Former Heavyweight Champion Calls Out Mike Tyson For ‘Epic’ Rematch: “He Wants To Fight Again”

At his best, ‘Iron’ Mike was unquestionably the most formidable fighter on the planet, which played a pivotal role in his dominance of the heavyweight division throughout the mid-to-late 1980s.

He made history in 1985 when he became the youngest world heavyweight champion in history after he knocked out WBC champion Trevor Berbick in the second round of their bout, breaking an exceptional record which still stands today.

After initially retiring from professional boxing shortly after he was beaten by Kevin McBride in 2005, Tyson made the transition into the exhibition side of the sport where he faced Roy Jones Jr in 2020, a contest that ended in a draw.

In an interview with Prime Casino, Jones, who won the WBA heavyweight title against John Ruiz in 2003, calls for an ‘epic’ rematch with ‘Iron’ Mike.

“I want to fight Mike Tyson at Times Square – we would ‘outperform’ Tank, Ryan Garcia and Teofimo Lopez. You put me in Times Square and you will get a Times Square performance, because even at my age, if I went to Times Square to fight, I gotta give you a Times square performance. I can’t come to Times Square and not give you a Times Square performance.

“Me and Mike Tyson would have an unforgettable night at Times Square, you understand me? He’d been trying to kill me. I’d been trying to p*ss him off so he wants to kill me, so I can have him coming for me; I’ll be moving, being smart, entertaining every chance I get, it would be epic. Trust me.”

Jones went on to say Tyson has the ‘appetite’ to fight again.

“Mike Tyson has an appetite to fight again.. he keeps an appetite to fight. That’s what he does for a living. You see what people don’t realize. The appetite never dies. It’s just that the menu becomes so small, but the appetite stays there. So if you get the opportunity, of course you’re going to fight. That’s what we do. We grew up fighting. All we know is fighting. We love fighting.”

Jones, who won world titles from middleweight to heavyweight, last fought as a professional back in 2023 when he was outpointed by MMA legend Anthony ‘Showtime’ Pettis. The 56-year-old has left the door open for a return to boxing since then, targeting a bout with YouTube star turned fighter Jake Paul, who controversially fought Tyson himself back in November.