Tyson joined The Gridlock on ESPN Las Vegas to talk about how he would compare the two Hangover movies, what Bradley Cooper and Zach Galifianakis are like as guys, all sorts of questions relating to his mental state, how he’s more happy than he’s ever been living a less crazy life, his take on all the pop culture news of the moment, the respective careers of Roy Jones Jr. and Bernard Hopkins, how he wouldn’t mind being able to fight again but would never consider doing so because of the effect it would have on his family, being inducted into the boxing Hall of Fame, and being a boxing ambassador to the country of China.

On how he would compare the two Hangover movies:

“I don’t know, they’re both great. One of them is more graphic than the other, but other than that, they’re both great. Man, I like No. 2. I like No. 2.”

On what Bradley Cooper and Zach Galifianakis are like as guys:

“They’re just young guys that are working hard trying to accomplish being the best in their field. Just regular guys, awesome guys, funny guys, down to earth pretty much real guys, in my presence at least.”

After answering a question about one of his daughters, Tyson was asked if he’d ever been in a happier place:

“Well nobody knows what happiness truly is. It’s just a word we express when we feel some exultation in our life. But other than that, this is just something I look forward to doing — cultivating a relationship with my kids. There’s seven or eight of them, all of them have different personalities, so some are more sensitive than others. So you have to get reacquainted with them.”

He’s enjoying this new life style right?

“Yeah, I love anything that’s not life-threatening or jail-threatening. Other than that, I’m cool.”

On Kris Humphries giving Kim Kardashian a $2 million dollar engagement ring:

“Yeah, everything’s beautiful in the joy of giving I guess, right? He gets a lot out of giving it to her. Imagine what he gets out of giving it to her that we can’t even pay with money. God is he a smut or what? I’m a smut too; I’m in the smut club.”

Whether the spark was there with his previous marriage after several years:

“Oh man, I should have been arrested back then for having a right to be married, you know? I don’t know, I was just never meant to be married at that stage of my life. I was just young and too stupid.  Nothing in my life was a mistake, everything is supposed to happen to transcend you to the level which you’re supposed to be. I don’t know.”

On Kyle Busch going over 125 miles per hour in North Carolina recently, and how fast he once went when he was most reckless:

“I don’t know about that, but I know I was doing like 130 on my bike and I was still in last place.”

On what it’s like to be riding a motorcycle at 130-plus miles per hour:

“Oh man, it’s an interesting moment in your life….I can’t even express that feeling. It’s a feeling that you can’t even express what you’re trying to prove. If someone asks what are you trying to prove, you make up some kind of concoction that makes me feel free or something, but it’s really inconceivable. You really can’t explain it.”

But he wouldn’t ever do that now, correct?

“No, I have too much to lose now. I actually had more to lose then, but I’m focused on what I have to lose now.”

On Roy Jones Jr. continuing to try to fight when he seems to have a nice gig that he’s good at commentating for HBO:

“I don’t know if HBO is paying the bills, I don’t know what kind of contract he receives at HBO. I don’t know, it’s just ugly. It’s bad enough when you see a great fighter die, but what’s even worse is when you see the skills die before he does. It doesn’t look good for him right now. He’s been knocked out cold on a consistent basis. Cold, not just boom, count to 10. I mean really knocked unconscious.”

What about Hopkins overtaking George Foreman as the oldest heavyweight champion:

“That’s awesome. I wish I could still fight. I’m envious.”

On what made him great back when he’s more apt to take on the physical and mental rigors of training:

“I don’t know. Just 100 percent dedication, relentless, refuse to lose mentality. I don’t really know. I just had that desire. It just burned; I wanted to be the best in the world. That whole megalomania identity of you’re a God and how dare they challenge you. That’s sick stuff. I’m struggling to pay my bills with my kids, and I’m talking about how dare they….how’d I even get the audacity to think that? My family, they come from slaves and peasants, and it’s who is this guy, how’d they even make they believe that? I just went into this world of boxing believing that crap.”

If he realized how dominant and intimidating he was back in his prime:

“No, but even if that wasn’t the fact, I still would have believed because I was so full of myself, I didn’t have time to think of any of that. I was just so oblivious to that stuff.”

But was he having fun at that time?

“Yeah, yeah, it was a lot of fun. But it was almost like masturbating, you know? I was having a lot of fun but you’re not producing anything, you know?”

On if he expected the royal treatment at that stage of his life when he was traveling:

“Yeah, my whole barometer of thinking is different than it is now. Back then, I expected a fleet of cars and a whole mob of people to meet me and I should be a head of state and I should be a prime minister, because that’s my sick state, that’s how I was. Now, if I just get a cab I’m so grateful to the cab driver. It’s just my whole way of thinking now. It’s like, shit man!”

On his induction into the Hall of Fame:

“I’m always pretty weary of any club or organization that wants me as a member.”

On his other recent successes, namely being a boxing ambassador to China:

“Listen I’m just very grateful for this whole ambassador thing, I don’t have the slightest damn clue of what being an ambassador entails. My idea of an ambassador is a guy that has a plane that’s funded by the government, and has his…what are they called…his concubines that travel with him, this guy with secretaries and stuff. I don’t know about this stuff. I come to China, I hire some people, I eat some food, they make me wait all day. You know, God be it, that’s great.”

Who he would choose to hang out with for a weekend,

“My wife would have me hanging out with nobody for a weekend. I’m not hanging out with nobody for a couple of hours with my situation now. You’ve got these kids sucking off you, it’s just not going to happen.”

Listen here to Tyson with The Gridlock on ESPN Las Vegas (Part 1) ; (Part 2)

Flash forward to the present day and Jones is a has-been and shell of his formerly great self. In his last 10 fights, he has a mediocre record of 5-5, and his wins have come against elite talents such as Anthony Hanshaw, Omar Sheika and another over the hill and completely out of shape former great in Felix Trinidad.

Bernard on the other hand has seemingly gotten better with age. Yes he lost a split decision to Joe Calzaghe in 2008, but Calzaghe has cemented himself as one of the greatest middleweights of our time. Hopkins proved age is just a number by destroying Kelly Pavlik later in 2008, this after beating Winky Wright decisively a year earlier.

Hopkins relies heavily on his defense, which doesn’t require the hand speed and quick reflexes that Jones built his now diminished career around. The defensive, grind it out style fighters always age better, and Bernard is living proof of that. It might be foolish to count Jones out, but with so many of his fights ending prematurely lately, the smart money is on the referee doing just that before the 12th and final bell sounds.

Bernard Hopkins joined Mayhem in the AM on 790 the Zone in Atlanta to throw a few verbal jabs before he steps into the ring with Jones this weekend.

On if he thought he was going to have to wait 17 years for a rematch with Jones:

“No, I couldn’t have bet anything that it would have lasted this long and that’s how long it’s been. I’m excited but I’m controlled, waiting through the days and the hours that tick down to the fight in Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay. It’s been a rival for 17 years. He went on and did his career being the heavyweight champion of the world, as a middleweight and I went on and defended mine 27 times as you know, most times in the history. Now we end up back in the same radar of each other. This is going to be good. I don’t have time to see if I can fight him for the third time.”

Bernard was asked why people would want to see this fight knowing that both fighters are aging:

“Yeah I’ve been past my prime over 10 years ago and I’m still beating guys like Kelly Pavlik, who you know about, and Jermain Taylor. Those are two fights that people still talk about that deservingly went my way and I’m in everybody’s top four. Not top 20. Top four pound-for-pound at 45 years old. If there’s a Brett Favre of boxing, that’s me. You’ve got 80-plus years of experience, and I know for a fact that when I was in Dallas a few months ago to watch the All-Star game, to see Magic Johnson and to see Michael Jordan just messing around I thought ‘woah what if these guys took it that they were going to play one-on-one to 21?’ We’re that in boxing.”

On who he was when he was a teenager:

“I wasn’t Bernard Hopkins obviously. I came up in the streets of Philadelphia. I did five years in the penitentiary. I came home at 24, 25, walked off 9 years parole without a parking ticket. Became not only a businessman, promoter and manager of 80-percent of my whole career. Philadelphia magazine has me as not only one of the smartest investors in boxing but in this market of corporate America where people have lost a lot of whatever in this last three years, I have gained. I’m not bigger than boxing, but I’m bigger than just being a champion. At the end of the day with almost 60 fights under my belt, I haven’t stuttered once, and to be able to articulate and come across and still do this game at 45 years old and still be in demand and have millions of dollars, it’s a testimony to good health, good speed, and a lot of friends.”

Listen to the audio here.

I’ve never actually been a Roy Jones fan. I’m in the camp that believes his great record was merely the product of fighting in an era where no great fighters came through the ranks of the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions (sorry James Toney). Sure, he beat Bernard Hopkins in 1993, but since then, he’s only lost to top competition, including four of his last eight fights.

I will definitely give Roy credit for his lightening quick hands and his showmanship in the ring. His patented hands-behind-the-back-weave-and-punch was definitely one of the best taunt moves of the past 20 years.

Currently Roy is busy trying to iron out the details for a fight with Jeff Lacy. Whoever loses that fight, their career is almost certainly over, at least from a fan interest perspective.

Roy Jones Jr. joined KFXX  to explain where he feels his career is headed and if he still has what it takes to fight the top talent in boxing.

On what’s on the horizon for Roy Jones Jr.:

“I’m about to beat the hell out of Jeff Lacy. He’s 27-2 I think and he asked for this. He asked for me. He challenged me. He told me he wants to fight Roy Jones. I said ‘oh yeah, ok’. I didn’t want to take his confidence and let him know he’s not really Jeff ‘Left Hook’ Lacy, I am the hooker. I have the best hook in the business. I could be what they consider a professional hooker because I have the best hook in the business. ‘Left Hook’ Lacy can’t out-hook me. But he asked for it, so now I got to show him.”

Roy was asked how he’ll know when he’s no longer able to keep boxing:

“I have people that advise me as well as I know in my head too. I have guys that I listen to that will tell me the truth. 30 is the new 20, so 40 must be the new 30, because look at Bernard Hopkins. He’s still beating people at 43 and 44 years old. He don’t want to try me though because he don’t want to suffer one of those beatings. I’m close to his age but still he knows he’ll suffer one of those beatings so he don’t want to fight me. He’ll fight anybody that he sees he can beat. You have to kind of careful choose I guess for people like him when you’re fighting at that age. Myself, I still haven’t gotten to that point, I’ll fight anybody. When I get to that point where I carefully have to choose, I’m going to stop.”

On what names interest him for possible upcoming fights:

“All names interest me. I’m Roy Jones Jr. Any name that is a name in boxing always interests me, including Klitschko. All the names interest me.”

Roy was asked about the possible Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather or Shane Mosley mega fight on the horizon:

“I think Pacquiao loses both of those fights. I love Pacquiao as a fighter. I don’t really think his size, these guys are a little bit faster and bigger. To me its not really a fair situation to put him in.”

Listen to Roy Jones Jr. on KFXX in Portland with Isaac and Big Suke

Listen here to Jones Jr. on WFAN