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    Mike Tyson bout with Roy Jones Jr ‘breaks pre-fight PPV records’ as boxer claims ‘numbers don’t lie, haters are mad’

    MIKE TYSON has has hailed reports of record pre-fight PPV sales for his fight with Roy Jones Jr – and used it to hit out at ‘haters’ against his return.
    The heavyweight legend steps back into the ring on Saturday night at the age of 54, to face his 51-year-old opponent.

    Mike Tyson steps back into the ring to face Roy Jones Jr this weekendCredit: AP:Associated Press

    Some have criticised the fight due to the fighters’ age and the fact that Tyson, in particular, has not boxed in over 15 years.
    But Iron Mike took to Twitter to slam his critics with a screenshot of a Yahoo! report on the fight’s financial success.
    He wrote: “Numbers don’t lie.
    “Haters are mad they can’t get numbers like this.

    “Saturday is reckoning. Roy Jones Jr you better be ready.”
    The report detailed how Tyson vs Jones Jr had broken pre-fight sales records for digital pay-per-view purchases.

    Over 300 crew members are working on delivering the behind-closed-doors event, which takes place in Los Angeles on Saturday night.
    A hefty undercard features YouTuber Jake Paul’s fight with former NBA star Nate Robinson and James DeGale’s former nemesis Badou Jack.

    Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa and Ne-Yo are among the musicians due to perform in between contests.
    Yet, critics include promoter Frank Warren, who has described the veterans’ showdown as ‘sad’.
    And UFC boss Dana White burst into laughter at a press conference when discussing the no-knockout rules of the fight.
    US companies Triller and FITE are handling the production and believe the holiday occasion, with the fight taking place over Thanksgiving, will provide a further sales boost.

    Michael Weber, COO for FITE, said: “FITE is excited to be a part of this pop cultural event with Triller’s Tyson vs. Jones fight.
    “Currently, our advance sales for this event will make this the most watched event in our five-year history of streaming live sporting events.
    “Our partners are also reporting advance sales that will put it on par with other top UFC and boxing events in the past few years.”

    Mike Tyson wants charity fights with Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder to ‘help so many people’ More

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    Mike Tyson reveals all over cocaine drug shame and felt ‘unbeatable’ but now just ‘protects bullied kid inside him’

    MIKE TYSON admits he is 32 years past his prime ahead of his Saturday night comeback.
    The 54-year-old faces Roy Jones Jr on Saturday night in a California exhibition bout, 15 years after he retired after back-to-back embarrassing losses.

    Mike Tyson opened up on his cocaine shame and the dark times in his lifeCredit: Getty Images

    Iron Mike burst onto the scene in explosive style and captured the imaginationCredit: Getty Images

    Tyson started losing his way – and his £300m fortune – after the 1985 death of his mentor and father-figure Cus D’Amato.
    But he still became undisputed champ in 1988, by destroying Michael Spinks in 91 seconds, and maintained a reign of terror until Buster Douglas stunned him in 1990.
    Fame and fortune came too suddenly for the once-bullied son of two Brooklyn drug addicts but his ring return marks a happier and healthier time in his wild life.
    “The best time of my life was probably just before I won the title,” Tyson told the Eddie Hearn podcast.

    “Because once I won that world title, things got tricky.
    “The first title win wasn’t the right time for me, I had too many emotional vampires around me.
    “When I beat Michael Spinks, that is when I felt at my most powerful and unbeatable.”
    Tyson’s prime athletic years were lost to addiction and a three-year prison term, started in 1992, for a rape he still fiercely denies.

    Former world champion Tyson struggled to cope with fame and fortuneCredit: AFP

    A 54-year-old Mike Tyson will take on Roy Jones Jr on Saturday nightCredit: Instagram / @miketyson
    At the peak of his cocaine addiction he would walk his pet white tigers around wearing only his pants, try to fight a gorilla in a zoo and host orgies with scores of women, including mothers and daughters.
    The Planet’s Baddest Man even claims to have cheated boxing drugs tests by using a fake penis and urine from his former wife and daughter.
    These days, however, he has found sanctity back in the ring and hopes 51-year-old Jones Jr can cope with a few of the 8x2min rounds they are set to share on Saturday.
    “Cocaine was a hell of a drug and back then I was out of my mind living crazy,” Tyson recalls.
    “I was not being responsible or being present. But that is what my life is all about now.

    “The little bullied kid I was growing up is always inside me but now I know how to protect him.
    “I didn’t know how to do that before, that’s why I was doing such crazy stuff and getting in trouble.
    “I never thought I would make my comeback, at this age, in a million years so I am so happy to do it.
    “I think Roy can handle getting slapped around a little bit, it is going to be very hot in that kitchen, we will see if he can handle the heat.”

    Mike Tyson wants charity fights with Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder to ‘help so many people’ More

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    Watch Mike Tyson throw a punch at enemy Floyd Mayweather but Money doesn’t even flinch in stunning throwback video

    MIKE TYSON and Floyd Mayweather have been on bad terms ever since 2001.
    And Iron Mike nearly took the beef to a whole new level in 2014 when he pretended to punch him on stage.

    Mike Tyson threw a fake punch at Floyd Mayweather in 2014Credit: YouTube / ESNEWS

    The pair have been on bad terms since 2001Credit: YouTube / ESNEWS

    But the stunt did not faze ‘Money’ Mayweather who laughed it off and proceeded to awkwardly hug the heavyweight icon.
    The pair reportedly fell out after a 2001 police raid on Tyson’s Las Vegas home which Iron Mike accused Mayweather of calling.
    Tyson could never prove Mayweather’s involvement and later admitted he was over it.
    He said: “I’m good with it now. You can forgive, but you have to remember.”

    But this was not the case in 2014, when the two met on stage at a boxing event.
    Mayweather could be seen shaking hands with other well known boxing guests before Tyson rushed up to him.
    Mayweather held his hand out to shake but Tyson ignored and it threw a punch at the middleweight champ – deliberately missing his face by just inches.
    Money did not even flinch and instead smiled and awkwardly hugged Tyson – who makes a comeback to the ring this Saturday against Roy Jones Jr.

    Mayweather didn’t flinch and awkwardly hugged Tyson insteadCredit: YouTube / ESNEWS
    [embedded content]

    The footage seems to show the incident ending in a jovial fashion but that illusion was shattered a year later when Tyson slammed Mayweather for suggesting he was the greatest boxer of all time.
    Iron Mike said: “He’s very delusional.
    “Listen, if he was anywhere near that realm of great as Muhammad Ali, he’d be able to take his kids to school by himself.
    “OK, he can’t take his kids to school by himself, and he’s talking about he’s great?
    “Greatness is not guarding yourself from the people.
    “It’s being accepted by the people. He can’t take his kids alone to school by himself. He’s a little scared man. He’s a very small, scared man.”
    Tyson also revealed his one fantasy fight would be against Mayweather.
    Mayweather recently opened up on another feud – this time with rapper 50 Cent.
    And YouTuber Logan Paul is sparring again having called Mayweather out – saying he ‘would snap the f***er in half’.

    Roy Jones Jr, 51, shows off incredible hand speed ahead of Mike Tyson fight More

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    How many rounds are in a boxing match and how many minutes are they?

    SCORES will be settled in the ring as the sport of boxing kicks on at pace.
    But how many minutes are in each round, and why are championship fights capped at 12 rounds?

    Anthony Joshua reclaimed his belts against Andy Ruiz Jr over 12 roundsCredit: Getty Images – Getty
    How many minutes are there in a boxing round?

    Rounds in men’s professional boxing matches last for three minutes.
    Currently, women’s bouts are shorter – with two minute rounds.
    Leading figures in women’s boxing have hit out at the length of the rounds.
    Olympian Nicola Adams had said: “You just need that extra minute, you’re learning all these new things in the gym and you can’t try them out in two minutes.

    “I have two minutes to find my rhythm, distance and take out my opponent. It’s not enough time.”

    How much time is there between rounds?
    The break in between rounds – win which fighters talk to their team and have cuts dealt with – usually last precisely 60 seconds.

    How many rounds are there in a boxing match?
    Boxing championship title matches last for 12 rounds.
    They had previous lasted 15 rounds until the late 1980s.

    Non-title fights are usually on for 10 rounds or shorter.

    Have title fights always been 12 rounds?
    On March 27 1983, the first ever heavyweight title fight that was scheduled for 12 rounds occurred when Larry Holmes fought Lucien Rodriguez for the WBC heavyweight title.
    From the 1920s to the 1980s, world title fights were traditionally 15 rounds.
    By 1988, all of the major governing bodies had changed their world title distances to 12 rounds from 15 rounds.

    The death of Duk Koo Kim sparked boxing reform
    A tragic boxing match in 1982 between Ray Mancini and Duk Koo Kim over 15 rounds forced organisations to shorten their championship bouts.
    The South Korean fighter Kim died in hospital five days after the fight, in which he lost in the 14th round.
    Kim had never fought a 15 round bout before, while Mancini had four times. More

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    Mike Tyson claims Anthony Joshua is ‘recipe for disaster’ if he faces Tyson Fury as he telegraphs his punches

    MIKE TYSON believes Anthony Joshua’s flaws make him a ‘recipe for disaster’ if he faces Tyson Fury.
    The heavyweight title holders are tipped to face off next year to decide the division’s undisputed champion.

    Mike Tyson believes Anthony Joshua ‘telegraphs’ his punchesCredit: Instagram / @miketyson

    Joshua is hoping to agree a deal to fight Tyson Fury next yearCredit: Getty Images – Getty

    Having claimed his WBO belt with a stunning victory over Deontay Wilder in February, many tip the Gypsy King to go all the way.
    And, speaking to Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn on his BBC No Passion, No Point podcast, the American outlined why he thinks Fury is the favourite.
    He said: “It’s very interesting, Joshua is a masterful puncher.
    “But you can see his punches coming, he telegraphs his punches.

    “And that’s just a recipe for disaster if you’re fighting Tyson Fury and you’re telegraphing your punches – to a guy whose 6ft 7in, come on.”
    Joshua, 31, next faces Kubrat Pulev at the O2 Arena, on December 12.
    A jarring defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr saw the Brit lose his undefeated record last year, before he downed the Mexican to reclaim his titles.
    Should AJ win again, fans are hoping for a 2021 showdown with Fury.

    However, that may not come to be if a deal cannot be agreed, pushing mandatory challenger Oleksandr Usyk forward for a match-up instead.
    It is still not known who Fury, 32, will take on next following the cancellation of his trilogy fight with Wilder.
    In conversation ahead of his comeback versus Roy Jones Jr, Tyson told the Gypsy King to give the people ‘what they want’ and face Wilder for a third time.
    He stated: “I think there are a lot of great heavyweight fighters in the division.
    “Anyone who says that it’s a bad division is just jealous, it’s exciting.
    “Tyson [Fury] can fight Wilder again and I like to see guys fight each other over and over again, if they’re exciting fighters.”

    He added: “[Wilder] did [make mistakes], but if the fans want it, that’s what it’s all about.
    “Tyson Fury is a fan fighter. The fans are in love with him, he has the momentum now.
    “In England, Anthony Joshua is a big thing. But Tyson Fury has got the people now, he’s got the masses.
    “They follow him like he’s a messiah.”

    Mike Tyson wants charity fights with Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder to ‘help so many people’ More

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    Mike Tyson will pound Roy Jones Jr with brutal power but only if he can catch him, predicts Frank Bruno

    MIKE TYSON will give Roy Jones Jr a beating – but only if he gets close enough to give Saturday’s pay-per-view buyers bang for their buck, according to Frank Bruno.
    The ring legends, with the combined age of 105, will fight on Saturday night over eight two minute rounds after Tyson ended 15 years of high-living retirement.

    Mike Tyson will pound Roy Jones Jr with brutal power, according to Frank BrunoCredit: Instagram / @miketyson

    But only if he can catch the 51-year-old speedsterCredit: Instagram / @royjonesjrofficial

    Iron Mike, 54, was a career heavyweight who destroyed 18st giants with his blistering power, while Jones’ best performances came down at super-middleweight.
    The veteran pair clash this weekend and have already boasted of breaking US pre-fight records, with BT Sport charging £19.95 for the exhibition bout.
    And British fight icon Frank Bruno, who was brutalised by Tyson in his final 1996 fight, says the bigger man will make bank, if he can pin down the 51-year-old speedster.
    Bruno said: “It is all about the Benjamin Franklins for those two. It’s all about the money.

    “Roy Jones Jr was a great fighter, he went through so many weights.
    “I don’t see the fight going that long because Jones Jr has the speed, he might be able to slow Mike down and confuse him.
    “But Mike has the power and if he hits Jones, who started off naturally as a middleweight, then a good big man always beats a big little man.”
    Lennox Lewis, who slayed the Baddest Man on the Planet in 2002 after some infamously sinister build-up, expects the packed rule book to fly out of the window at the first bell.

    Bruno thinks neither man will treat it as an exhibitionCredit: Louis Wood – The Sun

    The concerned California State Commission have puffed up the gloves to 12oz, axed judges and attempted to ‘ban’ knockouts in a bid to avoid naming a winner.
    But the last undisputed heavyweight ruler says age will not have mellowed Tyson once he slides between the ropes.
    Lewis said: “Roy Jones was one of the quickest fighters out there, he is not going to be easy to hit.
    “Roy will not want to get hit and I am sure it will be a big ring.
    “If Mike can catch up with him I am sure it will become a good fight.
    “If Roy hits Mike a couple of times and runs away then Mike won’t happily accept it’s an exhibition, he will want to hunt him down and hit him back.”

    Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr – Live stream, UK start time, date, undercard, and rules for massive boxing fight More

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    Tyson Fury PULLED OUT of Carlos Takam fight on 5 December because it would be ‘tough and risky’ despite agreement

    CARLOS TAKAM’S camp has claimed Tyson Fury pulled out of their December fight because he was too ‘tough’.
    The duo were reportedly set to square off next month in the Gypsy King’s first fight since downing Deontay Wilder.

    Carlos Takam (right) was hoping for a title shot after his 2017 defeat to Antony JoshuaCredit: PA:Press Association

    Tyson Fury’s camp has been blamed for cancelling negotiationsCredit: Getty Images – Getty

    Having moved against a third contest with the American, Fury is seeking a new opponent before an eventual clash against Anthony Joshua.
    Takam, 39, lost to AJ three years ago but has won four fights in a row.
    And the Cameroonian’s promoter, Joe DeGuardia, has revealed how Fury’s camp pulled the plug on a deal to fight on December 5.
    He told Sky Sports: “We really wanted that fight.

    “We thought it would be a great fight for Carlos and a good fight for boxing, and I thought it would fit well. We’re disappointed.
    “I think he knew he would have a tough fight with Carlos, a guy who has got a lot of experience and a risky fight, and instead opted for the guy who had the optics of being undefeated, but not as difficult as Carlos would be.
    “[Carlos] was 100 per cent confident. He clearly thought that he was going to win. He was training very hard and was very much looking forward to the fight.
    “I think we were at I would say 98 per cent done [in negotiations] and then it just changed in one day.

    “Not necessarily with Fury, we were done with every other aspect, and maybe Fury’s team probably didn’t want Carlos for the reasons we just discussed, I would imagine.”
    The Brit, 32, has also been touted to fight little-known German boxer Agit Kabayel.
    But Fury will not fight until 2021 – a move which has threatened to torpedo his hopes of facing rival Joshua in the coming months.

    SunSport’s pound for pound top ten

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    Daniel Dubois vs Joe Joyce: Date, UK start time, live stream FREE, TV channel, undercard info for big heavyweight fight

    DANIEL DUBOIS faces Joe Joyce in a bout that most are tipping to be one of the heavyweight fights of the year.
    ‘Dynamite’ Dubois was meant to face Joyce back on April 11, before the coronavirus pandemic put a halt to those spring plans.

    Dubois and Joyce have been scheduled to fight on two previous occasions

    The fight was re-scheduled for July, with the hope that fans would be able to attend the clash, but three months later spectators still aren’t being allowed to watch events live.
    So both Dubois and Joyce were happy to take purse cuts and have agreed to fight in a battle of the undefeated prospects.
    What time does it start?
    Dubois vs Joyce will get underway at around 10.30pm UK time on Saturday, November 28.
    They will clash for the British, Commonwealth and vacant European heavyweight titles.
    The undercard will begin at 7pm UK time.

    The pair will clash for the British, Commonwealth and European titlesCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
    What channel is it and can it be live streamed?
    Dubois vs Joyce will be shown live on BT Sport 1 for fans to enjoy, despite the event originally being billed as a pay-per-view.
    The action can be live streamed from the BT Sport app, so long as you enter your login details onto a smartphone or tablet device.
    Alternatively, listen to all of the action LIVE on talkSPORT.

    Can I watch for free?
    You can watch Dubois vs Joyce for FREE, so long as you’re an EE customer.
    EE are allowing their customers to sign up to BT Sport’s three month FREE TRIAL, which you can sign up to HERE.
    All you need to do is text ‘Sport’ to 150 in order get your package up and running.

    Both Dubois and Joyce agreed to take lower purses so the fight could happenCredit: PA:Press Association
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