By: Hans Themistode
With confusion mounting surrounding former all-time great’s Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. and their highly-anticipated showdown which will air on the Triller app this Saturday night, Ryan Kavanaugh, co-owner of the Triller app, has made things crystal clear.
“Know there have been some false rumors swirling, so to be clear,” said Kavanaugh in a recent statement. “The WBC is scoring the fight. There could be a knockout and there will be one winner. Anyone who says there is no judging or no winner either does not understand the rules or has their own agenda. Unquestionably, 100 percent. DraftKings is the betting partner and is taking bets on the fight in New Jersey, New Hampshire, and Illinois. The only difference is the fight is the gloves are 12 ounces, there are eight rounds and the rounds are two minutes rather than three. That is it.”
Kavanaugh’s need to clarify the rules between Tyson and Jones Jr. stems from Andy Foster, executive director of the California State Athletic Commission, and his insistence on promoting Tyson vs Jones Jr. as a safe sparring match.
“Let’s call it an exhibition,” explained Foster during an interview several months ago. “That’s what it is. I want the public to know what this is because I don’t want people to be disappointed. As long as they know this is an exhibition, I’m fine for everybody to earn. … There’s no official judges. The WBC is going to have some guest celebrity judges remotely, not official, not 10-9 [scores], nothing like that. No cumulative score. No winner announced. That’s a very entertainment centered thing. It’s about entertainment. It’s not about competition. … It is what it is and it’s not more than it is but it’s going to be fun.”
Recently, amongst the long set of rules to ensure both fighter’s safety, Foster has also stated that if either fighter suffers a cut, that their bout will immediately come to an end.
While Kavanaugh is fully behind the safety of each fighter, who are well into their 50’s, he continued to push the narrative that Tyson vs Jones Jr. will in fact be a full-fledged fight and not an eccentric matchup.
“We have nothing but the utmost respect for Andy (Foster) and everyone at (the California State Athletic Commission). For total clarity we are not implying that CSAC is picking a winner or scoring this, WBC is doing both. WBC is scoring under a 10-9, and a knockout will be a win under WBC’s scoring. The results will not be reflected on their fight record. We apologize for any confusion and look forward to a great night of fights Saturday night.”
