THE weigh-in wasn’t exactly a sight for sore eyes if you know what I mean.
Tyson at 54, looked in fairly decent shape for a guy his age, but Jones at 51 was hardly the fighter we saw 2 decades ago with the striations and the muscle tone of a superman.
Truth be told, when they stripped off their clothing they looked better off getting ready for a medical examination than a pay-per-view fight.
But hey, I think of this as a novelty, so let’s sit back and enjoy these three possibilities.
FIRST. Tyson comes out like the feral “Iron Mike” of old, with his trademark entrance wearing nothing but black, no shirt with a thin film of sweat covering his upper torso.
And for the first two rounds he did appear to turn back the hands of time as he took the fight to Jones and threw vicious combinations.
But alas, just like the last time we saw Tyson on top of the ring, he fizzled out - only this time, much much earlier.
In the fourth round he started slowing down, and by the fifth he totally stopped moving at times and would just glare at Jones.
Jones for his part was pretty consistent as he allowed Tyson to come at him while he alternately moved and clinched.
In the sixth, Tyson was a spent force and motioned Jones to come at him.
A surprisingly still springy Jones obliges and starts landing uppercuts and short hooks, snapping Tyson’s head back on several ocassions.
Tyson’s corner seeing their man has had enough, refuses to let him come out for the next round making Jones the winner via TKO.
SECOND. Jones starts fast, jabbing and moving around, reminding us of how good he was at his prime.
Tyson brings the fight to him but Jones is just a tad too quick for him.
In the third, as they come off a clinch, Tyson lands an uppercut that has Jones stunned.
Jones takes a round off in the fourth as he tries to regain his bearings and by the fifth is back at it- bobbing and even showboating.
Then it happens- as Jones is trapped in a corner Tyson loops a hard right that cracks Jones’ temple.
He is out even before he crashes to the ground. The ref takes one brief look at him and doesn’t even bother to count, calling for the denouement of the fight making him Tyson’s 45th knockout victim
THIRD. Both men start out cautiously, perhaps even timidly as if they were trying to remember how it this was supposed to be done.
In the second round, Jones lands a monstrous left hook that staggers Tyson. A few seconds later, “Iron Mike” responds with a thudding jab that opens up a cut around the left eye of Jones and just like that, the gloves are off..
Both men go toe to toe in the third, ar at least appear to- willing their 50- year old bodies to perform beyond their capacities.
In the fourth, Jones starts jabbing and showboating, even putting his arms behind his back - shades of the Glen Kelly fight.
Tyson slows down in the middle rounds but gains his second wind in the 7th as he lands a vicious left hook that knocks Jones down. The latter gets up at 8 and clinches to survive the remainder of the round.
In the ninth Jones recovers and lands several combinations that rocks Tyson. Unfortunately their heads come together and this opens up a huge gash on Jones’ forehead, causing blood to gush out and affect his eyesight.
Because the headbutt was accidental, the fight is stopped and they go to the cards.
The verdict is a majority draw and both men embrace at the center, bloodied but at the same time victorious in the realization that they had been able to dish out an exciting, competitive fight against all odds.
LAST ROUND. It’s on Dr Nathalie Hernaez who recently celebrated her birthday. Thank you for always taking care of my little cherubs. Cheers!