Tyson, Jones ready for ‘real fight’

Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. insisted Thursday they are preparing for a bruising battle when the two fifty-something fighters face each other in an eight-round exhibition bout in Los Angeles.

Former world heavyweight champion Tyson, 54, will be fighting for the first time in 15 years when he meets four-division world champion Jones, 51, at the Staples Center on Nov. 28.

While the California State Athletic Commision-sanctioned event has been dismissed as a “circus act” in some quarters, Tyson and Jones bristled at criticism the pay-per-view fight would not be a legitimate contest.

“Not a real fight? It’s Mike Tyson versus Roy Jones. I’m coming to fight and I hope he’s coming to fight and that’s all you need to know,” Tyson told a virtual press conference.

Jones, whose last fight came in 2018 with a unanimous decision over cruiserweight Scott Sigmon, also rejected the fight’s exhibition tag, while describing himself and Tyson as “freaks”.

“The last guy that tried an exhibition with Mike Tyson got dropped in the first round,” Jones said.

“If you don’t know that then there’s something wrong with you. Who goes in the ring with the great, legendary Mike Tyson and thinks ‘This is an exhibition’? Twelve-ounce gloves? No headgear? Really? This is an exhibition? Come on, be real.”