OK it was basically the last hurrah for both these guys back then. tyson after the lewis loss, had the last win of his career crushing etienne. RJJ was coming off one of his career highs winning a piece of the heavyweight pie. the following year after that it was downhill for both. tyson did'nt have the heart to fight anymore quitting against danny williams. the following year after that he quit against mcbride. rjj had a close fight with tarver in december, and got destroyed in the rematch early 04, he was also put on the floor for 10 mins against johnson later that year. dont forget all the insane hype back in 03 when rjj dismatled ruiz, people were salivating at the potential matchups available for the then 'p4p king' in his foray in the hvy weight division. would he take on ibf holder chris byrd in a more or less tactical contest? would reluctant roy put his great talent to the test, and try to accomplish what michael spinks accopmlished by defeating legitimate hvy weight champion lewis? or would he go for what could potentially have been the biggest money drawing fight ever if he faced tyson? if roy could have faced tyson in december of 03 instead of tarver what would have happened? the majority of writers picked roy in this potential matchup in 03 as he was coming off his victory over ruiz, and tyson was a fight removed from his fight with lewis. so could roy use on tyson the same strategy he used against ruiz, by sticking and moving enough to frustrate tyson and make him blow a fuse and quit, or does tyson catch roy's china and lay him out? rjj feet were still quite fast as evidence by the ruiz fight and his hand speed was still exceptional, so he would be the favorite to win the fight, tyson on the other hand was basically a head hunter by this time, and had lost the amazing headmovement and body attack that made him so deadly in his prime. tyson has only one round left in him and starts strong in the first, ala the lewis fight, but then tires in the 4th. roy sticks and moves and occasionaly gets pressured into the ropes where he usually covers up well and counters. imo roy gets careless after going for the kill in the 5th and is put into a 20 minute coma. tyson ko5
Roy by UD. Give the kid more credit - he was a smart fighter. Knowing the kind of power Tyson has/had - Roy would have boxed. Hit and not get hit. His speed would have been too much for Tyson - everything would have been from the outside. I don't think Roy would have hurt Mike - but he would have done enough to win the fight. Tyson was done by then - no technique - no stamina - just pure strength. This would have been an easy win for Roy.
Problem with Tyson is that he doesn't have the stamina nor the patience to launch any game plan. After 3 rounds that Jones everything that Tyson does, Jones could TKO Tyson due to cuts. HE will potshot Tyson up to 11th round, when the ref will call it off. But it Tyson by any luck lands a meaningful shot on Jones face, Jones takes a nap.
The Tyson that fought Etienne was in decent shape. That Tyson would have crushed Jones. Tyson under 230 has way too much speed and punching power for any version of Roy Jones. Jones wouldnt be able to keep Tyson off of him or hurt him. Tyson by Glenn Johnson style knockout.
Tyson KO1, you can't put a fragile man in with Tyson who doesn't use a jab, throws lead left hooks, hasn't got a height/reach advantage, leaves his hands down, is much smaller, can't hurt Tyson and hasn't got a great chin.
2 of my all-time faves(Top 3). Roy pulled it off vs the weakest champ, as I knew he could - and it was as "impressive" as Hopkins beating Tarver. Even a faded Tyson would knock out Roy.
If the Etienne version of Tyson showed up and backed Roy up on the ropes, it would only take 1 punch to end the fight to be honest.
Tyson was shot by this point. Prime Tyson sends Heavyweight Roy out on a stretcher, but a shot one loses on points in 2003.
2003 Tyson was an embarassment. Didnt Danny Williams beat Tyson at this point? I think Jones is better than Williams. Jones would make Tyson quit like a fool.
Williams was two of Roy Jones. Towards the end Tyson was so poorly matched against big giant marshmallow men that laid on him until he ran out of gas. Tyson would have been better off fighting smaller guys like Jones. He would have knocked Jones into the cheap seats.
Jones was still Jones in 2003 Tyson hasn't been Tyson for years. Jones would be too fast. Tyson allways has a punchers chance but I don't think he would have cought Jones.
If Tyson lands in the first 3 rounds, he wins. But if he can't catch up to Jones early, that version of Tyson basically quits IMO.
