Against the Grain II
Jones-Tyson was a pleasant treat for fans
I have to admit, I was a little skeptical when I first heard that “Iron” Mike Tyson would end his 15-year absence from the ring to fight an exhibition, essentially have a heavy sparring session with Roy Jones Jr., pound-for-pound one of the best fighters to ever don boxing gloves.
What was the gimmick? What were they trying to accomplish. As a personal friend of Jones, I called a personal friend of Tyson’s and asked “What are they trying to do?” She replied, “Get a check!” I understood that part, but what the world tried to figure out was if this was a sham to solidify their $1 million base appearance fees or were they going to really put on a fight.
To our surprise, it was a solid fight. It was a great show. Jones showed some of his signature flair and Tyson showed some of his brutal style, catching Jones with a couple of shots that in the 80’s and 90’s had put opponents on the canvas much like former NBA player Nate Robinson went down….but I digress.
What was the significance of this fight? The significance of the fight was pure boxing. For those boxing enthusiasts who have been relegated to the rise of mixed martial arts (MMA), it was a breath of fresh air. Dare I say that in the era of Floyd “Money” Mayweather, probably the best defensive fighter in the history of the sport, it was good to see offense, which we got from both Tyson and Jones. It’s no surprise that Tyson was on the offensive. That is how he earned his name. The treat was that while Jones protected himself at all times, he took his shots at Tyson. They even mixed it up a few times.
While it was clear that these fighters were in their twilight years, they brought back the energy of boxing. In the late 1980s and 1990s, catching a Tyson fight on pay-per-view was cause for a party. It was an event. Las Vegas was the center of the world, complete with top brass entertainers, actors and musicians. Everyone from Denzel Washington to Michael Jackson to Jack Nicholson was ringside for Tyson fights. Tupac, Shaw and Samuel L. Jackson were regulars at Jones’ fights.
Don King Promotions maximized the visibility of Tyson, molding him into a near mythical figure. HBO maximized Jones’ popularity and coupled it with the novelty of Michael Buffer. Boxing was in another of its golden eras.
Saturday night, with professional commentary from Sugar Ray Leonard and the comedic stylings of rapper Snoop Dogg, we were entertained with a virtual blast from the past. It was well worth the price of admission for the nostalgia of a good-old school boxing match.
