Voice of Boxing, Al Bernstein, Joins Us to Discuss Tyson vs. Jones, the Future of Legends Boxing Matches, More
The recent exhibition boxing match between Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. brought significant mainstream attention to the sport. It arguably gained the most attention for a novelty boxing match since the 2017 Floyd Mayweather Jr./Conor McGregor matchup.
Reportedly, the pay per view for Tyson/Jones had 1.6 million buys, with each consumer shelling out 50 dollars to watch the event. Apparently, there is significant interest in seeing great fighters from the past step into the squared circle.
Is this a good advent for boxing? To discuss that question, among other boxing related topics, we welcome back to CYInterview boxing journalist and commentator Al Bernstein. We last spoke with Al on the red carpet at the 2019 Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame at the Red Rock Hotel and Casino here in Las Vegas [see here]. Mr. Bernstein has been present for many of boxing’s biggest fights and has tremendous knowledge about the sweet science and its history.
A longtime resident of Las Vegas, Al Bernstein and his family have been recovering from Covid-19. He told us over the weekend that everyone in his family should make a full recovery:
“I’m pretty much symptom free at this juncture. And my wife who had to be hospitalized is much better. She’s out of the hospital. And so, we’re like so many families in America that dealt with this, we’re trying to plot our way through and looks like we’ll have, you know, a good ending to it which is good.”
For the Mike Tyson/Roy Jones Jr. exhibition bout, the boxing journalist was supposed to be on the announcing team. However, due to contracting Covid-19, he was not able to be part of the pay per view special. Speaking about his thoughts on the recent event, he told us this:
“I was supposed to be handling the play by play for that event, but because I got Covid, I couldn’t do it. So, I was planning on being there. And, you know, it was a unique event. It’s intriguing that, it kind of organically took on a certain form that no one was sure I don’t think what it was gonna be, even the people planning it and putting it on. But it turned out to be an event that even boxing purists kind of thought was fun.
You know, it was a very eclectic event to be sure with the music thrown into it and you know, YouTubers fighting and Tyson and Jones in their 50s. And strangely, it kind of, you know, not only was it, obviously it was successful in terms of the number of buys, it got over a million buys, that’s what they’re saying, but people didn’t, they got a kick out of it. Now, what that means for the future and how it will move forward, I think there will be another one I’ve heard that they’re planning in March, presumably that I would be involved in.”
Featured columnist Jay Bildstein joins us to talk about a variety of different boxing topics with Al Bernstein, including the state of the heavyweight division, remembering past CYInterview guest, boxing historian Bert Sugar [see here] among other topics.
We wish Al Bernstein and his family a continuing successful convalescence from Covid-19.
You can listen to the entire CYInterview below:
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*Editor’s Correction: Our friend, the late great boxing historian, journalist Bert Sugar, was last on CYInterview in 2012. He died in 2012. However, in our conversations with him we did discuss the possibility of a Mayweather/Pacquiao fight.
Check out Al Bernstein Unplugged: On Boxing on YouTube by clicking here.
Find Al Bernstein on Twitter clicking here.