The fight between Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr has ended without a result, with neither boxer looking likely to land a knockout blow in an exhibition bout more than a decade after their respective primes.
The fight was not officially scored, but if it had been, Tyson would have handily beaten Jones Jr on account of landing more punches and looking faster and more aggressive across the eight two-minute rounds at an empty Staples Centre in Los Angeles.
Despite being famed for his speed during his career, and fighting professionally as recently as 2018, the 51-year-old Jones Jr looked slower and was breathing raggedly far earlier than Tyson, 54.
The fight had been billed as an exhibition, and in truth was barely more than an intense sparring session between two aged veterans — who looked every day of their 50-plus years from the moment they entered the ring.
Tyson worked the jab from the outset to establish himself in the centre of the ring, but too often the contest was spent with the two former greats locked together in clinches.
Tyson worked the inside better, pounding Jones Jr's body with some draining shots, but without enough to come close to forcing a stoppage.
Jones Jr attempted to bob and weave, lashing out with some of his trademark backhanded shots, but the former four-weight world champion's timing was all off, and he rarely connected.
The bout was unofficially judged by three former world champions, who deemed it a draw.
Tyson said he was happy with the judges' call, but Jones Jr disagreed.
"I wear drawers, I don't do draws," he said.
Tyson said "we need to do this shit again", but Jones Jr seemed less keen, saying he had to go speak to his family and make a call after that.
Entertainment over sport
The undercard featured two sporting bouts; Jamaine Ortiz stopping Sulaiman Segawa in the seventh round of their WBA lightweight title clash, and former two-weight world champion Badou Jack dominating the game but ultimately out-classed Blake McKernan in their light-heavyweight bout.
However, from the moment YouTube star Jake Paul walked out to face former NBA player Nate Robinson, it was clear any interest from a sporting perspective was over.
Paul, whose only previous fight was against fellow YouTube star Ali Eson Gib, knocked a hapless Robinson out after two knockdowns.
The sight of the former two-time slam dunk champion face down on the canvas was only marginally more unsettling than seeing the farcical way he approached the fight.
Robinson recklessly charged in to his opponent without much in the way of technique, illustrating that he had no place near a professional ring and, ultimately, doing the sport a serious disservice.
Although YouTube white-collar boxing has proven to be a ratings winner in recent years, the mismatch should serve as a warning that anyone looking to step into the ring should be adequately prepared.
Each fight on the undercard was punctuated by a musical performance, adding credence to the entire events' status as an entertainment show than a sporting contest.
Look back at how the action unfolded in our live blog.
