Boxing

Ryan Garcia plans to retire from boxing at 26 then potentially move to the UFC

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Could one of boxing’s brightest and younger stars be bound for the UFC? One of the most popular figures in boxing right now is WBC interim lightweight champion, Ryan Garcia (21-0). Garcia in a way is like the modern day Oscar De La Hoya.

He’s got the look and he’s got the skill to become a superstar. His skills in the boxing ring have led him to the interim WBC lightweight championship and a 21-0 record before he’s even turned 23 years old.

The plan has been in place for Garcia to lead the boxing world for years to come. However, Garcia has different plans. In fact, he’s not planning on sticking around in boxing very long.

Garcia was on the Rich Eisen Show this week and he talked about his desire to walk away from boxing at 26. He wants to retire undefeated and only fight if people truly believe he can’t win. Once he conquers all boxing challengers, he only sees one arena where people would doubt him.

That arena would be the UFC. Garcia mentioned a possible transition to MMA saying, “Say at 26 I retire and boxing is all good, right? You know what I’ll do? I’ll go prove to them (doubters) that I’m the best fighter all-around in the world. I will go to MMA to prove a point.”

Ryan Garcia to the UFC

It is worth nothing that Garcia has had some back and forth with former two-division UFC champion, Henry Cejudo (16-2). Granted, the talks centered around Cejudo potentially going to boxing to face Garcia.

I completely understand where Ryan Garcia is coming from. He wants to prove that no matter what the discipline is, he’s the best fighter in the world. However, that’s much easier said than done.

The reality is, nobody in the UFC’s bantamweight division could throw hands with Ryan Garcia. In pure boxing, he’s going to light up anyone in that division. We’re talking about one of the best boxers in the world here.

However, there is so much more to this than just your hands. Garcia would be young enough to really focus on MMA training if he wanted to make that transition, but it would take a long time to really learn.

He would have to learn how to defend/check kicks. Garcia would have to learn how to stop a takedown. Garcia would have to learn how to get out of submissions. He would have to learn how to get out of clinch positions along the fence.

In my opinion, the transition is so much easier for wrestler/grappler based athletes than pure strikers. For example, take Dillon Danis (2-0). Danis was purely a jiu jitsu competitor before transitioning to MMA.

It’s easier for an elite grappler to learn the skills of striking versus a striker learning all the other aspects. Garcia is an elite boxing. However, he’s extremely flat-footed when he boxes.

Think about some of the elite fighters in the UFC. They’d either light up his legs with kicks or take him straight to the ground and without being light on his feet, he’d have no answer. Garcia is young enough to learn the arts and make the jump, but it’s a lot more difficult than he’s making it sound.

Boxing: Ryan Garcia vs Luke Campbell Fight Preview

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Tonight, two of the best lightweight boxers in the world go head to head in a bout that could define both their careers. Former ESPN prospect of the year Ryan Garcia (20-0) had been deemed a “pretty boy” by the boxing community, but he faces the toughest task of his young career tonight when he goes against a hungry vet in Luke Campbell. Campbell (20-3) is fighting to avenge his last loss, over a year ago, against Vasyl Lomachenko. With so much on the line for both men, with one of the two becoming a mandatory challenger for Devin Haney’s world title, this bout is sure to be full of fireworks. Here are the keys for each fighter to come out with their hand raised at the end of the evening.

Ryan Garcia: Pick His Punches

To this point, Garcia’s last two bouts both ended with quick first-round knockouts. With an 85% knockout percentage, in fact, his last fight to go over 2 rounds was in 2018. Garcia has lightning-quick speed and a left hook that still gives Romero Duno and Francisco Fonseca nightmares. Garcia needs to stay calm, though, and I don’t doubt he will be able to.

Despite his flashy persona, Garcia has been relatively quiet and collected in camp. He’s been all business in the way he’s collected himself and trained, but will that carry over into tonight’s bout? My best guess is yes. Garcia needs to listen to one of the best in the business, and his trainer, Eddie Reynoso, and just pick his shots. Campbell tends to fight with his hands down at times, and Garcia noticed that in the south paw’s style when he did a preview with DAZN for the bout. Garcia looked almost giddy when he saw the opportunities he would capitalize on for a knockout.

One thing with Garcia in this bout that is concerning is his lack of distance in his career. He’s not gone the distance in a long time, and Campbell has the heart of a lion. If he can’t put Campbell away, and the fight wears on, Campbell may have a chance. Otherwise, if Garcia can pick his shots and incorporate some body shots as well, the bout could be over quickly.

Luke Campbell: Stay “Cool”/Don’t Get Overwhelmed

Luke “cool hand” Campbell needs to stay poised in this bout. The veteran has gone the distance with one of the best in Loma. The thing is, Ryan Garcia is one of the fastest young punchers in the sport right now. Garcia tends to hit his opponents so quickly and with such ferocity that they tend to get discombobulated, and then, it’s over.

Campbell can win this fight by being prepared. If he is ready to go against Garcia and eat those quick and fiery shots, he could make this go the distance. As I said before, the longer this fight goes, the more the odds change. Campbell needs to stay calm, cool, and collected if he wants to win this bout. That doesn’t mean he can’t be that passionate and heartfelt fighter that boxing fans know and love, but he needs to not let that fog his judgment. If he does let that fog his judgment, he’ll be laying on the mat.

Prediction: Garcia by KO in Round 4

I think that Garcia is ultimately more ready for this bout physically and mentally. I just hope for his sake he doesn’t overlook the task ahead of him in Campbell. Campbell is scrappy and will give his heart and soul to win this bout. Both men need this win but whoever is more prepared and more poised wins this bout. I think Garcia ends it with his traditional quick punch knockout, but Campbell is definitely an upset candidate.

Jake Paul’s boxing challenge accepted by Ben Askren

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Jake Paul has certainly been busy after his second professional boxing match that took place a few of weeks ago. The YouTube celebrity knocked out former NBA player, Nate Robinson, in the second round a few of weeks ago.

Paul improved to 2-0 as a boxer and proceeded to start calling out professional MMA fighters for a boxing match. The two primary targets that he’s been focusing on are Conor McGregor and Dillon Danis.

Jake Paul even pulled a water balloon drive-by on Danis in an attempt to build the potential boxing match. Danis was filming an episode of Food Truck Diaries with Brendan Schaub at the time of the incident.

McGregor has yet to even acknowledge the insults and comments coming from Paul. Of course, McGregor is focused on his UFC return which takes place next month against Dustin Poirier on Fight Island.

However, this week, we’ve seen several MMA fighters throw their hats in the ring for the boxing match against Jake Paul. Former UFC champion, Michael Bisping, said this week that there had been talks for him to be the guy. 

Last night, Ben Askren announced on his Twitter that he was accepting the boxing challenge from Jake Paul. Askren said that he was in to make a lot of money and beat up a fake athlete. The proposed matchup would take place on March 28th.

Who will Jake Paul be boxing?

ESPN’s Ariel Helwani did report shortly after that the fight was far from done. Paul’s team is looking into a number of options for the celebrity to box in his next venture into the squared circle.

I will say, Askren would be one of the safer pics. Askren was a top level MMA fighter due to his incredible wrestling. Funky Ben was an Olympic level wrestler and he used that wrestling to go undefeated for the first ten years of his career.

However, Askren has never been known for his standup skills. Let alone his boxing skills. If Paul wants the easiest potential matchup, Askren might be it considering the pool of MMA fighters that he has to choose from.

Dillon Danis is another option. However, youth is on the side of Danis who has been training for the last few years. My guess is that we will know in the next couple of weeks who Jake Paul will be boxing in March.

Boxing: Canelo Alvarez isn’t a fan of the Paul brothers

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Canelo Alvarez

This past weekend, boxing great Canelo Alvarez (54-1-2) took to the ring to take on Callum Smith (27-1) for the WBC and WBO Super Middleweight championship. Canelo was attempting to capture the WBC Super Middleweight title to go with his WBO title.

As expected, Canelo completely dominated the much taller Callum Smith on his way to capturing the World Boxing Council Super Middleweight title. The new championship is just another in the long list of titles for Canelo Alvarez.

The world of boxing has been spinning lately with the rise of the Paul brothers. Jake and Logan Paul are YouTube celebrities that have seemingly taken over the world of boxing.

Logan Paul is going to be stepping into the ring in an exhibition against Floyd Mayweather in February. Meanwhile, Jake Paul just knocked out former NBA player, Nate Robinson, on the Mike Tyson – Roy Jones Jr PPV.

Jake Paul has now been spending his time calling out the UFC’s Conor McGregor for a boxing match in addition to others. Paul has made it clear that he wants to box some of MMA’s best to prove that they don’t have good hands.

However, none of this is sitting well with the boxing great, Canelo. Canelo is not a fan of the YouTubers and he’s not a fan of what they are doing to the sport of boxing. He was interviewed by TMZ Sports where he gave his thoughts.

“I truly believe it’s a lack of respect (for the sport). It’s all about money. I would invite him (Jake Paul) for a sparing session so he truly knows what it’s all about,” Canelo said to TMZ Sports.

Boxing’s best is not a fan

It’s clear that Canelo doesn’t want to see the Paul brothers in his sport unless they learn some respect in the ring. Let’s be very clear, if either of the Paul brothers were to spar Canelo, they might end up in a hospital.

Neither Jake nor Logan Paul are elite level boxers. They have decent skills, especially Jake, however, there are levels to this. Canelo Alvarez is not a fan of them essentially making a mockery of the sport of boxing.

I think what they are doing is great for making money. They are capitalizing on a market where they can net a lot of money for stepping into the ring. However, I can also see Canelo’s point about what they are doing to the sport.

The Paul brothers are not serious boxers no matter what they say. As Canelo pointed out, this is truly all about money. If either one of them stepped into the ring with a guy like Canelo, it wouldn’t be a fight. He wants to spar them to teach them some respect.

Boxing: Canelo Álvarez vs Callum Smith Fight Preview/Prediction

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Canelo Alvarez

Tonight at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, two of the best pound for pound boxers in the world will square off in a bout that will surely draw the eyes of every boxing fan. The two will fight for the WBA Super Middleweight title, The Ring Supermiddleweight titles, and the WBC belt.

Callum Smith enters the fight as the underdog at 27-0 with 19 knockouts. He is coming off a controversial fight with John Ryder in Liverpool over a year ago. Smith won the bout by unanimous decision, but fans still claim it was a draw at best for Smith. Smith is being counted out, not because he is a bad boxer, but because of his opponent. His opponent is at 30 years old, already in the conversation with some of the all-time greats.

Canelo Alvarez is currently 53-1-2 in his career with 36 knockouts. His last bout was also over a year ago against Sergey Kovalev in Vegas. Canelo is favored to win the bout, but here is how he can win and move onto bigger and better things and how Smith could shock the world with an upset.

How Canelo Can Win: Maintain Composure

Canelo is the favorite in this fight for a reason. He is a better all-around boxer, and he has been able to win the big fights in the past. The biggest fight Smith had was against Ryder, and he nearly dropped that one. The thing is, Smith is going to fight tactically and strategically. He will use his length to capitalize on Canelo and keep him from coming inside. Where Canelo can win is if he maintains his composure and doesn’t take wasted punches. If he can capitalize on the chances he has inside, then he can win this fight with ease.

How Smith Can Win: Control The Fight With Reach

Callum Smith is 6’3, Canelo is 5’8. That is a massive height difference. Canelo will need to fight inside against one of the best fighters in the world in terms of creating separation. Callum Smith ranks second in all of boxing and first in the super middleweight division with an average of 39.6 jabs thrown per round. Not only that, but he averages 7.8 jabs landed per round, which ranks first at super middleweight and fourth in all of boxing. Smith knows how to create separation and use his height to his advantage. Where he can win this fight is by doing just that. Canelo will want to hit him with his traditional explosive body shots, and if Smith can keep him at bay and send the bout to the cards, or even get a shot at knockout, he may just shock the world.

Prediction: Canelo knocks out Callum in the 9th Rd

In the end, Canelo will find opportunities and maintain composure throughout the bout because that’s who he is. I think this goes 9 and ends on behalf of Canelo’s fierce body shots. My final thought is that this is Canelo’s bout to lose, but there is significant upset potential.

Dana White bashes boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and Logan Paul

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UFC, Dana White

The world of boxing got some interesting news over the weekend. It was announced that one of the greatest of all time, Floyd Mayweather Jr, would be returning to the squared circle. He’d be doing so in an exhibition against Logan Paul. 

Yes, you read that right. Floyd Mayweather Jr is going to be boxing YouTube celebrity Logan Paul on PPV. A little bit of a head scratcher, however, you already know that the exhibition match is going to do extremely well on PPV.

First and foremost, Mayweather is the cash king when it comes to boxing. Floyd Mayweather owns every single PPV record there is to hold in the world of boxing. He’s built a fortune on his perfect record.

Logan Paul has become a massive star through YouTube and other social media outlets. Paul has gained a massive following and he’s stepped into the boxing ring a couple of times against fellow YouTuber, KSI.

Worth noting that the lone professional matchup against KSI, Paul lost a split decision. However, he had lost two points in that matchup. Now, he’s going to be boxing one of the best to ever do it who is a much smaller man.

UFC President Dana White is a big boxing guy. In fact, there’s been talk between White and Mayweather about doing something together ever since Mayweather boxed UFC champion, Conor McGregor. Let’s just say that Dana White isn’t a fan of the matchup.

Boxing freak show or legit exhibition?

While laughing, White told The Nelkboys this yesterday regarding the exhibition, “When people ask me ‘What’s the state of boxing right now?’ That’s where it’s at. Didn’t that kid (Paul) get beat up by the video game kid from England (KSI)? Now he’s going fight Floyd Mayweather.”

I mean I’m pretty sure we all thought the same thing when the boxing match was announced. One of the greatest to ever do it is actually going to step into a boxing ring with a YouTube celebrity.

This seems more WWE than legit boxing. However, on that note, Mayweather did take on The Big Show in WWE over a decade ago and netted himself a nice paycheck. My guess is that Floyd is going to make some serious money for this boxing exhibition.

At the end of the day, this is not a serious match. This is strictly a money-maker for Floyd Mayweather. Mayweather has made a career out of taking smart fights that net him a giant return. A match with Logan Paul is going to get him a very nice return.

Boxing: Floyd Mayweather returning to face Logan Paul

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Floyd Mayweather Jr.

One of the greatest boxers of all time is returning to the ring. Well, he’s sort of returning to the boxing ring. Today, Floyd Mayweather Jr announced on his official Instagram page that he would be returning to the ring.

He will be returning for a boxing exhibition against YouTube celebrity Logan Paul. The two men will have their exhibition boxing match on February 20th. The fight has a PPV tiered system based on when you buy the PPV.

For the first one million buyers, the PPV will be $24.99. After that threshold, the PPV will cost fans $39.99 up until December 29th. After the 29th, the boxing PPV will cost fans $59.99 until February 11th. During the final ten days the PPV price goes up to $69.99.

It’s a very interesting model for a PPV and I’ll be curious to see how well this does. Given the way our society and culture is, I would expect a boxing exhibition between Mayweather and Paul to do extremely well on PPV.

This will be the first time that Floyd Mayweather Jr has stepped into the boxing ring since his match with Conor McGregor back in 2017. That night, Mayweather moved to 50-0 with a 10th round TKO over the two-division UFC champion.

Boxing Exhibition: Mayweather Jr – Paul

The Paul brothers have been making people pay attention to boxing all of a sudden. They are definitely bringing new eyes to the sport. Jake Paul, Logan’s younger brother, made headlines when he knocked out Nate Robinson last week.

After the fight was over, Jake Paul said he wanted to knockout Conor McGregor in a boxing ring. Jake Paul is 2-0 currently in his boxing career. Logan Paul on the other hand has one professional boxing match against fellow YouTuber, KSI.

Those two had a match last November that KSI won by split decision. It should be worth noting that Logan Paul will be about twice the size of Floyd Mayweather Jr when the two have their boxing exhibition on February 20th.

This whole thing seems like a little bit of a freak show. However, I guarantee you there will be a lot of eyeballs on this one.

Boxing: Will we see Mike Tyson – Evander Holyfield 3?

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Mike Tyson, UFC

Last weekend, boxing fans across the globe were treated to something truly special. Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr both came out of retirement to face off in an eight round exhibition match. The match was incredibly entertaining.

In the end, the judges called the fight a draw. However, anyone who knows boxing knows that Mike Tyson clearly won that match. I was incredibly impressed with how Tyson looked in his return to action after 15 years off.

Tyson took the match incredibly serious and it showed in the match. Jones Jr appeared to be tiring early on while Tyson looked like he could go a full 12 rounds. He looked sensational on Saturday night.

After the boxing match concluded, Tyson expressed his interest in doing this again. “I say I’ll be better the next one. I could have done everything better. Everything I was doing, I could have done it better. God willing, I’ll be better the next exhibition. This is where I belong,” Tyson said.

Tyson is putting together a league of legends where he hopes to box a few more times before hanging it up for good. There is one matchup in particular that has peaked the interest of the former heavyweight champion. That is a trilogy match with Evander Holyfield.

The boxing trilogy we thought we’d never see

Evander Holyfield has been very active on Social Media showing off that he’s ready to return to boxing. On his Instagram account you can find numerous posts of him in boxing gear training for a potential comeback.

You have to imagine that seeing the match on Saturday motivated Holyfield. Tyson is going to be looking for another legend to box and I don’t think it could get much bigger than a trilogy match with Evander Holyfield.

Holyfield has gotten the better of Tyson both times they fought. In the first match, Holyfield out-boxed Mike Tyson and finished him in the 11th round. In the second fight, Mike Tyson bit the ear of Evander Holyfield which caused him to be disqualified.

The bad blood between the two men appears to have faded over the years. However, boxing fans would feel like they’re right back in the 90’s if these two met once again in the squared circle. No talks of this match have occurred yet, but it’ll be interesting to follow.

PFL signs boxing’s P4P best, Claressa Shields

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PFL made headlines yesterday when it was announced that the promotion had reached a deal with Claressa Shields. MMA Junkie first reported the news. Shields is an two-time Olympic Gold medalist in boxing and is widely considered the pound for pound best in the sport.

The 25 year old phenom is the fastest to get to 10-0 as a professional boxer and she hold multiple belts in multiple weight classes. In boxing, she’s clearly in a league of her own, but she’s ready to challenge herself in the world of MMA.

PFL is no stranger to signing Olympians as arguably their biggest star is two-time gold medalist, Kayla Harrison. Harrison was a gold medalist in Judo and PFL has invested a ton into her.

The transition for Harris was easier than the transition for Shields will be. We’ve seen over and over that the transition from grappling is so much easier than the transition for pure strikers. And that’s what Shields is, a pure striker. Specifically, a pure boxer.

She has no kickboxing or Muay Thai experience and she has no grappling experience. Nevertheless, the 25 year old is willing to challenge herself which is why she signed the deal with PFL. Last year, she voiced her interest in potentially making the jump.

PFL’s next star?

It’s such an interesting move for Shields. It’s a no-brainer if you’re PFL, but Shields is the absolute best in her sport currently. This is not the same thing as Conor McGregor crossing over to boxing for a match with Floyd Mayweather.

It’s so much tougher making the MMA jump. Just ask James Toney how his matchup against Randy Couture went. However, I will say that Shields does have a few things going for her. One, she’s a world class athlete. Two, she’s still very young.

PFL is going to give her the slow build in MMA. My guess is that they will give her very favorable matchups to start things out. Do not expect her to get thrown in with a world class grappler like Kayla Harrison.

Although a matchup between the two might be the long-term play for PFL. At the end of the day, this is a big signing for PFL. Shields can become a superstar and I’m very curious to watch this play out. At the moment, she’s planning on continuing her boxing career while having one-off lightweight MMA matches.

Boxing: Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr fight to a draw

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Tonight was the boxing match that the world has been talking about for months. Two legends of the sport came out of retirement to box in an eight round exhibition match.

Former world champions, Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr, went head to head tonight. This is a boxing match that we didn’t get to see when both were fighting, but many have questioned what would have happened if they fought.

Of course both men boxed in different weight classes during their primes, but were close enough for the discussions to take place. Months ago it was announced that the two would have a PPV exhibition.

Jones last fought back in 2018 when he won the World Boxing Union Cruiserweight title. It has been a much lengthier layoff for Tyson. Tonight marked the first time since 2005 that the former heavyweight champion of the world stepped foot in the squared circle.

Boxing: Tyson – Jones Jr Recap

Round 1

As the boxing main event got underway, both men touched gloves. Jones Jr looked to dance on the outside while Tyson looked to get on the inside. Tyson looked for some big body hooks early on in the first round.

Jones Jr looked to work the jab, but Tyson was doing a good job of getting on the inside. Tyson popped Jones Jr with three consecutive jabs as Jones Jr looked to clinch. Jones Jr then popped Tyson with a couple of jabs as the first round came to an end. Good first round for Tyson.

Round 2

As the second round got underway, both boxing legends were breathing a little heavy. Tyson immediately exploded with two big shots to start the second round. Both men clinched, but Tyson was doing better at landing shots in the clinch.

Jones Jr continued to look to stay on the outside, but Tyson clocked him with a solid left hook. Tyson looked incredibly patient in the second round looking for his opportunities. Jones Jr had some moments, but Tyson closed the second round strong with more big hooks.

Round 3

Going into the third round, I had Tyson up 2-0 in this boxing fantasy matchup. Tyson was doing a fantastic job of landing left hooks as Jones Jr continued to look for shots from the outside. That left hand from Tyson was landing clean in this one.

There was a lot of clinching in the third round. Every time Tyson would get close, Jones Jr would force the clinch. Late in the third, both men exchanged shots, but Tyson landed with more authority with a massive body hook. After three rounds, I had Tyson up 3-0.

Round 4

Halfway through this boxing fantasy match and Mike Tyson looked fresher than Jones Jr entering the fourth round. Jones Jr continued to land on the outside and clinch Tyson every time the fight got close.

Tyson appeared to look frustrated in the fourth round. However, Tyson landed some massive body shots in the final minute of the fourth round. Jones Jr clinched Tyson immediately after those shots landed. Four rounds through this one and Tyson’s won every round.

Round 5

Before the fifth round started, Jones Jr’s corner instructed him to pop shot and grab. It was a clear look into the boxing strategy of Jones Jr. Jones Jr opened the fifth with a solid 1-2 which he followed with a clinch.

Tyson looked to remain patient and land big hooks. However, Jones Jr was doing better in the fifth round. Jones Jr seemed to be getting off, but then Tyson landed a couple of clean counter hooks. Closer round and I’ll lean towards Jones Jr in this one.

Round 6

In the sixth round, Jones Jr looked very tired to me. Tyson was just stalking Jones Jr looking for a massive shot to close the show. Again, every time Jones Jr got within range, he would look to clinch with Tyson.

A minute into the round and Tyson landed a couple of really good shots. Jones Jr continued to look for the clinch and shots from the outside. Tyson landed a massive uppercut, but it didn’t appear to phase Jones Jr. Jones Jr landed a massive shot of his own to end the round.

Round 7

Through six rounds of this boxing fantasy match, I had Tyson up five rounds to one. Tyson looked for a powerful 1-2 to open the seventh round, but Jones Jr was able to clinch him. Jones Jr started to go off with a few shots, but found himself in the corner.

Once there, Tyson landed some big shots of his own. Jones Jr appeared to be trying to empty the tank in the final rounds of this one. Jones Jr looked extremely gassed in the final 30 seconds. Tyson pushed forward and landed good body shots as the round ended.

Round 8

In the final round of this fantasy boxing matchup, I think Jones Jr would have needed a finish to get the win. However, there was no official scoring in this one. Jones Jr looked to keep Tyson at range as Tyson looked to use his hooks to get inside.

Both men started really exchanging in the final round. Jones Jr through several really good combinations, but Tyson was able to back him into the corner. Once there, Tyson brutalized Jones Jr’s body with hooks. The final bell closed with another massive Tyson body shot.

My final scorecard: Tyson def Jones Jr (79-73)

Unofficially: Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr ends in a draw