Mike Tyson Vs. Roy Jones Jr. Exhibition Bout Ruled As A Draw

28 Nov, 2020

The highly anticipated exhibition bout between Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. finally happened tonight following a fight that saw YouTube star Jake Paul knock out NBA veteran Nate Robinson in the second round.

Round one saw both boxers displaying impressive agility and technique, with Tyson being the primary aggressor and landing hard body shots even when the athletes clinched up.

In round two, Tyson came forward right away and pushed Jones toward the ropes. After they were separated from a clinch, Tyson landed a solid left hand that staggered Jones. As the clock wound down, Tyson landed a double left and also hit Jones right after the bell, but immediately apologized.

In round three, Jones continued to use their time in the clinch to alternate between head and body shots. The two clashed with an accidental head-butt that thankfully didn’t lead to any significant damage that could prematurely end the fight. There were a couple of good exchanges that showed the power and agility of both fighters, with each one evading some quick punches from the other.

Tyson wasted no time in getting Jones up against the ropes at the start of round four, using his time in the clinch to land some hard body shots. Jones was warned by the referee for holding, though he and Tyson both managed to get some impressive hits on each other. Tyson in particular stayed focused on body shots.

Round five again saw an aggressive Tyson pushing forward against Jones, evading a fast combo from his opponent. With about 35 seconds left to go, he countered another combo from Jones with a left hand and again staggered his opponent. The round finished with a fast combo exchange from both fighters.

A visibly tired Jones clinched up as soon as Tyson came forward in round six. Tyson landed a combo that finished with a big left hook to the body, and even though Jones again tried to clinch up with him, Tyson punched his way out. Jones narrowly evaded a right uppercut from Tyson. As the final seconds of the round wound down, both fighters got a few more punches in before the bell rang.

With just four minutes remaining in the fight as round seven began, both athletes seriously picked up the pace during the time they didn’t spend in the clinch. Jones was still clearly tired, but threw out some fast combos that Tyson still mostly managed to evade. Tyson continued pushing forward and found every opportunity for body strikes until the round ended.

The final round saw much of what the fighters put on throughout the previous rounds, with Jones clinching up and Tyson landing some hard hits and dodging some quick hits from Jones. Tyson again managed to get Jones up against the ropes and land some hard body shots, but Jones kept going, obviously tired but still pushing forward until the end of the round.

Though there would be no official ruling for this bout due to its nature as an exhibition fight, it was scored by former WBC judges, who ruled it as a draw. When asked what he thought about the ruling, Tyson said that though he thought he won the fight, he was “good” with a draw. When asked why, he said, “I entertained the crowd. The crowd was happy with it.”