The eight round exhibition fight between Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. on November 28th ended in a majority draw.

The former heavyweight champion returned after a fifteen year hiatus to face another legend, Roy Jones Jr, in a fight titled “Frontline Battle”. The World Boxing Council scored the four-hour live event at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

The rounds were cut down to two minutes instead of three, and the fight was sanctioned by the California State Athletic Commission. The boxers fought with 12-ounce gloves instead of the ten-ounce gloves to avoid cuts and injury.

Although the rules declared there will be no winner, The WBC still used the standard scoring system to judge Tyson’s and Jones Jr.’s performance. Three champions judged and scored each round, with criteria focusing on technique, defence, effective strikes and overall aggression. 

WBC President Mauricio Sulaimán believed the fight had strong implications for how we should all behave in the pandemic.

“Despite the isolation and tribulations COVID-19 has caused, Tyson and Jones Jr. have shown us that when a person embraces a positive mental outlook, turns on his or her positive mental switch, all challenges can be overcome which is why we have created a one of a kind commemorative belt created specifically for the occasion.” 

Mike Tyson was 20 years old when he became the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history. He has a 50-6 career record, with 44 wins coming by way of knockout. He lost his last fight in 2005 to Kevin McBride.

Roy Jones Jr. is a former world champion with a fantastic 66-9 record. Jones Jr. won his last match in 2018 against Scott Sigmon.

This fight was a pay-per-view event and sold for $50 in the United States.

Some of the money raised will be donated to charities that fight breast cancer and human trafficking, according to Jones Jr. Tyson’s “Legends Only League” will also donate a portion of proceeds to the WBC José Sulaimán Boxers Fund to support boxers who “have fallen into hard times.”