Los Angeles: Boxing legend Mike Tyson demonstrated his destructive prime Saturday night during the 54-year-old boxing icon's return to the ring for a lively exhibition bout with 51-year-old Roy Jones Jr.
There was no clear winner as both boxers were equally good at the ring during the fight that was unofficially declared a draw by the WBC judges at ringside.
Tyson and Jones fought eight two-minute rounds, and both emerged smiling and apparently healthy from a highly unusual event at Staples Center.
"This is better than fighting for championships,” Tyson said of the heavyweight exhibition, which raised money for various charities. "We’re humanitarians now. We can do something good for the world. We've got to do this again.”
Tayson, a former heavyweight champion, has returned to the ring breaking a 15-year hiatus. His wish to return to the ring had created a huge buzz around the world and the legend didn't disappoint his fans, even though he settled for a draw. Tyson tagged Jones with body shots and a handful of head punches during a bout that was required to be a fairly safe glorious sparring session by the California State Athletic Commission.
"The body shots definitely took a toll,” said Jones, the former four-division world champion widely considered the most skilled boxer of his generation. "It’s something to take the punches that Mike throws. I'm cool with a draw. Maybe we can do it again.”
Jones entered the ring with gloves and trunks honouring Los Angeles Lakers' late basketball great Kobe Bryant, while Tyson wore his signature all-black trunks.
After the traditional pre-fight ritual and an introduction, the duo came after heavily at each other that evoked echoes of their glorious primes.
However, at the end Tyson and Jones negotiated with the California commission over the limitations of their bout, eventually arriving at eight two-minute rounds of hard sparring with only ceremonial judging and no official winner. The WBC still stepped in to award a ceremonial "Frontline Battle Belt” to both fighters.
