– If Tyson gets a few hooks, he turns off the lights on Jones, says the boxing profile Olof Johansson, 73, before the famous comeback match.
Roy Jones Jr. meets Mike Tyson this weekend in a show match in a heated match in Los Angeles. But no one believes that there will be a show when the former superstars come up in the ring.
The general secretary of the Swedish professional boxing commission admits that this weekend’s fight is a bit reminiscent of when a 60-year-old Sylvester Stallone in the role of Rocky Balboa made a comeback in the boxing ring in the film of the same name from 2006.
– Hollywood becomes a bit of a reality in some way, it goes a bit in that direction, says Olof Johansson.
Fortunately for Mike Tyson, unlike Rocky, he is not up against any reigning world heavyweight champion in this weekend’s global uproar in Los Angeles – but against 51-year-old Roy Jones Jr.
“As soon as he does not keep up, he will pull on so it roars about it. Then, in fact, anything can happen. ”
In other words, it is two 60s people who meet in the Staples Center on Sunday night, Swedish time, but also two of history’s foremost boxers – and Olof Johansson reckons that it will be hot.
– It will be a gentleman’s halabaloo. No bastard thinks it’s a show, and neither do I. It’s going to be bloody serious.
– I do not think he is capable of it, Tyson. Jones might be able to make an “exhibition” of it all, but not Tyson. As soon as he does not keep up, he will pull on so it roars about it. Then, in fact, anything can happen.
Training photos of Mike Tyson have been rumored that the former world champion is in terribly good shape despite not having played a match in 15 years – and even though Roy Jones was active until 2018, Olof Johansson is even worried about the latter’s health.
– In recent years, people were a little nervous about Jones, because he was knocked quite hard a few times. If Tyson gets one of his hooks in, well, then he’s going to turn off the light on him.
You sound a little worried about Roy Jones?
– If it gets tough, which I think it will be, then it can go to the woods for Jones. But then you have the other side of it. I’ve seen Tyson show what he can do in short little bits from training contexts and then he looks incredibly good. But it’s one thing to do that for 30-40 seconds and then have to do it in eight rounds, even though it will now only be two-minute rounds.
It is important to stay on Jones’ feet, Johansson believes, because the longer the time goes, the more it speaks against Tyson.
– The question is how it will be towards the sixth, seventh and eighth rounds.
Is Jones in better shape than Tyson?
– Yes he has. If he survives the prelude, he will be dangerous at the end and Tyson will be dull. But it can get tough right from the start.
In 1986, at the age of 20, Mike Tyson became the youngest heavyweight boxer ever to take home a World Cup title when he defeated then-champion Trevor Berbick. He then maintained his position as number one in nine more fights until 1990.
After that, “Iron Mike” was convicted of rape and spent three years in prison before making a comeback in the boxing ring in 1997, biting a part of Evander Holyfield’s ear and consequently being washed and shut down. In 2005, he put the gloves on the shelf.
“None of them are going back into any real context, but you get to see it for the disposable gadget it is.”
– He is one of the ten biggest heavyweight boxers ever, states Olof Johansson who points out that Roy Jones, with world champion titles in four different weight classes on his CV, “is also a superstar”.
How big is this in the boxing world?
– Unlike when Mayweather met McGregor, which I was a clear opponent of and thought was nonsense, this is still actually fun. It’s fun that these old men are able to get back into the ring. Then you should not take it 100 percent bloody seriously, that this should lead to something. None of them are going back into any real context, but you get to see it for the disposable gadget it is. But I will curse myself to look at this.
