The 8-round exhibition fight between Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. on Saturday ended in a draw.
Fifteen years after retiring, the former heavyweight champion squared off against fellow boxing legend Jones Jr. for a fight titled “Frontline Battle.” The World Boxing Council (WBC) supported, commemorated and scored the four-hour live event at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
The rounds were 60 seconds shorter than usual — two minutes, instead of three — and the fight was sanctioned by the California State Athletic Commission.
The pair used 12-ounce gloves without any protection.
The WBC used a remote scoring system to judge Tyson’s and Jones Jr.’s performance. Three champions judged and scored each round, with the criteria focusing on style, technique, effective punching, effective defense and effective aggressiveness.
“Despite the isolation and tribulations COVID-19 has caused, Tyson and Jones Jr. have shown us that when a person embraces a positive mental outlook, turns on his or her positive mental switch, all challenges can be overcome which is why we have created a one of a kind commemorative belt created specifically for the occasion,” WBC President Mauricio Sulaimán said in a news release.
Tyson, the former heavyweight world champion, is considered one of the most feared boxers of all time. He finished his first year as a professional boxer with a 15-0 record, with all wins coming by knockout.
“Iron Mike” was 20 years and four months old when he became the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history. He has a 50-6 career record, with 44 of the 50 victories coming on knockouts. He last fought in 2005, when he lost to Kevin McBride.
Jones Jr. is a former world champion who sports a 66-9 record. Jones Jr. won his last bout in 2018 against Scott Sigmon.
The fight was a pay-per-view event sold for $50 in the United States.
Some of the money will be donated to charities that fight human trafficking and breast cancer, according to Jones Jr. Tyson’s Legends Only League will also donate a portion of proceeds to the WBC José Sulaimán Boxers Fund to support boxers who “have fallen into hard times,” the news release said.
The fight was the first of a series produced by Legends Only League.
