Roy Jones Jr. could have warned Mike Tyson what would come after losing his last professional fight at the same age as his old rival.
In 2023, Jones fought the unheralded UFC fighter Anthony Pettis and suffered the tenth loss of his Hall of Fame career. Former UFC champion Pettis managed to hit the ground running in boxing, unlike many other MMA stars who went before or after him.
Pettis pulled off a stunning majority decision at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. When scoring the upset, Pettis pushed the one-time heavyweight title winner’s record down to 66-10 with 47 KOs in a close match-up. Pettis was fighting in front of his home crowd, but like Tyson against Jake Paul, Jones should have had far too much for the novice. Once again, the age factor ruined another boxing legend’s record.
Jones, who went through the weight classes from middleweight to the top division, claiming many world titles along the way, was invited by Jorge Masvidal’s Gamebred Boxing to apply for a license in his fifties. The battle was his first bout in five years, a far cry from Tyson’s two-decade absence when losing to a YouTuber last November.
Despite the twenty-year gap from the most significant win of his professional career against John Ruiz, Jones seemed quite happy with the result. Like Tyson, he didn’t complain due to the paycheck involved.
“I like to come in and entertain the fans. My job is to go in and ensure the fans get what they paid for, and I’m all good with that,” said Jones. “I think it was a good fight. He did a great job and fought a very smart fight. I believe I educated him and taught him a lot in this fight.
“So I think if I fought him again, it would be even better because he knows much more now. I think it would be a really good rematch.”
Having fought Tyson three years earlier in an exhibition, Jones was keen to state he didn’t want to fight in another.
“I don’t do exhibitions. I fight real fights,” he added. “I’m not an exhibition guy. I’m an honest guy. I want to win, or I want to lose. But I’m going to go out on my shield, and I want to be able to do it again as many times as I want to.
“At 54 years old, that’s a beautiful thing, and he already said he’d do it again because one judge had it even. So that’s what I love.”
At 36, Pettis was embarked on a new career. However, he didn’t give Jones the return and fought in the boxing ring only once more fifteen months later. He lost to Chris Avila but can cling to the notion he could defeat Roy Jones Jr.
Fans of boxing or Jones aren’t happy that a UFC fighter holds the last win over a true superstar of the sport and a former Pound for Pound king. The same goes for Tyson and his loss to an influencer boxer.
The eight-round heavyweight clash did nothing for either in the long run, and it will probably be the same for Tyson vs. Paul. Old-time boxers can draw a crowd, but their abilities are far too diminished, which is why people like Pettis and Paul accept the bouts.
Pettis showed respect to Jones, as did Paul with Tyson, because they knew they’d have been taken out in seconds if the bouts were in the boxers’ prime.
“Man, he’s 54 years old, but you’ve got to give it up for this guy. He’s a legend in the sport, a GOAT. Praise God for allowing me to get this opportunity. Give it up for Roy Jones Jr., man.”
The Vegas-based combatant was optimistic about the future but didn’t exceed his expectations.
“I’m going to take it one fight at a time, take it day by day. I’m 1-0 as a pro. So, I’m excited about what the future holds. I would love to do it again. Let’s go. It would be an honor, bro.”
None of it happened.
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Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010.
