Only a few weeks after Mike Tyson’s return to the ring against Roy Jones Jr was announced, it’s already been delayed.
The combat sports world was stunned a few weeks ago when Mike Tyson announced he was returning to the ring after 15 years away for an eight-round exhibition fight against fellow Hall-of-Famer Roy Jones Jr. The card was reportedly set for September 12 and was expected to be on PPV as well as the new app Triller for the price of $49.99.
However, according to The Athletic’s Mike Coppinger, the bout has already been delayed from its original date of September 12. The new reported date for the bout is November 28, the reported reason for the postponement being that Tyson and his representatives feel a rescheduling could bring extra profit, a sentiment Jones and his team agreed with. The news comes only days after the official poster and PPV price was announced.
The news comes amidst controversy with the bout itself and the undercard over the last few weeks. Following the announcement that the bout was happening, Andy Foster, the head of the California State Athletic Commission said that the bout would be nothing more than the two fighters “moving around”, and that the bout would potentially be called if the fighters were hunting for a knockout, or if one of the two individuals got cut during the action. It was also announced that there would be no judges for the bout, all but confirming there would be no winner in the fight.
The undercard also took a hit over the last week, as YouTuber Jake Paul, who is currently set to fight former NBA dunk champion Nate Robinson, had his home raided by the FBI this past week. The incident is another in a long line for the Youtube star, as he was arrested for being at a mall while it was being looted during the George Floyd protests in May. Paul is still currently on the card as of now and is looking to go 2-0 as a professional boxer with a win over Robinson.
