Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr: Still a must-see event despite ruleset and no official winner
In the times that we are currently living in during the year 2020, a Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr exhibition boxing match might be one of the most normal things to happen this year. With the world going on a global pause at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and sports slowly coming back in during late Spring and early Summer to bring some sense of normalcy, it feels as if this boxing match is happening at the perfect time in a chaotic year.
While the ruleset is confusing to most viewers who will just be waiting to see Mike Tyson compete again, this match is worth the $49.99 or, regardless, worth the attention it is receiving this week and on fight night. Early on in the pandemic, ESPN chose to premier ‘The Last Dance’ 30 for 30 series which chronicled Michael Jordan and his championship runs throughout the 1990s with the Chicago Bulls. For many basketball fans young and old, it served as a reminder of greatness, a glimpse into what the sport used to be, and for one hour each Sunday, it brought everyone together.
Could this same thing be happening in combat sports on Saturday night? Since the growth of MMA, the fans who follow it closely, have turned against boxing, which has been labeled as “dead” when it comes to keeping fans’ interest outside of megafights (Thanks, Floyd Mayweather) and the occasional big events that happen once or twice a year. Saturday night’s event does not just offer up an opportunity to see two legends, Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. get into a boxing match, it also gives the opportunity for the older generation of boxing fans and purists to tell the story of how these two legends were supposed to fight years ago.
The entire list of rules can be found here, courtesy of MMA Fighting, but even with the fact that there will be no declared winner, the history and story of two boxing legends getting inside to compete against each other, once and for all, brings some needed fireworks to a holiday weekend.
Hopefully, during Saturday night’s broadcast leading up to the main event fight, the story is told correctly about both Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. and their legendary careers. Even squaring off in their older age, the energy in seeing these two square up and faceoff, was electric.
https://twitter.com/ESPNRingside/status/1332454685756669952
Never mind the circus show that is the co-main event of YouTube celebrity Jake Paul taking on former NBA player Nate Robinson, boxing fans want to see Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr. no matter what the rule set is.
So yes, you may be thrown off by the rules and the fact that there won’t be a true “winner” but maybe, just for one night, for the first time in a while, boxing will steal the show. Sure, there have been some great moments in a very odd year, like Terence Crawford retaining his belt and Teofimo Lopez defeating Vasyl Lomachenko in the biggest fight of the year, but boxing still has yet to break through and steal the headlines for an entire weekend in the sports world.
https://twitter.com/ESPNRingside/status/1332454685756669952
It might take a 54-year old Mike Tyson and a depleted UFC card to get boxing into the spotlight this weekend, and maybe with the way the sport has been recently, not having a declared winner is a good thing. Fans can just sit back, reminisce on two legendary boxers, and enjoy the show that they put on for everyone.
