Roy Jones Jr has revealed he would come out of retirement if the opportunity to face Mike Tyson presented itself.
The 51-year-old won world championships in four different weight classes including heavyweight and was widely regarded as the number one pound-for-pound boxing in the world in the early 2000s. Jones Jr retired in February 2018.
Tyson, 53, has been teasing a comeback with a series of short training clips posted to social media over the past month.
Jones Jr said he would lace up the gloves again if the offer to fight Tyson came his way.
“Yes, it’s true – Mike is a legend,” Jones Jr told sports.ru.
“It would be crazy to receive an offer to enter the ring with him and refuse.
“I had no intention of going back and fighting again but, for the sake of Mike Tyson, I agree to make an exception.
“For me, this is an opportunity that I cannot refuse. Of all those who wanted to go into the ring with him, he chose me. And since he did that, how can I say no?”
Jones Jr defeated John Ruiz on points to claim the WBA heavyweight championship in 2003 and was considering a fight with Tyson before ultimately deciding to move back down to light heavyweight, according to Andre Ward.
“There was a Tyson fight on the table and I believe I’m accurate when I say that it was somewhere around $40 million guaranteed,” Ward told JRE Clips.
“There was an upside too. You stay at heavyweight, keep the weight on, and Tyson wasn’t quite Tyson at that time.
“He was still dangerous but he wasn’t quite Tyson. I think they were working towards it. What I heard was Roy wanted more money.
“Roy somehow said, ‘No, the fight will be there down the road,’ and put his attention to Antonio Tarver, and the rest is history.
“I wanted to see him fight Tyson and ride off into the sunset. One more and you’re out.”
Jones Jr has a record of 66-9 (47) while Tyson’s ledger reads 50-6 (44).
