Roy Jones Jr will take on Mike Tyson in November. Photos / Getty
Roy Jones Jr will take on Mike Tyson in November. Photos / Getty
Roy Jones Jr admits he may have "made a mistake" taking on Mike Tyson.
Jones and Tyson, both former world champions, will square off in an "exhibition" fight in California on November 29.
Speaking to Sky Sports UK, Jones, 51, assured that the bout with the 54-year-old Tyson will be a real fight and admitted 'Iron Mike' has the size and power to still hurt him.
"He's still Mike Tyson, he's still one of the strongest, most explosive people who ever touched a boxing ring. If anything, I made a mistake going in with him. He's the bigger guy, he's the explosive guy," Jones Jr said.
"When it comes time to fight, we're going to fight. If it comes down to bite, we're going to bite. Whatever has to happen, is going to happen, that's just what it is."
Jones, a former champion across four weight divisions, will be the smaller man and knows he has to be ready for the hard-punching Tyson, who has got himself into great shape for the fight.
He's going to have all the first-round fireworks, not me. I do have first-round fireworks, but he's known for more first-round fireworks than anybody to ever touch boxing, other than maybe George Foreman," Jones said.
"With him having the first-round fireworks, he'll be against a guy smaller than him, maybe 40-to-50 pounds (18-22kg) smaller than him."
Roy Jones Jr will take on Mike Tyson in November. Photos / Getty
Jones, who is known for his flashy fighting style and speed, also looks to be in good shape. He's enlisted the help of young boxing stars like Chris Eubank Jr to help prepare for the fight.
"They inspire me to get my mind going," Jones said.
"They're so good already, but you've got to take their mind to another level. You've got to take them somewhere they haven't been yet, or you can't really train them … when they do it, they also awaken me.
"Things that I forgot, that I don't do any more. It turns me back into a better fighter, because it made me remember things that I did once upon a time."
Meanwhile, Tyson impressed yet again in a scary training session video where he almost took the head off trainer Rafael Cordeiro.
Footage posted online by FightHype shows Tyson barraging Cordeiro with blow after blow, finishing off with a whack to the head as the video cuts. A couple of times prior Tyson looks to be aiming for Cordeiro's noggin.
The throws that resulted in 44 knockouts out of 50 career wins for Tyson no doubt left Cordeiro shaken. One comment read "Tyson still almost annihilating his trainers In his 50's lmao".
Another said "damn I think Roy should think this over".
By Californian law, both Tyson and Jones Jr. will need to exhibit their skill rather than seek knockout punches when they fight later in the year.
Jones Jr. does have a wealth of experience to fall back on with 66 wins to his credit. However if training footage is anything to go by, even 60 per cent effort from Tyson could be too much to handle.
