Roy Jones Jr. on Facing Mike Tyson

now people maybe people don't know but you had been active and you fought up until about well like two years 18-yep, so you decided you're done or Were you a hundred percent done or you just said a hundred percent done? How did tell me walk me through this call? How do you get this call to fight Mike Tyson? Well? One of his guys a team calls McGee tells McGee my partner to tell me to call So I call as a mazin says hey Mike wants to do a comeback he wants to do an exhibition, but he wants you to be his dance partner Me yeah, okay, well Let's see we can work out. I said yeah We got a lot of different situations going on But they want to do it in a different format and they want to do it in a way that you and Michael are taking Care of and everything is good. Well that didn't try to be necessary with the case was but me being Roy Jones And us being in covert. I'm like you know what? Six weeks. That's right around the corner He ain't been fighting. I can get ready I'm pretty sure I can get a little bit more ready than he can because he's been Inactive a lot longer than I hear so six weeks I know it's Mike Tyson he's big as heck and he's still Mike Tyson and he still can punch but six weeks There's no way he can get prepared for this so I said you know what I'll take that and I jumped on well Low and behold something happens and they change now. Why did they change? What was the did they give a reason they said something about marketing? They told me something about marketing, but I don't really believe much of what was said I mean, I just can't believe it. You know because we had a September 12th date before football season start basketball may have started but People at home with nothing to do and that's why I was like, you know what? I wanted him when I was in my prime. So Why not take him now? I mean 12 in six weeks. That's easy and They said well, we got more attention than we expected to get and this happened and that happened So we want to move it man. So I was thinking about it and Ding into my guy. He Posted something about the new date on my site And when he did that they was like well that means that you admit it that you agreed to it I didn't but okay That's how it goes. I'll be that guy, you know, I don't back out of nothing They ain't like I'm scared of my ties because he's Mike Tyson. It's just I know that in six weeks He had no chance to deal you know standing in 12 weeks where he make it a little bit here have a better chance to deal with me, but His chance is still gonna be rough But it's gonna be better than it would have been in six weeks six weeks He didn't have a chance now you get this phone call You do you just immediately start training and when you immediately start training, how are you ramping up for a fight like that? You know, it's like I heard Mike say something about when he started training. He was in the bed for a week Yeah, I went in the bed for a week because I was going a lot already, but I was a sewer person for a couple days Did you I mean did it feel good to say? Oh, wow, I got a big fight coming up. I got a goal We're back. I was excited. Yeah, because it's Mike Tyson. So it's like in most cases you say yes I got a big fight on the road coming, you know, but this time I was like, you know what? Your buddy getting a little shape because you are going there with Mike Tyson You don't know what Mike Tyson might come in there do you know if you got to protect your ears? Y'all you know what he might do So what you better do is get in shape and be prepared for whatever Mike whichever Mike shows up Yeah, when I read that it was gonna be an exhibition. They weren't gonna try and knock each other's out Yeah, the fuck I mean you think about it. Oh, it's exhibition, but we got 12 ounce gloves But it's exhibition exhibition. No headgear exhibition judges I mean And exhibition, yeah Mike Tyson who not Corey Sanders down in the first round of an exhibition back in 2004 Correct. So what is your definition of an exhibition because going in the ring with Mike Tyson has nothing exhibition is about it No, he doesn't have that in him when you watch him spar his sparring was but nothing exhibition ish about it Yeah, they were fights sparring was fights. Everything he does is a fight Yeah, he's now you said that he was always kind of on your radar He was when you were the heavyweight champ when you beat John Ruiz He was the only other person I would have fought as a heavy weight Really because he was the youngest heavyweight champion ever and to be honest, I probably was the lightest Who I started lighter than anybody that only junior middleweight to ever go in the heavyweight title. Mmm So I was the smallest guy that would come up and win the heavyweight title How much did you weigh when you fought Ruiz? 200 200 Wow, and so Did you think when you were getting ready to fight? What do you walk around that right now? Now I'm heavier than I was then really now I walk around like 220 sometime 220. I've been up to 220 So do you feel good at 220 or do you would you like to be lighter? I'm at about 210 now and this way I want to be it right there hands fast as ever Still a lot of mobility not too much weight on these knees. So I feel pretty good at 210 So I think I'm gonna stay around this area That's not much different than him because when he was in his prime, he was about 215 I mean he was a light heavyweight, you know for a lighter rather heavy weight a light explosive heavy. Yeah super super explosive headway, so it's like Size and doesn't really matter with Mike I mean it matter with Reese because I knew I was going to push a little bit a hole With Mike size don't really matter Now when you decided to go up and fight Ruiz for the heavyweight title Did you think that was one and done or did you think once I win that title? Maybe I'll defend it a few times like what was your thoughts getting ready for that fight? So as you know me, I'm a man of my word. I try to be and I said I wanted to go do What Bob Fitzsimmons did but I was gonna add a little bit to it because I was also Super middleweight champion, which was a division that wasn't around when Bob Fitzsimmons did this in 1896 Well about this summer did was he won the middleweight title the light heavyweight title the heavyweight title and then he Recaptured the light heavyweight title. Hmm. That's a big segment of the whole thing Recapturing the light heavyweight title. So if I go up and do what I did When the heavyweight title and don't recapture the light heavyweight title I can't look you in my in your eyes and say I deal with Bob Fitzsimmons did because I did Right idea part of what he did but the hardest part is to come back from heavyweight and recapture that light heavyweight title That's why I came back and did it. But Before I departed the heavyweight division, I would have fought Mike Tyson because of what I told you earlier He was the youngest heavyweight champ of all time to me He was one of the most explosive entertaining guys you want to see because you never know what he gonna do And it's the same reason I'm going in with him right now because he's explosive Entertaining and you never know what he's gonna do. I mean both of you were in that Nasau You know that song? Yeah, the new Mike Tyson Roy Jones and that's a line exactly Yeah I mean very similar in that regard that you both were so dominant over your divisions when you were in your prime that those fights Were like executions, of course Why didn't that fight take place back then? Because nobody ever saw me coming to heavyweight back then and by the time I did it he was already only we out of boxing Yeah, we had departed so people say I think they say someone told him that I was awful for the mean to fight Mike Tyson No, I wasn't if I was awful for the me. We've been fighting I mean I tell people today like they always talk about know what's going on with the zone and all these fighters listen, man if I was in today's time and I was Roy Jones the same original as I am if they told me Roy We'll pay you 20 million for per fight for five fights. We get to pick the opponent I say matter of fact don't even worry about picking opponent y'all call me tell me what did I'm fighting? What weight I'm fighting that and I don't care who it is Just tell me who went on fight and what would I need to be? I believe it. You understand me That's why I am so it's like when they talk about I wouldn't fall I know if they were to offer me for them in a fight if Mike was just said yeah I would have fought before that we fought for that's how bad I wanted to find him back then people love to talk though Yeah, they say a lot of stupid shit. Yes, it makes sense. But that's just that's people need something to talk about Well, I know but I'm just say I'd be wanting to clear it up because I was not off of money to fight my baby I would have been if I would have I would have fought Mike back then I wanted to fight my he's the only other He would have fought it but I was like, no, I'm not giving y'all the opportunity I'm first of all, I'm a small guy coming up to the heavyweight division I don't belong up here anyway I just wanted to do what Bob Fitzsimmons did and prove I could do it or see if I could do it Because sugary Robson tried to go win the light heavyweight title and he passed out. Yeah, so he didn't win it So of course, we always want to try or challenge ourselves. I want to see what the Scott with the roof is Mm-hmm. Can I win the heavyweight title? Am I really that good as good as I think I am Maybe I am this Episodes of the Joe Rogan experience are now free on Spotify. That's right They're free from September 1st to December 1st. 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