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Dana White is flying out to watch Mike Tyson train for his exhibition fight with Roy Jones Jr.
In preparation for his comeback fight against Roy Jones Jr., former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson will be visited by UFC president Dana White during his training camp.
Tyson and Jones Jr. will fight in an exhibition bout next month. Despite some criticism over the fight given 54-year-old Tyson (50-6-2, 44 KOs) has not fought for fifteen years and 51-year-old Jones (66-9, 47 KOs) for two years, White says he is “100 percent supportive” of the fight.
“I’m excited for [Tyson],” White told reporters at the UFC Vegas 5 pre-fight scrum on Friday. “He says he’s got that fire, he wants to fight, he wants this, Jones wants it, they’re grown men – I’m 100 percent supportive. (Transcription via MMA Fighting)
“I’m flying out probably next week to watch him train,” the UFC president said.
California State Athletic Commission director Andy Foster recently discussed the fight when he spoke to BoxingScene.com, and reiterated that fans should have realistic expectations given it is an exhibition match.
“It’s an exhibition. They can exhibit their boxing skills, but I don’t want them using their best efforts to hurt each other,” Foster said. “They’re going to spar hard, but they shouldn’t be going for a knockout.”
There will be no judges for this bout and even a cut on either fighter would be enough to stop the fight. No headgear will be worn but the gloves will be 12 ounces instead of 8- or 10-ounces.
Tyson vs. Jones Jr. will take place on September 12 in Carson, California. The fight will air on pay-per-view at a cost of $50 and the social media platform Triller.