Boxing took centerstage on Saturday night as two of its all-time biggest stars squared off in a pay-per-view event that had the entire sports world’s attention. Even people outside of boxing took notice as Iron Mike Tyson stepped back into the ring to take on Roy Jones Jr.
In perfect 2020 form, Mike is 54 years old and Roy is 51 and this was an exhibition of eight two-minute rounds. The ground rules were quite restricting with safety measures in place to ensure no one would get seriously hurt. But with Tyson slimmed down and looking lethal, a one-punch demolition was still on the table.
The exhibition went the full eight rounds, Tyson clearly had the edge despite unofficial scoring that had it a draw, and the whole spectacle was quite entertaining. Snoop Dogg performed and then did ringside commentary. A lot of people could have gotten their $50s worth from the main event alone.
But this was a five-bout card that featured four other fights of varying degrees of quality. The opener was a barnburner between featherweights Irvin Gonzalez and Edward Vazquez, a split-decision win for Vazquez. Lightweight Jamaine Ortiz scored a TKO7 over Sulaiman Segawa before light heavyweight Badou Jack rolled all over an overmatched Blake McKernan for a UD8.
The co-main is the most talked-about part of this card besides Tyson-Jones Jr. YouTube sensation Jake Paul took his 1-0 record into the ring against former NBA star Nate Robinson, who was climbing through the ropes for the first time as a professional. It went spectacularly bad for Robinson who went down on his face three times, the last time completely unconscious. Paul probably wouldn’t have any business being in the ring against a trained professional boxer, but Robinson clearly had no business in the ring with Paul.
Knockdown #1 came in the first round, Robinson had no idea where the right hand came from, went down hard and only beat the count because the ref slowed down his pace. Clearly hurt, Robinson survived the onslaught but the beginning of round two saw Paul land another haymaker that put the slam-dunk champion down again. Robinson got up but not for long and the last knockdown/KO was scary. He went down flat, motionless, asleep.
Are you not entertained?
Boxing is a tough business for the pros. When a guy gets in there without the proper preparation and it goes like that, some people are appalled while others think it was the best thing that could have happened. I’d rather not see it again, but I’m willing to bet that I am waaaaaaayyyyyy outnumbered.
Then came Tyson vs. Jones Jr. Both guys breathed heavily but Mike looked more like his old self than Roy did. They Tyson menace was clearly there as an in-shape Tyson, even at age 54, stalked Jones Jr. and let fly with eye-popping combinations. Jones Jr. had just enough of his old movement and all of his ring smarts to tie up his attacker or move away from danger. It wasn’t a great boxing contest. It wasn’t very competitive and there was no doubt who was winning. But just like the late 80s and early 90s, it was all about if Tyson’s opponent could get out of this without getting his head knocked off.
It’s two days later and there is still a buzz around this event, but what does that mean in the grand scheme of things for boxing? The sport is cranking back up in the face of the pandemic and there have been some very enjoyable shows on the calendar. The Charlo twins’ doubleheader that ran $80 and went on for most of a day was a bold step for boxing-starved fans. The huge fights haven’t happened yet but we’ve got Errol Spence Jr. vs. Danny Garcia this coming weekend. Canelo Alvarez is back at it in a couple of weeks and Anthony Joshua is scheduled for later in December.
In the middle of all that, we had this. Middle-aged boxing fans as well as Gen Z fans wanted to see Iron Mike Tyson in the ring and they got it. The Paul/Robinson fight probably brought an insane number of fans due to Paul’s popularity. The other three bouts were about the same as you could expect on any fight card, a blowout, a back-and-forth war and a seventh-round stoppage.
What do you want for your $50? The rap performances, the Paul/Robinson show and Snoop Dogg as an announcer probably won’t work on a conventional boxing card. Or would they? Tyson himself said yesterday that boxing owes these YouTubers for bringing their fans to the sport.
This event was fun. I didn’t pay to see it but I enjoyed it and, while I wouldn’t want one of these every month or two, I’d be interested in seeing more. Rather than have Oscar De La Hoya do something embarrassing in a comeback fight at his age, why not do what Julio Cesar Chavez and Jorge Arce have been doing? You could fill up the undercard however you want and this Tyson-Jones Jr. show gave some pretty good suggestions. The key to the whole thing is for people to understand, or even not understand, what they are buying insofar as a competitive fight, a YouTube attraction or an exhibition. Mixed together like they were on Saturday night, the show was a roller coaster and the whole world took notice.
