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Steve KimESPN
Former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson is making a comeback.
Tyson will fight Roy Jones Jr. in an eight-round exhibition on Sept. 12. The bout will be broadcast on pay-per-view as well as multi-media platform Triller. According to a release on the fight, Triller will also show a 10-part docuseries leading up to the bout.
The 54-year-old Tyson (50-6) has caused a stir on social media the past few months as he posted footage of himself training. He last fought 15 years ago, when he was stopped in six rounds by Kevin McBride.
Last month, Jones, 51, expressed interest in a possible bout with Tyson.
“I’ve been trying to enjoy retirement, but people don’t seem to want to let me retire,” said Jones. “They keep calling me, telling me that Mike wants to come back, and that you’d be a great opponent for Mike.
“We always wanted to see it, but I would’ve preferred it back then. Tyson is a hell of a specimen still. Still a problem to deal with. But at the same time, life is life, you only live once. You want to know what it’s like, you go in there and see. You still gotta see it.”
At one time, “Iron Mike” was considered one of the most ferocious fighters in the world. He became the youngest heavyweight champion in history (at 20 years and four months) after stopping Trevor Berbick in two rounds in November 1986.
Tyson then ruled the division with impunity, making nine successful defenses, while unifying the division. But he was shockingly upset by James ‘Buster’ Douglas in February 1990 and after that his career was never quite the same. After spending three years in jail for a rape conviction, he returned to boxing in 1995, then won the WBC and WBA heavyweight titles in 1996.
Tyson’s last true big fight came in the summer of 2002, when he was halted in eight rounds by Lennox Lewis.
As for Jones (66-9), at his apex, he was considered the most brilliant boxer in the sport, winning titles at middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight. At his peak, he was a sublime mix of speed, technique and ring intelligence.
But his career declined after he was knocked out by Antonio Tarver in 2004, which began a three fight losing streak, and a fighter who was once considered untouchable became more and more susceptible to getting knocked out.
Jones last appeared in a professional bout in February 2018, when he defeated Scott Sigmon by decision. The last recognizable name on his ledger, Enzo Maccarinelli, knocked him out in four rounds in Moscow in 2015.
In an interview with Yahoo Sports, Andy Foster, the executive director of the California State Athletic Commission, said that he believed there wouldn’t be headgear, but that the boxers would use 12-ounce gloves.
