Roy Jones Jr Will Take 'Brain Damage Shots' From Mike Tyson, Former Champ Says

Former WBC super middleweight champion Nigel Benn is certain that though Roy Jones Jr. will make millions from his upcoming exhibition match with Mike Tyson, he will also take “brain damage shots” from the former heavyweight champ.

Tyson made a shocking announcement earlier this year that he will return to the boxing scene at age 54. And “Iron Mike” has been preparing for his Sept. 12 comeback bout, with recent training videos showing he still has tremendous punching power.

After weeks of searching for a suitable opponent, Tyson agreed to fight Jones. Just like Tyson, his fellow boxing legend also proved in training clips that he can still perform. However, for Benn, Jones could be up for a long night of beating inside the ring with Tyson.

In a recent interview with Pressbox PR, Benn weighed in on the upcoming Tyson vs. Jones exhibition match. According to the Englishman, Jones made a noble move of accepting the fight because he is about to take some “bone-crunching” and “brain damage” shots from Tyson.

Benn, despite being a world-class fighter himself, also pointed out that he personally wouldn't fight Tyson even if he was fit.

“I take my hat off to Roy [Jones Jr.],” Benn said. “But even if Mike Tyson was smoking a spliff, I still wouldn't get it in the ring with him. I really take my hat off to Roy because they are bone-crunching shots that he will face. All Tyson has to do is collar you and that’s it. Those are brain damage shots.”

Benn noted that Jones may still manage to do his “hit and move” inside the ring but may just lack “the power to hold Tyson off.”

"He’s an animal, when Tyson hits you, you stay hit,” he added. “Roy’s a good fighter, he likes to hit and move, hit and move, but if you can’t stop someone like Tyson, he’ll walk straight through you - you need to bang him out regardless of how fast your hands are. He’s too powerful. I believe Tyson stops him. He’s just too powerful.”

The 56-year-old even said he senses that “there’s a lot of fear” in Jones after hearing him talk about how big and powerful Tyson is. For Benn, Jones was “not just hyping the fight” but also telling the truth.

Benn concluded that though Jones might earn “$10 or 12 million” from the said match, it is ultimately a bad idea, saying, “Who wants to get in the ring with Mike Tyson?”

Tyson and Jones will face off in an eight-round exhibition on Sept. 12 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. The exhibition match will be broadcast on pay-per-view as well as multimedia platform Triller.