Was that worth fifty bucks?
If you were expecting a competitive fight between two capable boxers, then you have a right to feel ripped off after the Mike Tyson-Roy Jones Jr. exhibition Saturday at Staples Center. If you understood what this was, a pleasant trip down memory lane, then you probably enjoyed it.
Tyson and Jones gave a pretty good effort for 50-somethings who hadn’t fought in 15 and three years, respectively, although they did as much wrestling as throwing punches over the eight two-minute rounds.
“Iron Mike” showed flashes of the heavyweight who terrorized the division three decades ago, moving his head side to side, throwing some quick, hard punches and even punching after the bell in one round. Jones also reminded us of the skills that dazzled us in 1990s, throwing quick, awkward jabs and moving fairly well for a 51-year-old who couldn’t catch his breath.
Tyson seemed to be in better shape than Jones, who appeared to be exhausted the entire fight. That’s underscores the work Tyson put in over a long period of time, which he captured on viral videos.
In the end, Tyson was the busier fighter in terms of punches thrown. There was no official decision but three former fighters – Chad Dawson, Christy Martin and Vinny Pazienza — who were hired by the WBC to score the fight had it a draw, which was somehow appropriate given that the event was staged to benefit charity.
More important, neither of them was hurt in the fight. That might’ve been a nod to California officials, who implored the fighters to hold back in their attacks. They wanted something akin to a sparring session and that’s what they got.
Tyson threw a lot of body shots — some hard — but not as many shots to the head, perhaps in an effort to keep Jones on his feet. Jones threw those jabs here and there and a few punches to the head but also seemed to limit his power shots.
Tyson was asked afterward what he thought about the guest judges’ decision.
“I’m good with that,” he said. “I’m good with a draw.” Why? “Because I entertained the crowd. The crowd was happy with it.”
Jones, still exhausted 15 minutes after the fight, thought he won but also was OK with the draw. And he sounded as if he was relieved simply to hear the final bell.
“I don’t do draws,” he said. “But the dude is so strong. … When he hits you with his head, his punches, his body shots, don’t matter. Everything hurts. So for me, I thought I did enough boxing on the outside to edge it out but, you know, I’m cool with a draw.
“We might have to do it again … but I don’t know.”
Jones’ trepidation might have something to do with the punches he took to the gut.
“The body shots definitely took a toll,” he said. “The body shots are what make you exhausted. Any good fighter knows that. I knew it too. I thought I had a six pack and I was all right, but I guess I need a 12 pack.”
“You took it,” Tyson jumped in. “I hit you with a good shot and you took it. I respect that.” Jones smiled at that.
Jones was asked whether he was ever concerned about the possibility of getting hurt by a naturally bigger, stronger man. Before he could answer, Tyson jumped in and said tongue-in-cheek, “I haven’t fought for [15] years, he only three years. I’m afraid I might … why didn’t anyone care about my ass? He fought three years ago and everyone is worried about his ass.”
Tyson, 54, was asked to assess his performance in his first fight since he was stopped by journeyman Kevin McBride in 2005.
However, he gave only a semi-serious answer. He obviously was pleased that he and his partners were able to pull this off and produce a decent product. And, obviously, this is just the start.
“I’m used to doing it for three minutes,” he said. “And sometimes the two minutes felt like three minutes. I’m just happy I got this under my belt and I’ll continue to go further and do more.”
You’ll do this again?
“Absolutely,” he said. “And he’ll (Jones) will be on the card as well.”
Yes, brace yourself for more exhibitions between geezers and/or celebrities who probably would be better off staying out of the ring.
Tyson-Jones undoubtedly generated good pay-per-view numbers, as people remain fascinated with Tyson even though he fought in an earlier generation. That means they likely earned a fortune on Saturday night.
And money has a way of attracting people, even old people.