Stranded in the United States? No problem. UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has found a 'fill-in' job while he waits for an opening at a managed isolation facility in Aotearoa and an opportunity to return home.
Israel "The Last Stylbender" Adesanya will be part of the broadcast team for the upcoming Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr boxing event at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles on 29 November, according to a report in Sports Illustrated.
Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones jr Promo. Boxing King Media / YouTube
Adesanya has been stranded in the US with Auckland City Kickboxing teammates Brad Riddell and Carlos Ulberg since October. The earliest the trio are able to return to NZ because of the managed isolation voucher system is mid-December.
The wait has meant Adesanya has been able to take up an opportunity to provide colour commentary for the exhibition fight which will see 54-year-old legend "Iron" Mike Tyson don the gloves for the first time in more than 15 years.
Even at his age, Tyson shows no ring rust in a training video from earlier this year.
Adesanya will be alongside boxing legend “Sugar” Ray Leonard and Al Bernstein in the broadcast team.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Adesanya said, "I am so grateful that I am going to be there commentating, Mike's been retired for so many years, so this is something I never thought I'd see again.
"But as soon as I saw a clip of him training, I thought, ‘What the f***? Mike Tyson is banging again.’”
While in the US, Adesanya has been in talks with the UFC's Dana White about going after light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz in a title unification bout.
"That’s my next goal. I already settled that with Dana, we had a verbal agreement, and it’s going to happen."