‘A good big guy always beats a good small guy’: Oscar De La Hoya backs Mike Tyson to defeat Roy Jones Jr in their heavyweight exhibition clash on November 28
- Mike Tyson and Roy Jones meet in a heavyweight exhibition fight in Los Angeles
- Former world champion Tyson, 54, will be fighting for the first time in 15 years
- Oscar De La Hoya has predicted Tyson to win because he’s the bigger man
Mike Tyson has been backed to beat Roy Jones Jr in their heavyweight exhibition clash by former world champion Oscar De La Hoya.
The two boxing legends collide on November 28 for an eight-round fight in what will be Tyson’s first since his knockout defeat against Kevin McBride 15 years ago.
Jones Jr, who is three years younger than Tyson at 51, hung up the gloves much more recently, having last fought professionally in 2018.
Mike Tyson has whipped himself into supreme fighting condition ahead of facing Roy Jones Jr
The two boxing legends fight in an eight-round exhibition clash in California on November 28
The former multi-weight world champion had campaigned as a heavyweight for a short period in his career but is the naturally smaller man compared to Tyson, who has always fought over 200lbs.
And for that reason, De La Hoya believes Jones Jr will come up short against Tyson in their fight for the WBC ‘Frontline Battle Belt’.
‘In boxing, and I think Teofimo [Lopez] proved it, is that a good big guy always beats a good small guy,’ the Golden Boy promoter said on Instagram.
Oscar De La Hoya believes Tyson will win because he is the naturally bigger man
‘It’s always like that, so I’m going to have to go with Tyson.
‘But it wouldn’t surprise me if Jones Jr pulls something off – like he always has in his career.’
Tyson, who has been in training camp for his comeback fight since March, revealed recently that he is at his lowest weight since he was 18 years old when he was 15 st 2lbs.
The ex undisputed heavyweight champion will be a big favourite to win the exhibition – which will be shown live on BT Sport Box Office in the UK – and could face his former rival Evander Holyfield in a trilogy fight afterwards.
Holyfield, who beat Tyson twice as a pro and infamously had a chunk of his ear bitten off in their 1997 rematch, had expressed a desire to be the opponent for his comeback fight and called out Iron Mike again on Instagram this week.
Teasing a potential match-up, he asked his followers: ‘Who would like to see Holyfield vs Tyson 3?
‘Or who else would you like to see me get in the ring with in an exhibition?’