Rules for the Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. exhibition have been clarified, and there'll be no testing for marijuana
- The rules for the November 28 exhibition between Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. have once again been clarified.
- The California State Athletic Commissioner Andy Foster confirmed it won't be a real fight, and doesn't want people to feel misled. He previously said knockouts are discouraged.
- The match won't be scored traditionally and will instead be judged remotely by celebrity guests. However, a winner won't likely be declared and both athletes will be given WBC belts.
- When Dana White heard about this at a recent UFC press conference, he laughed, and couldn't seem to believe what he was being told by reporters.
The rules for Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr.'s upcoming exhibition have been clarified, and there'll be no testing for marijuana.
Tyson, 54, and Jones, 51 — both former heavyweight boxing champions — return to the ring on November 28 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles for an unofficial, eight-round bout.
The exhibition tops a bill that includes a fight between the former NBA dunk champion Nate Robinson and the YouTuber Jake Paul, and features music from Lil Wayne and Wiz Khalifa, among others.
California State Athletic Commission executive director Andy Foster, who is overseeing the LA event, specifically called the Tyson and Jones match "an exhibition" when speaking to MMA Fighting on Tuesday.
"That's what it is," Foster told the website. "I want the public to know what this is because I don't want people to be disappointed."
There will be eight, two-minute rounds. This is something that infuriated the fighters, with both Tyson and Jones saying two-minute rounds are for women.
Other features of the showcase include the mandatory wearing of 12-ounce gloves, no headgear, and the ruling that, should either athlete suffer a cut, then the exhibition will be stopped.
Foster also told MMA Fighting there won't be official judges.
The World Boxing Council (WBC) will instead have remote, celebrity judges who will likely score the fight based on how they feel, rather than the traditional "10-must" system.
Regardless, it won't determine a winner, both guys will be handed specially-made WBC belts, and it's all just for entertainment on the night, according to the commissioner.
"There's no official judges," Foster said. "The WBC is going to have some guest celebrity judges remotely, not official, not 10-9 [scores], nothing like that. No cumulative score. No winner announced.
"That's a very entertainment-centered thing. It's about entertainment. It's not about competition."
The UFC boss Dana White laughed when he heard about the rules
Foster had previously said that Tyson and Jones would be under instruction to not knock each other out, and that the exhibition would be more in line with hard sparring.
"They're going to spar hard, but they shouldn't be going for a knockout," Foster told Boxing Scene earlier in the year.
"This isn't a record-book type of fight. This is not world-championship boxing right now. It's not what this is. People shouldn't be getting knocked out."
When the November 28 exhibition was brought up at a post-event UFC press conference in Las Vegas on Saturday, UFC boss Dana White couldn't help but laugh.
"They're not allowed to knock each other out? How do you enforce that? I'd like to bet that doesn't happen," White told reporters. "Can you bet on that?"
A reporter then told White that there are no bets for the match as it's not regarded as a legitimate fight, as reported by MMA Fighting.
"You can't even bet on this fight? I did not know that … I don't even know what to say to that," he said.
The UFC President was then in disbelief when a reporter said the fight won't be officially scored, and a winner won't likely be declared.
"The hits keep coming," White said.
Tyson and Jones have been drug-testing, but not for marijuana
MMA Fighting reported that Tyson and Jones had to enroll in the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency program ahead of the event.
However, Boxing Scene reported last week that the testing does not include marijuana.
Though Tyson signed the bout agreement while appearing to smoke marijuana, he later said on the Joe Rogan Experience that he's "pretty much stopped" for the time being.
"When you do something like this, it's all about change," he said.
The exhibition will still be fun, according to Foster
Despite the ruleset which suggests the main event is more of a showcase than a fight, Foster is adamant it will still "be fun."
He said: "It is what it is and it's … going to be fun. They're both wonderful champions. These are legends of the sport."
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