Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson has announced on Thursday that he will make his much-anticipated comeback to the boxing ring, at the age of 54, in a bout against Roy Jones Jr. on September 12 in Los Angeles.
Tyson has been undergoing rigorous training in recent months and he has been open in his willingness to return to the ring.
Having retired in 2005, the boxer has now announced on his Legends Only League website that his comeback fight will be against Jones, 51, who also had held the heavyweight title for a brief time.
According to Yahoo Sports’ Kevin Iole, the fight will not feature headgear and will take play at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
He also reported that Tyson and Jones will likely use heavy 12-ounce gloves so as to avoid dealing heavy damage.
California State Athletic Commission Andy Foster said to Yahoo Sports;
This is not a situation where they are going out there to try to take each other’s heads off. They are just going to be in there moving around the ring and letting fans see these legends.
Tyson has not stepped into the boxing ring since June 11, 2005, when he lost to Kevin McBride.
Jones Jr, one of the most talented boxers in the sport’s history, has held titles in four different weight classes.
His last fight was in February 8 2018 at the age of 49 but Tyson has been out of the ring since 2005.
Tyson was one of the most dominant and punishing boxers in the history of the sport.
Since stepping away from the ring, he has made a career in movies and TV, making a cameo in the “Hangover” movies and has carried some smaller-market films as well.
Tyson has also gotten involved in TV projects, such as “Mike Tyson Mysteries,” which he plays himself as a member of a squad solving mysteries.
The show debuted in 2014, ran 70 episodes over four seasons and ended in February 2020.
