Roy Jones Jr. has thrown his name into the mix to replace the injured Mike Tyson in his fight with Jake Paul.
Tyson was due to face Paul in a blockbuster clash on July 20, but the 57-year-old former heavyweight champion was forced to withdraw due to health concerns. The postponement of the clash came as no surprise to many after it was reported that Tyson had suffered a medical emergency on a flight days earlier.
Jones, who fought Tyson in an exhibition back in 2020, is himself 55 years old but most recently fought as a professional last year in a majority decision defeat against Anthony Pettis. Jones was once considered one of the finest fighters to have ever lived, but his career went on too long and defeats against low-caliber opponents tarnished his resume. Now the former champion is hoping to claw back some respect from modern fight fans by stepping in for the injured Tyson in a fight against the YouTuber Paul.
Jones told Betway that he will be getting himself into fighting shape in the case that Tyson is unavailable to face Paul on a new scheduled date due to his health.
“Maybe I get myself in shape for that because I never thought about doing it before, but with the situation of the fight [being postponed], I think that’s a great idea. And I’ll be ready and in shape, because if the fight doesn’t happen, then I’m the ideal guy to substitute in place of Mike Tyson to fight Jake Paul. It is something I have been thinking about. If the [Jake Paul] fight is out there, then yes [I would take it].”
Although Jones hasn’t won inside a professional ring since 2018, he is confident he would be able to work out a plan in the ring to beat Paul. Jones also revealed that he has had other offers to return to the ring, but he will be focusing on a potential fight against Paul.
“I haven’t thought about [how I would box Paul] because, me being me, I only think about being the best I can be and have never thought about that,” Jones said. ”I figure it out in the ring. There was obviously the Tommy Fury thing, and then the other day somebody asked me whether I would fight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in an exhibition, and that’s crazy. I would jump on it, but now that this thing has come up, it makes sense to get into shape [to face] Jake Paul, and it would be one of the biggest fights of this decade.”
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