In true 2020 fashion, the final few weeks of the year’s sports calendar will be highlighted by the meeting of two 50-year-old boxing legends making a bizarre, intriguing return to the ring.
The long-awaited bout between 54-year-old Mike Tyson and 51-year-old Roy Jones Jr. is set to get underway from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Follow along below as we gather the best reaction and analysis from around the Twitterverse, round by round, over the course of the night.
What should we expect tonight? Sportsnet’s Mike Johnston broke down the tale of the tape for the bout earlier today.
In one corner is the five-foot-10, 220.4-pound Tyson, bringing a 50-6 record (including 44 knockouts) and a legacy as one of the most dominant heavyweights of all time (climbing the mountain as the WBC, WBA, IBF and lineal world heavyweight champion).
In the other, the five-foot-11, 210-pound Jones, a former Olympic medallist who holds a 66-9 record (with 47 knockout wins) and has won world titles as a middleweight, super-middleweight, light-heavyweight and heavyweight.
“In his prime, Jones was truly phenomenal and often regarded as the top pound-for-pound fighter in boxing,” Johnston wrote in his breakdown of the fight. “He operated on a different frequency than his opponents, with unmatched reflexes and agility that allowed him to set up stinging counter shots. Jones’s highlight reel is something to behold.
“Reflexes and agility fade with age, though, whereas power is typically the last thing to go for a fighter – especially for heavyweight knockout artists such as Tyson. That, along with Tyson’s star power, is presumably why Jones is a +170 underdog heading into the bout.”
With the duo about to step into the ring following YouTuber Jake Paul’s knockout of former NBAer Nate Robinson, here’s the latest from around the sports world on Tyson-Jones:
Pre-Fight
We challenge you to watch @TeddyAtlasReal breakdown @MikeTyson’s training video and not get excited about him fighting again #TysonJones pic.twitter.com/QvYPNV1OuS
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) November 28, 2020
It’s almost time #TysonJones pic.twitter.com/DfbbLIBL90
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) November 29, 2020
