Roy Jones Jr. was the last person to face off against Mike Tyson, and he gave some insight about the former heavyweight champion ahead of his bout with Jake Paul over the summer.
Jones and Tyson were among the best of their respective eras. But the two didn’t get to fight until their exhibition bout in November 2020. Paul was also on that card, knocking out former NBA player Nate Robinson.
Five years later, Tyson will square off against Paul at AT&T Stadium on July 20 in Arlington, Texas. Jones recalled getting hit in the stomach by Tyson and made clear that the former champion still packs a punch.
Roy Jones Jr., left, and Mike Tyson celebrate their split draw at Staples Center on Nov. 28, 2020, in Los Angeles. (Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for Triller)
“The first time he hit me in the chest, it felt like a mule had kicked me in the chest,” Jones told Shane Mosley on his YouTube show. “If he hits anybody with a shot like that, they are either going out or down, especially guys who are not used to being hit like that. With these types of people like Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis, these guys are bigger and can take it.”
“But Jake Paul, I don’t think he’s going to be able to take that. It might hit him on the chin like that, we’ll see, but it’s going to be tough.”
Despite multiple social media posts showing his training sessions, Tyson told Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity this month he was “scared to death” going into his fight against Paul.
Mike Tyson attends the UFC 300 event at T-Mobile Arena on April 13, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
“I have a weird personality. I don’t think it’s weird though. Whatever I’m afraid to do, I do it. That’s how it is,” Tyson said. “I was afraid of the [Roy Jones Jr. fight in 2020].
“I was 100 pounds overweight, I was, however, old – 54, 53 – and I said, ‘Let’s do it.’ Anything I’m afraid of, I confront it. That’s my personality. Right now, I’m scared to death.”
But that’s what pushes Tyson to get back in the ring.
“I always believed that adversity and nervousness pretty much catapulted me into success,” Tyson said. “If I didn’t have these feelings, I wouldn’t go into this fight. I have to have these feelings to fight. Without them, I would never go in the ring.”
However, when “reality” sets in, Tyson will be all business, and the butterflies will float away.
Mike Tyson is seen at the Billboard Music Awards at The Mayan in Los Angeles. (Gilbert Flores/Penske Media via Getty Images/File)
