Tyson - Jones fight ends in draw: fight results, highlights, reactions, scorecard and undercard
Tyson vs Jones: exhibition fight
Tyson and Jones fight to eight-round draw
The ringside judges Chad Dawson, Vinny Pazienza and Christy Martin, who were scoring the fight unofficially, determined the fight was a draw.
Most people watching gave it to Tyson who clearly won most, if not all, rounds.
Other bouts on the card
Edward Vazquez beat Irvin Gonzalez - split decision
Jamaine Ortiz beat Sulaiman Segawa - TKO in the 7th round
Badou Jack beat Blake McKernan - unanimous decision
Jake Paul beat Nate Robinson - KO in the 2nd round
Mike Tyson Mao tattoo: what does it mean and why did he get it?
Why Mao?
The world-famous boxer has ink markings across several areas of his anatomy, but many people have been asking about the significance of the image of Chinese leader Mao Zedong.
We get under the skin, so to speak, to bring you the answer.
Tyson keen to fight again
Speaking after Saturday’s draw with Roy Jones Jr, Mike Tyson said he’s “absolutely” like to fight again.
“I’m happy with a draw," Tyson said. "I thought I won but I'm happy because we entertained the fans. I'm used to doing it for three minutes. I'm just happy I got this under my belt and I'm going to continue to do more.
"Absolutely I would do this again. I'm just happy I could go eight rounds. Knockouts mean nothing, you have to be able to go the distance."
Read Tyson’s comments in full.
(Photo: EFE/EPA/JOE SCARNICI)
Brutal KO of Tyson night as Youtuber floors Nate Robinson
Slam dunk KO!
Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr may have been the headline bout of the evening, but Jake Paul's stunning strike to the former NBA star also grabbed the attention.
Viewer discretion advised!
How much money did Mike Tyson make from his comeback fight?
Money, money, money
Some people have been asking why two men in their 50s would put themselves through yet another fight.
This could help explain...
Tyson draw with Jones Jr: fight report
Mike Tyson showed age has not robbed him of his power as the former heavyweight champion, in his long-awaited return to the ring, dominated Roy Jones Jr. in an exhibition fight on Saturday in Los Angeles that was surprisingly ruled a draw.
While there were no ringside judges to score the eight-round contest between two of boxing's all-time greats, both over 50, and no official winner, the World Boxing Council formed a set of judges that remotely scored the bout. 'I'm used to doing it for three minutes,' 54-year-old Tyson said of the shorter rounds.
'Sometimes, that two minutes felt like three minutes. I'm happy I got this under my belt to keep doing this and go further.' Tyson, 15 years removed from his ignominious defeat to Irishman Kevin McBride in the last professional fight of his career, came out firing and was in control of the bout the entire way. Jones Jr, 51, was the more visibly fatigued of the two fighters but managed to pick up the pace in the later rounds enough to earn the win on one scorecard and a draw on the other while Tyson took the third scorecard. When the final bell rang, the two fighters shared a hug. 'The body shots definitely took a toll,' said Jones Jr. a former world champion in four different weight classes whose last professional fight was in 2018.
'The body shots are what make you exhausted.' The two boxers were introduced by legendary ring announcer Michael Buffer, who delivered his famous 'Let's Get Ready To Rumble' inside the Staples Centre which was void of fans given the covid-19 pandemic. After the fight Tyson, who was once the most feared fighter on the planet, shot down any idea of making a return to professional boxing.
'This is bigger than fighting and winning the championship,' Tyson said of exhibitions where he donates earnings to charity. 'We're humanitarians and we're helping people.' (Frank Pingue reporting from Toronto)
“The body shots definitely took a toll,” Jones says. “The body shots are what make you exhausted.”
Tyson says to Jones, "we've gotta do this again"
Tyson says Jones took the punches to the body well.
"We've entertained the world, I'm happy" says Tyson, who says he's good with the draw. He seems genuinely content with it all now.
Official result: a draw. Well that's just silly.
Some people out there are giving Jones a round or two, but it looked a pretty clear 80-72 to us.
Both fighters had their hands raised at the end of the fight. That's strange. Tyson doesn't look entirely happy with the way this is going down.
Coming up next: the official (but not official) cards from ringside judges Chad Dawson, Vinny Pazienza and Christy Martin.
It was sold as an exhibition, but we'd hoped it would reach the level of a proper fight, and it never quite got there. Tyson was in better shape and above all had more desire and he dominated Jones.
Tyson is walking away with this. He wanted to come back and make a statement and he has. If anything he's annoyed Jones didn't bring more to the ring.
Jones pushing Tyson into the ropes, but not throwing many punches.
Jones clinching again...
Final round of Tyson v Jones underway!
Final round coming up!
Does Tyson go for it? Expect a couple of bombs at least...
Tyson throwing more punches again. Jones looking more and more tired. Tyson just misses a right hook! That would have been 'goodnight and thanks for coming' time.
Round 7 underway!
Jones sparked up a bit at the end of round 6, but it's been mostly Tyson all the way through.
Tyson fighting and Jones cuddling - that's the standard pattern here. Tyson is not going for the head it would appear.
Jones' snap on his jab is just not there. Tyson has wrenched the hands of time and pushed them back further than Jones has been able to.
Is Tyson holding back? He's not holding back much on the body, but there may well be an agreement not to go for major head shots - there's not much damage to either face.
Round 5! We're 4 rounds to nil for Tyson. And things start pretty similarly in round 5.
Jones hasn't worked out his game yet and we're half-way through here. Jones used to have speed on his side, but that's not the case tonight.
This might be an exhibition but Tyson is here to prove he's the baddest man on the planet.
Tyson punishing Jones' body here.
Round 4! And Tyson forces Jones onto the ropes and Jones is forced to clutch Tyson into the clinch.
End of round 3. Another round for Tyson. He's up for this; is Jones just here for the cash? Or will he suddenly turn it on now?
Tyson putting in some big hits to Jones' body.
Ref checking the fighters. Jones looks a bit tired. Tyson has a lot more desire.
Tyson's foot speed is still impressive. He's 54 and hasn't fought for 15 years. Goodness.
Tyson AGAIN goes on the front foot at the start of the third.
Second round is going to Tyson. Another shot to the head, another to the body. Tyson is back. And Jones is not yet.
Jones is feinting with his left. Tyson is in control and has Jones on the ropes. Vintage Tyson! Neat feint.
Tyson early in round two! Big blow to the body! And then into the clinch. Jones trying to punch his way out of it.
10-9 for Tyson for that first round.
Jones into the clinch. Nothing major landed so far. Gently feeling each other out so far, though Tyson is still the more aggressive.
Tyson goes for a big body punch. Overhand left from Jones.
Tyson is looking aggressive early. Jones still got classic boxing form.
Off we go! Tyson vs Jones!
Congresswoman Omar weighs in on the balance of music to fighting. Ok, we had to wait a while for the main event, but that's always the way.
Must be strange coming back into the ring all these years later for Tyson.
Tyson looking restless, but ready. He looks in better shape than Jones.
National anthem, sung by NE-YO.
Tyson is ready for this... he just went straight in the ring.
Roy Jones Jr. on the long walk down to the ring!
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has presented Tyson with a commemorative belt for the fight. Jones got one too.
"Past the boundary of exhibition intensity"
The referee is empowered to step in and stop proceedings if it goes past that level of intensity. Technically there are no knock-outs, but if a punch leaves someone sprawled on the canvas, well, you can forget technicalities.
Remember, Tyson's last fight was 2006, Roy Jones Jr.'s was 2018. But Jones' fights latterly were not against top level boxers.
Tyson is gloved up...
Best fight of the night by far so far was the Gonzalez v Vazquez bout, the opening encounter. In terms of pure boxing, that's probably not going to change.
Let's just hope there's some good ventilation after Snoop's performance
Snoop still rapping away.
Fights so far this evening:
Edward Vazquez bt Irvin Gonzalez - split decision
Jamaine Ortiz bt Sulaiman Segawa - TKO in the 7th round
Badou Jack bt Blake McKernan - unanimous decision
Jake Paul bt Nate Robinson - KO in the 2nd round
Snoop is having his moment. Btw, check out his commentary if you can of the Jake Paul - Nate Robinson fight. It's something else.
The fight between actual boxers Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. doesn't count as a professional fight and won't go on their records. It's considered an exhibition. However, the fight between former NBA player Nate Robinson and YouTube star Jake Paul does count. Boxing is a strange world at times.
Tyson says he's going to defend himself and go after Jones with bad intentions.
Jones, speaking on arrival at the Staples Center has also said that one punch can end the fight tonight.
Jones has complained the ring tonight is small - which it is. But presumably that was agreed between the fighters before the bout.
Tyson seems to be in a good spirit coming into this fight, whether his old demons are fully conquered - well only he'll know that, but he seems in a far better place mentally coming into this encounter than he was 15 years ago.
Tyson is the clear favourite (though note there's no official verdict)
Next... it's Tyson vs Jones Jr!
Nate Robinson is in bad shape. This is not good to see. He walked right onto that big right hand.
Robinson down and out and very much not moving. He is gently coming to. That was brutal.
"I talk a lot of shit but I back it up," says Paul.
Robinson knocked out by Jake Paul! That is that.
Boom! Paul throws a big right hand and Robinson eats that one. He's down.
Robinson throws one punch and then into the clinch.
This is not the most technically proficient boxing you'll ever see.
Robinson gets back up and he's wobbly, but he'll go on. He thinks that punch was to the back of his head. It was, but not by much.
Robinson takes a left hook to the head and he's down!
Lots of punches, lots of grappling... referee breaking them up constantly.
Off we go! And they are both going hell for leather.
Here's how Jake Paul (yes, on the left) and Nate Robinson weighed in for their cruiserweight bout. Paul is the slight favourite for this encounter.
And in the biggest shock of the night... unanimous decision for Badou Jack. All the judges scored that on 80-72.
Jake Paul v Nate Robinson is up next. But only after rapper YG belts out Out on Bail and Blood Walk.
Badou Jack landed 19% more of his punches, and he threw about 100 more.
Waiting for the official decision. You're not going to get great odds on Jack for the win.
Badou Jack probably fighting at 27% if his potential here.
While kudos to McKernan for staying in this, he's not doing anything to mix it up and change his fortunes. He's just doggedly continuing to lose.
Badou Jack controlling the pace and tempo of this fight, he's decided he's not finishing this quickly unless he sees a huge opportunity. He's well ahead and he doesn't need to do anything more than ensure McKernan doesn't knock him out.
McKernan is at least staying in the fight. He's outclassed but he's not giving up.
McKernan has still only landed one power punch. Well.
Round 6. Badou Jack vs Blake McKernan.
Jack was the out and out favourite. The punters were not wrong.
Jack still being patient here as we head into round 5. He's clearly dominating and McKernan knows he almost certainly needs a KO now. Yes, one lucky punch could do that for him. But it's not going to happen.
Two minute rounds
Remember, Tyson - Jones is going to be eight, two-minute rounds. And the boxers say they're not happy.
Jones Jr. said he was "not happy at all."
"Like [Tyson] said, that's for women. I kept fighting until the last minute, saying, 'Why we fighting two-minute rounds?' I don't understand that. We're not women. We're two of the best to ever do it.
"Why we got to do two-minute rounds? Why? If something's going to happen, it's going to happen anyway … two minutes, three minutes, five minutes. Don't really matter.
"So, for us, what difference does it make? Two minutes doesn't do anything for him or for me. To be honest with you, it cheats the fans out of it."
It does seem to be a strange decision, because if the referee is really going to stop the fight at any cut, injury or sign of trouble, why not let them fight for three minute rounds.
McKernan FINALLY finds some rhythm and pops a couple of decent punches. But probably that's as much Jack just slightly taking the pressure off rather than McKernan really changing this around.
Into round 3. Can 'The Beast' McKernan do something to change this? He may be 13-0 coming into this, but it's going to be 13-1 pretty soon if he doesn't.
It would be a surprise if this goes the distance, the way things look right now. Jack's on a different level.
McKernan only managed to land one punch in that first round. You don't need much more information than that.
Mckernan unleashes some body shots! He has got something to offer, but overall Jack is on top, as you might expect given his experience.
McKernan offering very little here.
Jack on top here, and his pressure is making McKernan look a little sheepish as he tries to find his way in the first round.
Jack and McKernan bout underway!
Next up, provided there hasn't been yet another last minute change is: Badou Jack vs. Blake McKernan. 8 rounds at light heavyweight
$49.99
Lots of debate about whether the price in the US is worth it. Suspicion is a lot of people are paying just out of curiosity, but that's quite a chunk of change just to see what is actually going on. But to be fair to the organisers, they've tried to organise an event around the fight itself.
We've seen two cracking fights so far tonight. Vazquez beating Gonzalez with a split decision and Ortiz stopping Sagawa in the seventh.
That's it! Sagawa can't go on, he's on the ropes and the ref has seen enough. Another win for Ortiz!
Boom! Sagawa gets hit by an Ortiz upper cut to the temple. Ref asking if Sagawa can go on.
Tyson - Jones: the reality
Andy Foster, the head of the California State Athletic Commission, has explained the reality of the Tyson - Jones fight. “We can’t mislead the public as to this is some kind of real fight. They can get into it a little bit, but I don’t want people to get hurt. They know the deal.”
The referee is apparently ready to step in if things get out of hand.
Ortiz on top again in the sixth, closing down Segawa constantly.
Round 5 is tough to call. Probably 10-9 Segawa, after he started strong and kept up the momentum, despite Ortiz coming back into it.
Ortiz still on top though.
Ref checking the fighters and back into it. The fighters are moving each other around here.
Segawa starts really strong at the start of round 5. That's a message to Ortiz, who was dominating, that this is not over.
Into round 5, which means the scorecards count.
Ortiz has got the rhythm of the fight here. Hands down, but he's in control. Segawa would like the bell. Ortiz has some bleeding from the nose, but he's in control.
Ortiz is 13-0, with 7 wins by knock-out.
Segawa is running out of gas here...
Into round four. Segawa on the front foot, pushing Ortiz onto the ropes.
Ortiz came in strong at the end of the round, landing one on Segawa's chin.
Is that some blood coming from Ortiz's nose?
Segawa goes all in with a massive left hand, but he misses this one too.
Upping the pace at the end of round 2. Nod of respect from both boxers to each other as they head to their corners.
It's a pretty cagey affair so far this between Segawa and Ortiz. Nothing major being landed by either boxer.
Segawa landing 26% of his punches compared to 24% for Ortiz.
A lightweight bout between Jamaine Ortiz and Sulamain Segawa is next up. This goes for eight rounds.
Staples Center
The action this evening is coming live from the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles. It's the home of the Los Angeles Kings (NHL), the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Clippers (NBA) and the Los Angeles Sparks (WNBA).
Figueroa St, in the Staples Center area, has been renamed Kobe Bryant Boulevard. The center has been called 'The house that Kobe built' after his historic performances here.
Capacity is around 19,067 for basketball and 20,000 for other sporting events... when we're not dealing with a pandemic.
Gonzalez v Vazquez
You can watch this undercard fight for free on FITE. Well worth it. A lot of classy boxing on display from these two.
The fight between Rashas Coulter (former UFC fighter) and Viddal Riley has been cancelled, with Coulter testing positive for covid-19 just before weigh-in.
When was the Mike Tyson last fight and what was the result?
Tyson's last bout
It's been over 15 years since the former World Heavyweight champion Tyson was involved in a high profile combat - his last major bout was in 2005 with 'Iron Mike' defeated in seven rounds by Irishman Kevin McBride
Right, we're not getting Juiseppe Cusumano vs. Nick Jones heavyweight bout either it seems. Which means we're going to the main card.
Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr.: 8 rounds exhibition at heavyweight
Jake Paul vs. Nate Robinson: 6 rounds at cruiserweight
Badou Jack vs. Blake McKernan: 8 rounds at light heavyweight
Jamaine Ortiz vs. Sulaiman Segawa: 8 rounds at lightweight
Viddal Riley vs. Rashad Coulter: 6 rounds at cruiserweight (cancelled)
Tyson lighter than he was back in '86
Tyson weighed in at 220.4 lbs for tonight's fight, which is lighter than he was in 1986 when aged 20 he beat Trevor Berbick to become the youngest ever heavyweight champion. That's sounds like quite the stat, but alas it doesn't of course mean he's in better shape - muscle weighs a lot more than fat, and no matter how much iron you pump as you get old you lose muscle mass - fact of life. Tyson back in '86 was a muscled up monster - it's no surprise if he's lost his fat at the moment (and kudos to him for burning through a 100 lbs of it) that he'll be lighter than he was back then.
Big hug from the boxers but it's Vazquez who's going home with the belt.
So who got it?
Split decision: Vazquez takes it!
Big hand for both Irvin Gonzalez and Edward Vasquez - that was a high octane, high tempo fight.
Punches:
Gonzalez: thrown 545 hit 130
Vazquez: thrown 545 hit 177
That's amazing they threw identical amount of punches.
That's it! What a cracking bout that was.
We've got a minute left and there's no let up. Huge shots and combinations flying from both men.
Big left cross from Gonzalez and he lands it, but Vazquez takes it and keeps going.
Three minutes for glory...
Both Gonzalez and Vasquez will be going for a big hit here to try and win this outright. To be honest, that's what they've been doing so far.
Final round coming up!
These two are in great shape, this is round 7 and they're as fast as round 1. Bish, bash, bosh boxing.
Cagey start to round 7, but then Gonzalez lands some blows and Vazquez is riled up and hits back hard, with both boxers going hell for leather. This is some great stuff out there.
Two rounds left of Irvin Gonzalez vs. Edward Vasquez
Gonzalez has a much longer reach and is staying on the outside and trying to sneak through Vazquez's defence, but he's often drawn in to a straight out punch-fest.
Gonzalez ducking into Vazquez as he takes some damage. Ref telling him to stand up.
Into round six - this is quick fire boxing.
Vazquez has such a nice control of timing. He'll wait for his moment and then unleash an explosive three punch combo. His trainer's telling him to stick to hitting the body. "Is he coaching him there?!"
Super footwork from both boxers once again. "This has the potential to be the fight of the year if they keep this up!" raves the commentator. It's great to see two boxers really going for it - lots of punches landing, but mostly body blows.
Vazquez pins Gonzalez on the ropes in the fourth, but once again Gonzalez weather the storm and comes back at his man, punching hard. There's some really solid hitting out there.
Third round sees a flurry of blows from both contestants, with several of the punches landing. Vazquez generally on the front foot but Gonzalez knows how to hit back from difficult positions.
The second round is for Vazquez, who managed to hurt Gonzalez, although the 24-year-old recovered well.
Gonzalez going in all guns blazing and hitting Vazquez hard in the opening round of tonight's action, but the American coped with it well.
Tyson says goodbye to Maradona
In 1986 Maradona (RIP) won the World Cup. In November that year, Tyson fought Trevor Berbick for the WBC Heavyweight Championship. Tyson won by TKO in just the second round, at the age of 20 years and 4 months - the youngest heavyweight champion in history.
The undercard is underway
Irvin Gonzalez vs. Edward Vasquez: 8 rounds at featherweight
How dangerous could it be?
Boxing itself is a pretty dangerous sport, clearly, with the possibility of severe brain injury being caused by any one punch and the likelihood of long term damage causing dementia in later life, but is boxing at over 50 sensible. No, says sports physician Walter Wagner, speaking to DW.
""At Tyson's age, boxing is generally too dangerous, even though he looks extremely fit in his training videos... In the past it used to be said over 40s should only fight in exceptional cases. But for this, everything must be medically clarified 100 percent".
Wagner's conclusion: "From a medical point of view, the comeback of Tyson against Jones should be cancelled."
"He's bitten him!"
Tyson has long wanted to forget the controversies that have dogged him in and out of the ring, but nobody will ever forget this one. One thing to note: Holyfield forgave Tyson directly after the fight, and the two are reportedly close friends these days
Purse for tonight's Tyson - Jones Jr, bout
The total purse for tonight is $13 million. Of that, Tyson is reckoned to be guaranteed $10 million, while Jones Jr. will likely be getting around $3 million, with a guaranteed amount of $1 million. The exact formula for dividing the purse has not been made public, and as there is no official winner (this being an exhibition fight) there appears to be no cash on the line for 'winning'.
Who's worth more right now?
Roy Jones Jr. He's estimated to be worth $5 million, having brought in a total of $55 million in his career. Tyson is thought to be worth $3 million, having worked his way through his $685 million career earnings. He actually went bankrupt in 2003, owing some $23 million, but he's back on a more secure financial footing now, thanks to TV and movie appearances including his own TV series 'Mike Tyson Mysteries', and he owns a marijuana dispensary chain.
Fight card
Main card
Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr.: 8 rounds exhibition at heavyweight
Jake Paul vs. Nate Robinson: 6 rounds at cruiserweight
Badou Jack vs. Blake McKernan: 8 rounds at light heavyweight
Jamaine Ortiz vs. Sulaiman Segawa: 8 rounds at lightweight
Undercard
Irvin Gonzalez vs. Edward Vasquez: 8 rounds at featherweight
Tonight's fight
Tyson weighed in at 220.4 lbs with Roy Jones Jr. coming in at 210.
The fighters agreed to go without headgear, but they'll be donning 12-ounce gloves rather than the standard 10-ouncers normally worn in heavyweight bouts. The fight will go for eight two-minute rounds.
The fight is going under the label of a WBC Frontline Battle Belt heavyweight bout, but in effect it's being considered by the authorities as a hard sparring contest. The California State Athletic Commission has said there won't be any knockouts, there won't be any official judges scoring the contest and there won't be an official winner.
Asked about the rules, Tyson simply said: "Well, I know that I'm in a fight and that's all I need to know."
Tyson looking trim
The baddest man on the planet has been on a major diet in preparation for the fight tonight, slimming down some 100 pounds (45 kg). The secret? Going vegan apparently. And spending two hours a day on his treadmill.
Apparently it was his wife Lakiha Spencer who told him to get the legs whirling: "My wife told me to get on the treadmill. So I went from 15 minutes and I winded up at two hours".
How much money will Mike Tyson earn from his comeback fight?
We know it's all about the boxing...
But just out of interest, how much are these two going to make from the fight? Short answer: Tyson around $10 million (imagine, he's estimated to have made $685 million in his career, pretty much all of which has gone); Roy Jones Jr. $3 million.
More details in the article:
Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr: TV, how to watch online, PPV price, fight card and dates
If you really want to watch Tyson vs Jones Jr.
If you really want to watch the fight, rather than just following along on here, our man Greg has the lowdown on how to tune in. Get your credit card ready:
Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr. live
Good evening and welcome to our live coverage of Tyson v Jones Jr., the main event on this evening's 'Legends Only' fight card.
Tonight's main clash is set to give hope to middle-aged blokes everywhere. Tyson is sprightly 54 now, while Roy Jones Jr. is a spring chicken by comparison at just 51.
No doubt the legend title will be debated long and hard, but both these men have of course been heavyweight champions. Jones Jr. managed the feat in 2003, having started out as a light middleweight, one of only six boxers to shift up the classes so successfully. Tyson for his part was undisputed heavyweight champion from 1987 to 1990 and successfully defended his titles nine times.