Roy Jones Jr has fought over 500 rounds of boxing since his professional debut in 1989.
‘Captain Hook’ broke records in the sport and is regarded today as one of the most skilled fighters in history. On his way to such a status, he faced the likes of James Toney, Bernard Hopkins and Antonio Tarver.
Jones lost just ten times in 75 fights, with half of those coming by stoppage. Despite tasting early finishes as a pro, it wasn’t until the year 2020 where he faced his most powerful opponent.
Speaking to Shane Mosley on his podcast, Jones revealed that the hardest he has been hit came well after his prime and in an exhibition fight with ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson.
“Mike Tyson still the strongest puncher that I’ve ever been in the ring with. Ever. At 55 at the time, now I think 57 might be 58, he’s still the strongest puncher. First time he hit me in my chin I feel like a mule had kicked me in my chest.
“So if he hits anybody on the chin with a shot like that, they either going out or they’re going down. Especially guys that are not used to being hit like that, you know what I’m saying?”
Tyson and Jones faced off in ‘Lockdown Knockdown’ – an eight round exhibition at the Staples Centre, Los Angeles which was an extreme box office success. Though it was scored a split draw, Tyson outlanded Jones by a wide margin and many feel he should have been crowned the victor, though there was little fuss due to the nature of the bout.
The pair were competing with 12 ounce gloves and many felt Tyson went a little easy and targeted the body of Jones to avoid a knockout.
All in all, Jones felt around 57 power punches from the man branded the baddest on the planet who, even in his fifties, clearly still whacks. On his podcast post-fight, Tyson said:
“I want to do it again and I want to do it against someone I could go all out on. It made me interested in wanting to do it again. I wanted to go the distance, I didn’t want to knock anybody out, that’s what people expected, but I wanted to go the distance.”
Tyson would return to the ring again in 2024 for a soft pro bout with Jake Paul, losing via unanimous decision and looking every bit his 58 years. In his heyday, he scored 44 knockouts from 50 wins.
