Does Mike Tyson’s Legends Only League Carve Out A Problem-Solving Niche?

Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. box tonight in a historic exhibition match. While the fight is criticized by a good bit for its apparent rules that don’t allow knockouts. But something that I find interesting is the Legends Only League that this fight is being promoted under. If you look on the website, details about the league are sparse and the site seems to only be promoting tonight’s fight. But I believe Mike Tyson is on to something niche that has been needed in combat sports for a long, long time.

Mike Tyson and the Legends Only League

Now, all of this is pure speculation and conjecture. But I believe the Legends Only League solves a unique problem that combat sports has been suffering for hundreds of years. Our most recent example is none other than Anderson Silva.

Many are criticizing Tyson-Jones Jr. for being an exhibition match but I believe that’s exactly what’s needed. Anderson Silva has been the most recent victim of fighting past when a fighter should fight. Silva is 1-7-1 in his last nine fights. After being such a dominant fighter for so long, it pains fans to see The Spider hurt and so easily knocked out.

MMA fans have been seeing it for a while too. BJ Penn is 1-9-1 in his last 11. Chris Weidman is 1-6. The list goes on and on.

MMA isn’t the only sport this happens in, of course. In boxing, Muhammad Ali didn’t suffer as many losses as Silva or Penn, but against Trevor Bierbick, he should not have been in the ring. Roy Jones Jr. fought way too late in his career, as recently as 2018. There is a problem in having fighters continue fighting, and the athletic commissions are failing them.

This is where the Legends Only League comes into play. There is obviously still a market for these fighters, they’re beloved and people keep tuning in to see them fight despite how bad they say it is. I believe Mike Tyson has found a niche to carve out to remedy this.

The Legends Only League can provide an outlet for these past-due athletes to safely spar, not fight, and get in front of crowds and see them in the cage/ring again. Controlled, it could allow these older fighters who draw eyes a paycheck as well, without being a major detriment to their health.

And it isn’t just boxing either. Mike Tyson is an avid MMA fan and it could fall under the same banner.

Not every fighter retires on top like GSP or Andre Ward, and not all are financially stable like Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor. This could help remedy those situations.