Mike Tyson certainly looks like the beast who terrorized the heavyweight division more than three decades ago, even at 54.
Tyson on Friday weighed in for Saturday’s exhibition against Roy Jones Jr. at Staples Center in Los Angeles. He checked in at 220.4 pounds. That’s the least he has weighed for a bout since the ear-bite fight against Evander Holyfield in 1997, when he weighed 218.
“Iron Mike” weighed 233 for his most-recent fight, a sixth-round knockout loss to journeyman Kevin McBride in 2005.
No one is surprised that he’s fit. He has adopted a healthy lifestyle in recent years, including rigorous workouts, some of which he has shared on social media.
And putting in the work during training camp for his meeting with Jones came naturally to him in spite if years away from the sport. And why not? He endured 56 camps during his pro career and many more as an amateur.
The two-time heavyweight champ was asked moments after weighing in what the hardest part of camp was at his age.
“Just doing the work,” he told boxing writer Manouk Akopyan in a video. “Same thing. Nothing changes. Fighting is the easy part of it.”
Tyson was asked moments later how quickly he plans to go after Jones.
“I’m pitching punches,” he said. “… Everything else is up to Roy. I’m coming at him. He doesn’t have to worry about me. If I’ll be running anywhere, I’ll be running at him.”
Jones (66-9, 47 KOs) weighed 210.0 pounds, six more than he has ever weighed for a fight.
The 51-year-old didn’t look as fit as Tyson — he was a little softer — but he appears to be big and strong, which could serve him will over the eight, two-minute rounds.
Jones was at his best between middleweight and light heavyweight but, using his quickness and ring smarts, he won a heavyweight title by outpointing John Ruiz in 2003. He weighed 193 for that fight.
Jones was asked immediately after he weighed in how he planned to win the fight.
“I can’t tell you how I’m going to do it,” he said. “It’ll probably look wrong. So if I told you it would probably sound wrong. But it’s going to turn out right. Trust me.”
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