Foreman: Tyson Comeback A Form Of Temporary Insanity

Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson is making his return to the “sweet science” this Sat. night (Nov. 28, 2020) inside Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif., taking on fellow aging pugilist Roy Jones Jr. in an eight-round exhibition bout.

But what about all that talk surrounding a subsequent run at the heavyweight title?

“It’s temporary insanity,” retired boxer George Foreman told Yahoo Sports. “I liken it to a guy who wants to get on a boat and go out to sea. It seems like so much fun, so peaceful, so he wants to get out there and do it. Then he gets out there and the big waves start coming and the sea is rough and it’s raining and the wind is blowing and he asks himself, ‘Lord, why did I ever do this?’”

Tyson, 54, has not competed since his Kevin McBride loss way back in 2005, but recent videos of the “Iron” man pounding the pads has renewed interest in his boxing return. As for Jones Jr., 51, his last bout was decision victory over Scott Sigmon in early 2018.

“It’s happened to so many of us,” Foreman continued. “And you realize you should have stayed home on the dry land where everything is nice and safe. The thing that is hard when you start to think of coming back, you remember what you could do back in the day. But you have to reclaim that hardness you once had and the timing. That’s what you lose after so many years away and it’s so hard to get back.”

According to the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC), the Tyson-Jones headliner is supposed to be a glorified sparring match and not an actual “go for broke” type showdown, but at least the winner gets to go home with an ugly green belt.

And perhaps a healthy dose of reality about what it means to compete at this age.