for this fight.
Men in their 50s just don’t magically regain the vigor of youth just because they trained for a few months.
Try as they might, they can never recapture that peak, hale physique they once had, but with that being said, proper training and following a strict diet can do wonders at improving one’s health. The human body is like that. It’s a wonder of creation. It is resilient and adaptable.
So in my book, it will not be about who retired first—it will all boil down to who is the better-conditioned fighter come fight time.
Another telling factor here is power. Even if he is not in shape, a fighter’s power stays with him. With Tyson, that is bone-crunching, concussive power meant to separate you from consciousness. He will hit you so hard, your ancestors will feel it down to their preternatural bones.
Images of Jones being knocked out after taking punches to the head by Enzo Maccarinelli and Dennis Lebedev—smaller men who hit with lesser torque in their punches than Tyson—are still too fresh in my mind to sway me otherwise.
Jones is one of my all-time favorite fighters and if they had fought in their prime, I would have picked him to edge it, but today unless Tyson shows up in the same shape he was in that “Hangover” movie, I just can’t see it happening.
His punch resistance is long gone. I don’t know if you can train that back.
LAST ROUNDS. Are on Audrey Rose Garganera, better half of Cebu City Councilor Joel Garganera, and Atty. Filmore Gomos, who recently celebrated their birthdays. Cheers!