An exhibition boxing match between former champions Mike Tyson and Roy Jones, Jr. has been rescheduled, according to multiple reports. The fight was originally scheduled for September 12th at California’s Dignity Health Park, but will now take place on November 28.
According to The Ring, the bout was postponed because Tyson’s handlers believed they could maximize the potential pay-per-view revenue on the fight by giving it more time to promote. It is expected to be done for TV cameras only with no crowd present – though both camps have floated the possibility of holding off until fans can attend.
Announced in late July, the fight will be the first in more than a decade for Tyson, who electrified boxing in the late 1980s as a punishing knockout artist under the tutelige of trainer Cus D’Amato. It will be Jones Jr’s first bout since 2018. Both are past 50, with Tyson entering the ring at 54 and Jones, Jr. 51. The bout is anticipated to be more of an exhibition sparring match than a proper fight, though many of the details remain in need of working out, and there is some fear that Tyson’s actions within the ring could go beyond what is planned.
The issue of headgear has gone back and forth between the California State Athletic Commission and the fighters. Sources close to the CSAC told The Ring last week that the commission would likely not require headgear. In addition, drug testing became the new concern once the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) entered negotiations to administer random drug testing for the fight.
CSAC executive officer Andy Foster previously told reporters that Tyson-Jones would be nothing more than a hard sparring session and that both fighters would be prohibited from seriously hurting one another.
The 51-year-old Jones expressed concern with the regulations.
“Andy Foster can’t control Mike once Mike gets in the ring. I’ve got to defend myself like I’m in a real fight,” he told Yahoo Sports. “If Mike goes out there and decides to start hammering, what am I supposed to do, look at Andy?”
Pay-per-view plans and prices have yet to be released for the bout, which is also set to be chronicled in a multi-part documentary series on the Triller platform.
