Mike Tyson retired in 2005 but has had two bouts since – an exhibition with fellow fighting legend Roy Jones Jr and an underwhelming eight-rounder against Jake Paul.
Tyson and Jones fought to a soft draw in 2020, putting on a show for the fans. The former undisputed heavyweight champion’s bout with Paul this year was professionally sanctioned, and he lost by clear unanimous decision.
With Jones throwing his hat in the ring to be Paul’s next opponent, Tyson recently spoke to FOX Sports News about how he might fare.
“Roy’s fast enough. If he’s training he could still do a lot of stuff. He’s got to be training though. Jake punches hard.”
Jones – a four-weight world champion – recently spoke to Covers about the potential match-up, making it clear that he would present a difference challenge than Tyson managed.
“Roy still has his legs, and he’s going to find your chin. So you better get to me first because I will find your chin. If Mike could have pulled off some of the things we saw him doing in training, I think it might have been a better fight. But I think his legs didn’t allow him to do it.”
“Jake’s a big kid – he’s a power puncher – but I just feel that my legs at 55 are much better than Mike’s legs at 58. I used to use my legs when I fought; Mike never really used his legs when he fought. My legs are in better shape, and I could get to Jake a bit easier than Mike did. Since we’re in this social media era, the era of influencer boxers, big names make big events. What bigger names are there than Roy Jones and Jake Paul?”
Jones then laid out his conditions – millions of dollars and a straight-up fight.
“We’re not holding back. You’ve got to knock Roy out, or Roy is going to keep coming. We won’t be holding back at all. If it’s going to be that way, then I’m going to do it. I don’t care what the money is. If you say ‘I’ve got to lose,’ I’m not doing it.”
“I was the last person to fight Mike, so why would I take anything less than $20 million? Don’t waste my time.”
Who Paul chooses to face next remains to be seen, though there’s a general consensus it could be someone at least a little younger and more active.
