Roy Jones Jr. has voiced his belief that Mike Tyson will gain an advantage from the shorter rounds in his forthcoming heavyweight bout against Jake Paul.

The match, set to occur on November 15 at the AT&T Stadium in Texas, will pit Paul and Tyson against each other in a professional face-off consisting of eight two-minute rounds – a departure from the typical three-minute rounds. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation has already given its approval for the sanctioned fight.

Both fighters will be donning 14-ounce gloves, which offer more padding than standard gloves. Tyson’s last professional match was in 2005 against Kevin McBride. After retiring mid-match that night, Tyson decided to hang up his gloves. However, he did participate in an exhibition match with Jones Jr. four years ago.

As for Paul, also known as ‘The Problem Child’, he burst onto the scene in 2020 and has since made waves in the sport. To date, the young American has claimed victories over Anderson Silva, Tyron Woodley, and Nate Diaz. His only loss in the ring came last year when he lost to Tommy Fury on points. He has since rebounded with significant wins over Diaz, Andre August, Ryan Bourland, and Mike Perry.

Paul recently challenged his legendary adversary to a 10 three-minute round match following public demands, but the rules will remain unchanged. With the rules now firmly established ahead of next Friday’s showdown, Jones Jr. – a former opponent of Tyson’s – believes that the 58-year-old will benefit from the arrangement.

Jones J.r is of the opinion that the shorter rounds will benefit Tyson’s stamina. Speaking to MMANYTT, he revealed: “When I boxed him four years ago, we did two-minute rounds, and, surprisingly, he didn’t lose energy; he kept the same pace.”

Paul is the favorite to beat Tyson

Paul is the favorite to beat Tyson ( 

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Getty Images)

In the same conversation, Jones Jr. shared his official forecast for the impending bout. While many think Paul’s age could be a significant factor, the seasoned boxer maintains Tyson has what it takes to secure victory in Texas.

“I believe in Mike, likely via decision. But if he wants to finish it, he can. Yet, if he’s just looking to enjoy the fight, he might take it slow and have some fun”, he stated. “I’m not worried about Mike and his age. Mike is still hard to hit, and he hits like a truck.”

Despite Jones Jr.’s optimism, some fans are skeptical about ‘Iron Mike’ taking the fight seriously. In a recent conversation with Jimmy Kimmel, the 58-year-old claimed he was training six hours a day.

“I am training extremely hard, I do six hours a day. I start at 11am and might leave the gym at 5pm”, he declared. Kimmel appeared taken aback and responded: “Oh no. 11am? So that’s six hours straight, or is there a lunch break?”

The former heavyweight champion admitted there was a small break as a surprised Kimmel exclaimed: “Oh no”.