The Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. exhibition could flop as they'll both be exhausted after a few rounds, a former boxing champion said
- The Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. exhibition could be contested at a very slow pace because they're both in their 50s.
- That's according to the former super middleweight world champion Carl Froch, who said the iconic fighters who take part in an informal November bout could end up "blowing out of their ass."
- Froch also raised a fear that Tyson may become frustrated and bite Jones Jr., much like he did to Evander Holyfield in the 1997 "The Bite Fight."
The Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. exhibition could flop as they'll both be exhausted after a few rounds.
That's according to the former super middleweight world boxing champion Carl Froch.
Froch thinks that the combination of their ages — Tyson is 54, Jones Jr. is 51 — together with the 16-ounce weight of the boxing gloves, means a fast-paced match is unlikely.
The fighters will instead be "blowing out of their ass," Froch said on his podcast, Froch on Fighting.
"Those 16-ounce gloves are going to be more difficult to knock his opponent out. And then they're going to be blowing out of their ass after three or four rounds, surely?"
Froch finished his career in 2014 with a professional record of 33 wins (24 knockouts) against two losses. The British fighter was renowned for his engine, heart, and wins over Lucian Bute, Mikkel Kessler, and George Groves.
"We're blowing out of our ass after four rounds as young professional fighters, we just manage the recovery and breathe differently and go a bit flat-footed through the fight.
"But when you're in your 50s, you're absolutely exhausted and you can't recover. Your fitness is your ability to recover and you can't recover when you're old.
"So there is a danger of this becoming a no contest after four rounds, there really is."
Froch also said Tyson might bite Jones Jr. on the ear, which is a fear a representative of Jones Jr. expressed recently.
Zsolt Barna, one of Jones' representatives, said last week he is researching companies which could provide insurance to protect Jones Jr.'s ears in case Tyson bites them like he did in the 1997 "The Bite Fight" against Evander Holyfield.
"Would he lose the plot like he did against [Evander] Holyfield and take a chunk of the old ear off? There could be a danger where he gets really frustrated," Froch said.
Tyson and Jones Jr., both former heavyweight champions, were originally scheduled to meet in an informal bout which would not count on their professional records on September 12, however, the date has been pushed to November 28, as reported by The Ring and The Athletic.
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