There is a somewhat troubling story that is doing the rounds on the net, and it concerns the once truly great, the once untouchable Roy Jones Jr. It seems Jones Jr, who “retired” after a win in 2018, is excited at the chance to return to the ring to face Mike Tyson.
Speaking with sports.ru, the one-time pound-for-pound king said he would be unable to say no if Tyson – who may or may not fight/box an exhibition sometime in the coming months – offered him the fight.
“Yes, it’s true – Mike is a legend. It would be crazy to receive an offer to enter the ring with him and refuse,” Jones Jr said. “I had no intention of going back and fighting again but, for the sake of Mike Tyson, I agree to make an exception. For me, this is an opportunity that I cannot refuse. Of all those who wanted to go into the ring with him, he chose me. And since he did that, how can I say no?”
From the way Jones is talking, it seems Tyson has actually asked him to fight him; either in a real deal or in an exhibition. But how can this be seen as good news? Jones, who is 51 yet looks older than the 54-year-old Tyson, lost the ability to take a hard shot years ago, his alarming fall from grace – KO losses to Antonio Tarver, Glen Johnson, Denis Lebedev, Danny Green, Enzo Maccarinelli – genuinely awful to witness.
Now, against even a middle-aged Tyson, even in an exhibition, Jones Jr wants to risk it? No thanks. There was a time when a Tyson-Jones Jr fight would have captured massive attention and pulled in huge money.
This was before Jones Jr decided instead to fight Tarver in a rematch (having won the first fight via controversial decision; his fight before that seeing him beat John Ruiz for a slice of the heavyweight title). This was in 2003. This was an eternity ago.
Back then, according to some reports, Jones Jr turned down something like $40 million. What might Jones Jr earn if the fight/exhibition goes ahead here in 2020?