Mike Tyson opens as significant betting favorite against Roy Jones Jr. in exhibition fight

Although Tyson will be competing inside a boxing ring for the first time since he was stopped by Kevin McBride on June 11, 2005, the former heavyweight champion has opened as a significant favorite over the former four-division champion.

According to BetOnline, the 54-year-old Tyson is a -350 favorite (bet $350 to make a $100 profit) to defeat Jones in the pay-per-view matchup. The fight is billed as an exhibition, and both fighters will wear gloves with extra padding. Nevertheless, oddsmakers favor Tyson despite Jones having last fought just two years ago, a unanimous decision victory over Scott Sigmon in a cruiserweight bout.

It has yet to be announced at what weight the bout will be fought, but it is assumed that it will be at heavyweight. 

Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs, two no-contests) is renowned as one of the biggest punchers in boxing, but he hasn't won a fight since a first-round knockout of Clifford Etienne in 2003. He ended his career losing three of his final five fights, all by stoppage, but his latest body transformation and series of training videos have led many to believe that he will have a return to form against Jones. 

Jones, 51, has won 12 of his last 13 fights, albeit against largely unknown competition. His lone loss during that span was a fourth-round knockout against Enzo Maccarinelli in December 2015. 

Jones was widely recognized as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in boxing throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, but the boxer with out-of-this-world talent was brought back down to earth in 2004 when he was knocked out by Antonio Tarver. Jones would lose his next three fights and seven of his next 12 before putting together his latest run of victories.

Both Jones and Tyson have acknowledged this is an exhibition, but fans can rest assured that it won't just be fun and games. Both men will have something to prove to themselves, the world and to each other.