On Saturday, Mike Tyson makes his sort-of return to boxing, opposite fellow legend Roy Jones Jr. While the fight is an exhibition for two 50-year-old legends, it highlights the best, and the worst, of the sport that once held a special spot in American culture.
The Tyson-Jones fight will have no official judges, and neither fighter will be allowed to pursue a knockout. The gloves will have more cushion, the rounds will be shorter, and there will only be eight of them. The purpose of the fight is not to be a stepping stone for either fighter back into the professional scene but to play on the nostalgia for boxing’s glory days.
With the exception of Muhammad Ali, no boxer has permeated American culture more so than Mike Tyson. Though his legacy in boxing has been debated due to his personal struggles, precipitous career decline, and the fact that the heavyweight division was weak when he was in his prime, Tyson’s reign of terror in the ring in the late 1980s has made him one of the most recognizable athletes in the United States. “Iron Mike” was a ruthless aggressor in the ring who intimidated opponents before throwing a punch — racing toward his opponents at the sound of the bell with the aim of destroying them in seconds. His brutal power, quickness, and string of first-round knockouts are still legendary.
While Roy Jones Jr. is not as well known to non-boxing fans, his legacy is untouchable in its own right. Jones’s unorthodox style helped him secure an 11-year run of championship greatness, with his only loss from 1993 to 2003 coming by disqualification. Jones is one of the greatest pound for pound fighters of all-time. In 2003, he became the first (and so far, last) man to win titles at both Middleweight and Heavyweight since 1897.
But this is not how they ended their careers. Tyson was last seen being knocked out in 2004 and quitting on his stool in 2005. He ended his career after that 2005 loss — when he headbutted opponent Kevin McBride and tried to break his arm in a clinch. McBride also claims Tyson tried to bite him as he infamously did when he bit off a chunk of Evander Holyfield’s ear. Jones’s legs were gone by the end of his career, and he subjected himself to added punishment as he tried to fight through his forties.
The amount of brain damage these two have suffered in their boxing careers can’t be known yet. The California State Athletic Commission seems to recognize that neither man is in condition for a real fight. But boxing is not a game: fighters suffer real damage in the pursuit of money and glory. Even reliving that glory through an exhibition fight poses risks, but the sport of boxing isn’t known for its risk aversion.
