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(Reuters) – Mike Tyson proved age hasn’t robbed him of his power as the former heavyweight champion, in his long-awaited return to the ring, dominated Roy Jones Jr. in an exhibition fight Saturday in Los Angeles that surprisingly it was declared a draw.
While there were no judges in the ring to score the eight-round contest between two of boxing’s all-time greats, both over the age of 50, and no official winner, the World Boxing Council formed a set of judges who scored. remotely combat.
“I’m used to doing it for three minutes,” said Tyson, 54, of the shorter rounds. “Sometimes those two minutes felt like three minutes. I’m happy to have this under my belt to keep doing this and go further.”
Tyson, 15 years after his ignominious loss to Irishman Kevin McBride in the last professional fight of his career, came out shooting and was in control of the fight the entire way.
Jones Jr, 51, was the more visibly fatigued of the two fighters, but managed to pick up the pace in later rounds enough to earn a win on one card and a draw on the other, while Tyson took the third card. .
When the final bell rang, the two fighters embraced.
“The body shots definitely took their toll,” said Jones Jr., a former world champion in four different weight classes whose last professional fight was in 2018.
“Body shots are what wears you out.”
The two boxers were introduced by legendary ring announcer Michael Buffer, who delivered his famous “Let’s Get Ready To Rumble” inside the Staples Center, which had no fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
After the fight, Tyson, who was once the most feared fighter on the planet, rejected any idea of returning to professional boxing.
“This is bigger than fighting and winning the championship,” Tyson said of the shows where he donates his proceeds to charity. “We are humanitarian and we are helping people.”
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
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