Former undisputed world heavyweight king Mike Tyson has explained why his clash with Roy Jones Jr. has been moved to November 28 and told the former four-weight champion to expect ‘full force’.
The bout was originally scheduled for September 12 in Carson, California, but the shift back has been motivated by maximising the event’s potential revenue and to accommodate a larger worldwide audience than was originally anticipated.
“Changing the date to November 28 will give more people the opportunity to see the biggest comeback in boxing history,” said Tyson said in a statement.
“This temporary inconvenience will last longer than Roy Jones Jr. He better be ready, I’m coming full force.”
Triller, the emerging social media platform that is broadcasting the event, told TMZ Sports: “Given the enormous interest, the [American Thanksgiving] holiday weekend will make this historic battle an even bigger viewing event, marking the first live Pay-Per-View event brought to the world by Triller as the first of the ‘Triller Battles’ series.”
The company has also announced several new undercard fights including two-weight world champion Badou Jack (22-3-3, 13 KOs) against Sacramento’s Blake McKernan (13-0, 6 KOs) and Britain’s Viddal Riley (4-0, 2 KOs) against former UFC fighter Rashad Coulter (1-0, 1 KO) at cruiser. YouTube star Jake Paul (1-0, 1 KO) is already scheduled to face ex-NBA player and debutant Nate Robinson, also at cruiserweight.
“Okay, it’s official,” tweeted Jack on Tuesday afternoon. “I’m back in the ring on November 28 on the undercard of Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr. I’m donating the proceeds to the Badou Jack Foundation to give children across the globe a fighting chance in life. The fight will be live on PPV [on Triller].”
In another development, the eight-round exhibition bout will be sanctioned and scored by a recognised sanctioning body with a specially commissioned belt presented to the winner.