Carl Froch has had his say ahead of Mike Tyson’s highly anticipated return to the ring in September, questioning whether him and Roy Jones Jr will have the stamina to go the distance.
The former WBA, IBF and WBC super-middleweight champion, who also once sold out Wembley for a bout against George Groves, was speaking on his Froch on Fighting podcast.
The Baddest Man On The Planet, now 54, will face the former light heavyweight champ Roy Jones Jr, three years his younger, in an eight-round exhibition bout in Los Angeles, but Froch believes age will go against the fighters.
“We’re blowing out of our arse after four rounds as young professional fighters, we just manage the recovery and breathe differently and go a bit flat-footed through the fight,” explained the 43-year-old, as per RingNews24.
“But when you’re in your 50s, you’re absolutely exhausted and you can’t recover,” he continued.
“Your fitness is your ability to recover and you can’t recover when you’re old. So, there is a danger of this becoming a no-contest after four rounds, there really is.”
Froch, who lost just twice in a 35-fight career, also questioned the mental state of Tyson and whether the former undisputed heavyweight champion would be able to keep his cool in the ring.
“Would he lose the plot like he did against Holyfield and take a chunk of the old ear off?” he remarked.
“There could be a danger where he gets really frustrated.
“Those 16-ounce gloves are going to be more difficult to knock his opponent out. And then they’re going to be blowing out of their arse after three or four rounds, surely?”
Tyson's infamous bite of Evander Holyfield's ear in 1997 saw the Brooklyn-born boxer have his licence revoked and he was fined $3m for the incident. The bout was the first heavyweight title fight to end in a disqualification in over half a century.
Tyson and Jones Jr are due to meet in the ring at the Dignity Health Sports Park on September 12, in what will be Iron Mike’s return to the ring 15 years after losing to journeyman Kevin McBride and hanging up his gloves.
We for one cannot wait, but we don't really believe Froch's concerns will come to fruition. Certainly not the ear-biting part anyway.