If you had Joe Rogan somehow getting involved with the upcoming Roy Jones Jr. and Mike Tyson fight, you were probably correct, as one of the combatants took to his podcast to explain some issues he has.
It’s still over a month before the exhibition match between former champions Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. on November 28, but the two fighters have already traded shots ahead of the fight.
In an appearance on the Joe Rogan Podcast, Jones Jr. said that he feels that every rule in their upcoming exhibition bout, which is scheduled for eight two-minute rounds, favors Tyson. When asked by Rogan on how many rounds the fight will go, the 51-year old Jones said he was made to agree to eight two-minute rounds instead of the three minute rounds that he originally wanted.
This, he said, was to the advantage of the 54-year old Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs)), a former undisputed heavyweight champion. The only reason he agreed to this rule, according to Jones, was because he didn’t want to upset fans who were already looking forward to the bout, which will be held at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
Jones (56-9, 7 KOs), who has won titles in the middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight divisions, said that having shorter rounds would keep Tyson fresh in the later rounds of the fight, which he admitted was to his disadvantage. He says that in order to defeat Tyson, he will need to work faster than he originally expected because of the time of the rounds.
He also harked back to Tyson’s famous second fight with Evander Holyfied in 1997, when he was disqualified for biting his ear, saying that he feels safer wearing headphones for the exhibition match because his opponent might bite his ear.
Jones, however, admitted that he needs to be at his best against Tyson, whom he also called an “awesome person,” because he doesn’t know which version of Tyson he will get come fight night.
But the veteran boxer, 51, added that he is so committed to the sport that he would not be ‘mad’ at dying for it.
Jones Jr will face Iron Mike in their comeback exhibition bout on November 28.
And despite the dangers of fighting in their older years, Captain Hook is willing to put his body on the line.
He said: “You get hit by someone like Mike Tyson anything can happen to you.
“Mike Tyson is not just an ordinary puncher. He’s one of those guys that can do just that to you.
“So, you should know what you’re going into and you should be ready for that because this is Mike.
“For me, I don’t really give a damn, I fight for a living.
“I ain’t trippin’ at all because I know death is a possibility. Yeah, that can happen to anybody.
“And I know it can happen to me even more going in there with somebody as dangerous as Mike Tyson.”
Jones Jr began his professional career way back in May 1989 and was crowned heavyweight champion of the world four years later.
He fought a whopping 75 times in a career that spanned virtually three decades with his last pro bout in February 2018 as he beat Scott Sigmon to take his record to 66-9.
But now into his 50s, Jones Jr knows the risk is increasing – but said dying through boxing would make him ‘die a happy man’.
He added: “Problem with me is, why I love and why I do what I do, because I love boxing.
“So if I gotta die boxing, I die a happy man.
I know that people get hurt in boxing, some people don’t make it out aliveRoy Jones Jr
“There’s probably one or two others ways I’d like to go – but if I went that way, I’m not mad at that.
“Because I knew that when I started boxing, I know that people get hurt in this, some people don’t make it out alive.
“So, if that’s how you’ve got to go, you’ve got to know that.
“But if you’re not that game and not that committed to what you’re doing, then you shouldn’t be talking to me about boxing.
“Because that’s what boxing is.”
Source: clutchpoints.com thesun.co.uk
