The rules for this Saturday night’s heavily hyped exhibition bout between living legends Mike Tyson and Roy Jones have been released, and it’s fair to say plenty of fight fans are more than a little disappointed, not to mention puzzled, over the rules set for the fight in Los Angeles.
We already knew the two greats would be boxing just 2-minute rounds, eight in total, and that the former champions will be donning 12-ounce gloves. But now, as per a story from MMA Fighting, it has been revealed how there will be no official winner at the end of the fight and not only that, but neither fighter will be permitted to score a knockout. If either man is cut, the bout will be instantly terminated.
“I want the public to know what this is because I don’t want people to be disappointed,” Andy Foster of the California State Athletic Commission said. “As long as they know this is an exhibition, I’m fine for everybody to earn. There are no official judges. That’s a very entertainment centered thing. It’s not about competition. The unofficial scores are for entertainment only, and that’s done by the WBC remotely. There’s no official winner at the end of this.”
Plenty of fans are now wondering whether or not to fork out the pay-per-view money to see what will basically amount to nothing more than two all-time greats moving around in a sparring session. Hey, at least Foster has been straight with us, letting us know this will in no way be anything like a real fight. Still, with no chance of seeing a KO, or even a winner at the end of the bout, is there any point in watching this exhibition; is there any point in paying good money to see it?
It might prove to be good fun, seeing two greats stick and move (although there will be more moving than sticking, with both men pulling their punches) as they show off their fast hands and the ability they have retained after all these years. But without a winner, with zero chance of seeing a highlight reel Mike Tyson KO – which, let’s face it, is what most people were hoping they would see on November 28 – can you really get behind this event and get excited about it?
Dana White perhaps said it best when he heard that there would be no KO allowed in the bout: “They’re not allowed to knock each other out? How do you enforce that? I’d like to bet that doesn’t happen. Can you bet on that?” White said.
It’s worse than that – there will no bets taken on the “fight.”
“I don’t even know what to say to that,” White added.
