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Boxing Update: Heavyweight Legends Buster Douglas, 63, and Michael Spinks 67 Coming Out Of Retirement To Fight ‘AI Boxing Match’

Published 03/12/2024, 3:27 AM EDT

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Forget dusty trunks and creaking ring ropes – boxing is entering the digital age! Boxing legends Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson captivated audiences in the 90s with their epic brawls, but now it’s Buster Douglas and Michael Spinks stepping back into the ring…virtually.

Boxing fans are reeling from the announcement of an ‘AI’ fight between Mike Tyson‘s nemeses. These heavyweight legends, both well past their prime, are set to square off not in the ring, but in a technologically-driven spectacle. Both Douglas, who famously dethroned Tyson in 1990, and Spinks, who holds a controversial win over “Iron Mike,” are now in their sixties. So, what exactly is this AI fight?

Is this the future? Buster Douglas vs. Michael Spinks AI fight

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While details are murky, it seems virtual reality or some form of digital simulation will be used. Furthermore, they both recently even had a face-off, to sell the event. This will be the first time that a boxing fight will have Artificial Intelligence involved, and now it remains to be seen how the organizers use it to engage the boxing fans.

This announcement has left fight fans with more questions than answers. The promoter Celebrity Boxing made an Instagram Post where they tried to sell the fight on the fact that they’re creating history with the first-ever AI fight. The video of the face-off has also been posted by Michael Benson on X. Before this, something similar was done by Roy Jones Jr when he engaged in a Metaverse boxing fight.

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Roy Jones Jr. fought inside the Metaverse

Stepping into the squared circle… of the Metaverse? Boxing took a wild swing into the future with the first-ever Metaverse boxing match, pitting boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. against NDO Champ, a professional bodybuilder. This wasn’t your typical fight night. Jones Jr. and his opponent traded blows not in a real ring, but in a virtual arena.

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Their movements were tracked by motion capture technology and rendered like characters in a video game. Though billed as a clash of titans, the fight itself was more of a novelty exhibition. Neither fighter aimed for a knockout, but Jones Jr. still managed to virtually TKO his opponent in the seventh round. Thus, creating history, and now Douglas and Spinks are pushing the technological advances one step further.

Well, it’s to be seen how they’ll be able to capitalize on the fight going forward. It’s safe to say, that it has struck a curious chord with boxing fans, hopefully, they’ll be able to execute it perfectly.

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What are your thoughts about this? Let us know in the comments section.

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Written by:

Chirag Radhyan

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Chirag Radhyan is a senior boxing writer at EssentiallySports. Having authored close to 2K articles, he is a live-coverage specialist, contributing to the detailed reportage of live boxing events ranging from the Jermell Charlo vs Canelo Alvarez bout to Ryan Garcia vs Gervonta Davis. Moreover, his coverage of the off-court drama between Jake Paul and Tommy Fury received widespread appreciation from readers.
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Edited by:

Joyita Das