Video | Roy Jones Jr. earns a TKO victory in the first-ever boxing match in the Metaverse
Roy Jones Jr. made history this past Friday (June 30), but perhaps not in the way fight fans envisioned.
Jones, an International Boxing Hall of Famer, took on bodybuilder NDO Champ. This was the first boxing match to take place in the metaverse. The virtual experience has been widely panned on social media. For starters, Jones is a legend in the fight game but at the age of 54, many believe he shouldn’t be in the ring competing even if his opponent has no prior boxing experience. Another issue some viewers had was the quality of the visuals.
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Roy Jones Jr. Metaverse Fight Highlights
Jones scored a seventh-round TKO victory, but there didn’t appear to be nearly enough damage done to NDO Champ to warrant the stoppage. Here are video highlights of the metaverse boxing match:
WTF DID I JUST BUY??? pic.twitter.com/0zQtBONoxE
— ShowBizzAdult (@BizzAdult) July 1, 2023
https://twitter.com/dantheboxingman/status/1674959485956407296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1674959485956407296%7Ctwgr%5E1551009af7f785df7bc5dfe5c75d654df36429e4%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mmamania.com%2F2023%2F7%2F1%2F23780203%2Fhighlights-roy-jones-jr-delivers-controversial-stoppage-in-extremely-odd-metaverse-boxing-match
As the metaverse craze continues, one has to wonder if there will be better execution for combat sports fights in the future, or if promotions will simply forgo the idea altogether. The UFC isn’t shying away from the metaverse, as the promotion has teamed up with Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta to bring VR experiences to MMA events.
This was the second bout of 2023 for Roy Jones Jr. He took on former UFC Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis in an eight-round boxing match back in April. Jones lost that fight via majority decision. What’s next for Roy Jones Jr. remains to be seen, but there aren’t too many boxing fans who would be surprised if he has yet another bout down the line.
Roy Jones Jr. initially planned to retire following his 2018 victory over Scott Sigmon. He returned in 2020 for an exhibition bout with fellow boxing legend Mike Tyson. Jones would then return to pro fighting with the aforementioned Anthony Pettis bout.
