Roy Jones Jnr says Mike Tyson was the hardest puncher he ever faced

Although it was two decades too late, hall-of-fame fighters Roy Jones Jnr and Mike Tyson finally fought – only, it was in an entertaining exhibition in 2020 instead of the real deal.

Tyson had been retired for 15 years but engaged Jones in a glorified sparring match. But on November 15, at 58 years old, “Iron Mike” is taking his comeback campaign another serious step forwards by facing Jake Paul in a professional bout over eight two-minute rounds. 

“I always love seeing Mike in the ring,” Jones told BoxingScene. “It’s always a beautiful thing. It shows you that God is with you. He’s been counted out a thousand times. And Mike is still making money. You heard me? Mike is still out there doing it. 

“They can’t count Mike out, you feel me?… Mike is still Mike. Ain’t nothing changed. [His punches were harder] than anybody I’ve ever been in the ring with. He was the hardest puncher I ever faced. 

“The first time Mike hit me in the chest, it felt like a mule kicked me. When they said to do 14-ounce gloves and headgear, I said none of that was needed to protect Mike Tyson – trust me.”

Tyson, once the youngest heavyweight champion in the world, outlanded the former four-division champion Jones 67 to 37 in total punches over eight rounds during their encounter. 

“Jake can punch himself too and I know he’s going to try to get Mike out of there too,” Jones continued. “But Jake isn’t Mike Tyson. He doesn’t have the experiences that Mike has. I found it very difficult to even hit Mike. For Jake, I don’t know. I don’t see it. If Mike hits him, it’s going to be ‘good night, Irene’… 

“I’m not saying Jake is in trouble. He’s gotten a lot better. He’s putting in a lot of time in boxing. It all depends on how he fights. If he goes in there for a slugfest, yeah, he’ll be in trouble. If he takes his time and uses what he’s been learning and box, he’ll be fine.”

The 50-6 (44 KOs) veteran’s fight with Paul, 10-1 (7 KOs), will take place at AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, in Arlington, Texas and will stream for free for Netflix subscribers. 

Jones, a long-time commentator for HBO Boxing, will serve as an analyst on the broadcast. 

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter whose work has appeared on ESPN, Fox Sports, USA Today, The Guardian, Newsweek, Men’s Health, NFL.com, Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Ring Magazine and more. He has been writing for BoxingScene since 2018. Manouk is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.