Roy Jones Ready To Box Jake Paul After Tyson Withdraws
In some online boxing news, Roy Jones Jr. is willing to box Jake Paul after Mike Tyson pulled out.
Tyson was set to face Paul on July 20 in a pro boxing fight. However, major safety concerns arose after the boxer appeared ill on a flight from Miami to Las Vegas. On May 26, a witness recalled the flight being delayed by two hours as the boxer received medical treatment. Tyson’s team stated that it was an ulcer, but they expected the fight to go ahead.
That all changed when Tyson’s team announced he would not be ready, as the ulcer flared up. Paul stated that the new fight date would be announced on Jun 7. While that may be the case, he has received a lot of backlash. There are increasing calls for the fight to be called off. That has resulted in Jones coming out to say he is open to stepping in.
Jones has faced Tyson in an exhibition that took place in 2020. The fight sold over a million PPVs, showing that Jones’ popularity was still popular. The exhibition would end in a draw, but they never ran things back. Since then, Jones faced Anthony Pettis as he came out second best. But the prospect of taking on Paul is appealing.
Jones Reacts
“Maybe I get myself in shape for that because I never thought about doing it before, but with the situation of the fight [being postponed], I think that’s a great idea. And I’ll be ready and in shape, because if the fight doesn’t happen, then I’m the ideal guy to substitute in place of Mike Tyson to fight Jake Paul. It is something I have been thinking about. If the [Jake Paul] fight is out there, then yes [I would take it],” Jones said
That is unlikely to happen, given that Tyson has reassured fans he will be fine for the fight. There is also a reported $30 million on offer plus any sponsorships that Tyson would then miss out on. Getting Jones in the ring will not end the criticism towards Paul. He is also 55, with worries that he could face harm if he continues to box at this late stage of his career.
Is It A Risk?
Evander Holyfield demonstrated this when he made his comeback against Victor Belfort in 2021. Holyfield was 58 at the time, the same age Tyson was when he boxed Paul. Holyfield was dropped and pummelled with combinations in the first round, forcing the referee to stop the fight. It was clear he was no longer the same fighter who was once undisputed at cruiserweight and heavyweight. But that has not stopped Jones from thinking about Paul.
“I haven’t thought about [how I would box Paul] because, me being me, I only think about being the best I can be and have never thought about that. I figure it out in the ring. There was obviously the Tommy Fury thing, and then the other day somebody asked me whether I would fight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in an exhibition, and that’s crazy. I would jump on it, but now that this thing has come up, it makes sense to get into shape [to face] Jake Paul, and it would be one of the biggest fights of this decade,” Jones added
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