Roy Jones Jr. entered the history of boxing, becoming the first boxer to win middleweight, super middleweight, heavyweight and heavyweight titles weight categories . Winning on points John Ruiz and being 15 kg lighter than him, Roy Jones won WBA title in the heavyweight division. In 1992, the champion had meetings in the ring with former champions Jorge Vakoy and Artom Servano: The fights lasted only until the second round. Then there was a fight with George Castro, an experienced boxer who managed to get into the twelfth round, but still lost. After that, a meeting with Alton Merkerson, and win again. But the first serious title went to Roy Jones after defeating Glen Thomas, knocked out in the eighth round.
In 1993, a meeting was held with Bernard Hopkins for the IBF middleweight title. The fight was a tough one, with Hopkins looking to grab his shot at the title, but also lost by decision of all judges. In 1995, Roy had three fights, none of which were longer than seven rounds. The next year gave him another title. 
All titles and titles can be listed for a long time: Roy won more and more new belts in different weight categories, easily defending them in matches with applicants. But at the end of his career, he suffered several defeats, among which are Antonio Tarvera in a rematch and Glenkoff Johnson. The duel with the latter turned out to be the most unsuccessful in Jones' career: his opponent knocked Captian Hook down with a powerful blow to the temple, which made him lost consciousness. It became clear to everyone: best years great boxer behind. Finally, the boxer lost in 2010 to the once weaker Bernard Hopkins within the framework of the meetings best fighters of his time.
Roy Jones He was a versatile person: in addition to boxing, he had many other hobbies. He was seriously professional boxing, was a music producer, and also tried himself as a singer, actor and commentator. However, Jones entered the history of boxing forever as an excellent boxer and a great champion.
Roy Jones Jr. (01/16/1969) is an American athlete, Olympic silver medalist, "named boxer of the decade" in the 90s. The first smoldering in history, who managed to become a world champion in four weight categories (middle, second middle, light heavy and heavy). In addition, Roy Jones is engaged in music and periodically plays in the movies.
“Real boxing is the ability to hit an opponent and not miss yourself. Unfortunately, the public is more educated on feature films, where opponents beat each other, and the winner is revealed - who can resist. But this is not boxing! It's just a fight."
Childhood
Roy Jones Jr. is from the US state of Florida. He was born in small town Pensacola January 16, 1969. From childhood, the boy decided to follow in the footsteps of his father, who was called "Big Roy". He was a professional boxer. But during his career he did not gain great fame, and therefore he really wanted his son to achieve what he himself could not do.
Roy Jones started boxing at the age of 10. At that time, he weighed only 32 kilograms, but this did not stop him from defeating opponents who were one and a half times heavier than him. Already at 11 he won his first trophy - he won the Golden Gloves tournament. And after four times he confirmed this title.
In 1984, Roy Jones won the Junior Olympic Games, which were held in America. But, of course, during his amateur career, the boxer had defeats. So, he lost to Russian Igor Ruzhnikov at the Goodwill Games.
Olympic Games
Roy Jones' participation in the 1988 Olympics consisted of a meteoric rise and a mixed fall. He easily overcame all the preliminary stages and reached the final. Along the way, Malawian Mtender Makalamboy, Czechoslovakian Michael Franek, Briton Richie Woodhall and Soviet athlete Yevgeny Zaitsev were defeated. Moreover, John defeated all rivals easily, by knockout.
In the final, he was opposed by the South Korean Pak Sihun. The American dominated the entire fight, delivering one blow after another. Nobody doubted his victory. But the judges unexpectedly gave preference to the Korean, and he won with a score of 3:2. Moreover, this caused shock both among the audience and the boxer himself. Everything was decided by one vote of the judge from Uganda. He initially awarded the boxers a draw. But since the opinions of the other referees were divided, he still had to identify the winner, and he gave preference to the Korean.
After the fight, Park Si Hoon officially apologized to Roy Jones. He publicly stated that he had lost the fight, and the judges “gave him the victory”. A real scandal flared up, they started talking about a bribe in the judiciary. The International Olympic Committee even tried to somehow smooth it over by giving Jones a prize " Best Boxer tournament." But that was little consolation for Roy. The well-deserved medal was never awarded to him. By the way, it was after this fight that a new scoring system was introduced in boxing.
Professional career
After the selected gold of the Olympic Games, Roy Jones decided to go into professional boxing. His first opponent in this field was Ricky Randall. It took the American only two rounds to win.
In total, during his career, Roy Jones fought 70 fights, losing only 8 of them. It is worth dwelling on some fights in detail.
- Bernard Hopkins (1993) - In this fight, Roy Jones earned the world middleweight title. The victory went to the boxer by decision of the judges after 12 rounds.
- James Toney (1994) - Roy Jones moved to a new level and became the best in the 2nd middleweight. Again, he won on points.
- Lou Del Valle (1998) is the first fight where the opponent managed to knock down Roy Jones. True, on overall result it had no effect. The athlete won a convincing victory.
- Richard Hall (2000) - Jones' first fight in light heavyweight and one of the most mocking of the opponent. Already in the first round, Hall was knocked down twice, but after that Roy slowed down the pace of attacks and reluctantly went into the fight. And in the 11th round, Jones managed several unique “flips”. Even the commentators began to resent why the referee does not stop the fight. And only in last round the judge still gave the victory to Roy Jones.
- John Ruiz (2003) - In this fight, Roy Jones won the world heavyweight title. Interestingly, after that, the boxer returned to the light heavyweight category again.
- Antonio Tarver (2004) - Embarrassing defeat of Roy Jones in the second round. The opponent sent him to the knockdown. The athlete was able to stand on the count of 10, but he was shaky, and the judges stopped the fight.
- Denis Lebedev (2011) - the fight took place with varying degrees of success. From the very beginning, the Russian took over the initiative, he even managed to knock Jones down. But towards the end of the fight, Roy leveled the course of the meeting. However, the ending still remained with Lebedev. He carried out a killer series of blows and knocked out the ex-world champion.
“After defeating John Ruiz, I could fight anyone. All the best boxers at that time, including Klitschko, were sent offers, but no one answered them. And it didn't make any sense for me to stay at heavyweight."
After boxing
In addition to boxing, Roy Jones has always been fond of music. Back in 2001, he recorded his own album, and in 2004 he formed a rap group. The musicians have already marked seven discs.
In addition, Roy Jones acts in films. He has a dozen roles to his credit. True, almost all of them are only episodic. And often the boxer in the films played himself.
September 12, 2015
February 8, 2018
Father - Roy Jones Sr.
Mother - Carol Jones.
Wife - Natalie.
Children - DeAndre Jones, DeShawn Jones, Roy Jones III.
15.01.2020
Roy Jones
Roy Jones
Professional Boxer
Multiple World Champion
American professional boxer. Silver medalist at the 1988 Olympics. The absolute world champion in the light heavyweight category. World champion in the middle, second middle, light heavyweight, first heavy and heavy weight categories. Topped the ranking best boxers regardless of the weight category according to the Ring magazine. He holds the record for the most victories in fights for the title of the unified champion, and also the owner of the longest series of defenses of the unified title in the light heavyweight division. The first boxer in history to become world middleweight champion, then managed to win the super middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight titles. In addition, he is known for his musical and acting career. He starred in the films "The Matrix Reloaded", "Universal Soldier 4". Recorded a rap music album. He has dual: American and Russian citizenship.
Roy Jones was born on January 16, 1969 in Pensacola, USA. Since childhood, his father, Roy Jones Sr., a former professional boxer, tried to instill in his son a love of boxing. But only from the age of ten he began to box. In 1984, the guy won the Junior Olympic Games in the USA, and in 1986 he won the prestigious national Golden Gloves tournament in the weight up to 64 kg, defeating Viktor Levin in the final on points. A year later, he won this title again, but already in the weight category up to 71 kg, defeating Ray McElroy in the final.
In 1986, Roy lost on points in the semi-finals of the Goodwill Games to Russian boxer Igor Ruzhnikov, winning bronze. Another famous loss came when he tried to win the national Golden Gloves for the third year in a row.
Jones had to make it to the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. To begin with, he needed to get into the final qualifying tournament, in which each place in the national team was contested among themselves by 8 participants.
The path to the Olympic final began for Jones with an impressive victory over Mtender Makalamba of Malawi. At the very beginning of the fight, Roy knocked down the opponent, and by the middle of the first round, everything ended with a knockout. Also, Jones defeated Michael Franek, Evgeny Zaitsev and Richie Woodhall on points with an overwhelming advantage.
In what is considered one of the most unfair decisions in the history of the Olympic Games, Roy's South Korean opponent, Park Si Hoon, took gold in a 3-2 win in the final of the tournament. This turned out to be a shock to everyone, including the Korean himself, not to mention Jones, shocked to the core by this development of events.
Jones dominated in all three rounds, in the second round the Korean was counted out by a standing knockdown. Roy had an overwhelming advantage in punches, as it was later calculated, in the first round he landed 20 punches out of 85, Park Si Hoon only 3 punches out of 38, second round: Jones 39/98, Park 15/71, third round: Jones 36/120, Park 14/79. However, the judges thought otherwise.
Representatives of the USSR and Hungary gave the victory to Jones with a score of 60-56. The judges from Uruguay and Morocco gave the victory to the Korean with a score of 59-58, believing that he won the 2nd and 3rd rounds. The last referee, from Uganda, counted the draw, but when he had to choose the winner to resolve the draw, he preferred the Korean as supposedly having the advantage.
Park Si Hoon, after his “victory”, explained to Roy through a translator that he apologizes for what happened and knows that he lost the fight, and that the judges gave him the victory. This fight influenced the introduction of a new points system in amateur boxing.
Jones' first opponent in the professional ring was Ricky Randall, who out of his 20 fights lost 16. In the fight, Jones was knocked down twice in the first round and once in the second. As a result, the referee stopped the meeting for a clear advantage of Roy Jones.
In November 1994, two undefeated boxers fought: challenger Roy Jones and IBF middleweight champion James Toney. Jones dominated the entire fight, periodically taunting the opponent. In the third round, Tony tried to dominate, for which Jones immediately knocked him down. In a post-match interview, Tony disagreed with the counted out knockdown, regarding it as a push. Following the results of twelve rounds, Roy won a landslide victory. In his defense, Tony said that before the fight, in order to throw off excess weight, sat in a pressure chamber and this affected its shape.
In October 1996, Jones entered the ring against the undefeated Bryant Brannon. In the middle of the 1st round, after a series of blows to the head, Roy knocked down the opponent. Brannon started to get up and was pulled away. I was able to get up on the count of six. In the middle of the 2nd round, Jones sent a knockdown to the jaw with an oncoming left hook for the 2nd time. Brannon got up again on the count of six. Roy rushed to finish him off and drove him into a corner. After a series of powerful blows, he asked the referee to stop the fight. The referee refused. Then Jones spent another series of punches. A deuce to the head sent Brannon into a heavy knockout. It is worth noting that fragments of the battle are shown in the movie "Devil's Advocate". After that, Jones moved up to light heavyweight.
In March 1997, a fight took place between two undefeated boxers: Roy Jones and Montell Griffin. At the end of the 7th round, Jones carried out a right hook to the head, and then, approaching, a short left hook to the jaw. Griffin fell. The referee counted to 10 and stopped the fight. Jones' corner rejoiced at the end of the fight. However, they were then informed that there would be a disqualification.
The revenge took place on August 7, 1997. Jones was very angry and immediately went on the attack. At the very beginning of the fight, a left hook hit Griffin in the jaw. Griffin stumbled back and fell onto the ropes. The referee counted the knockdown. With 40 seconds left in the round, Roy hit the opponent right in the jaw with a left hybrid hook and uppercut. Griffin immediately fell. Several times he tried to get up, but could not keep his balance and each time he fell into the ring again. At the expense of "ten" he again fell into the ring, and the referee recorded a victory by a clean knockout.
In July 1998, a WBC and WBA light heavyweight unification bout took place between Roy Jones and Lou Del Valle. Roy dominated the entire fight: noticeably superior to the enemy in speed, number and accuracy of strikes. At the end of the 8th round, Del Valle hit a left cross to the jaw. Jones fell to the canvas, but immediately got up. It was the 1st knockdown in his career. Some experts felt that Jones had slipped. Del Valle rushed to finish off the enemy, but could not do anything. At the end of the fight, all the judges with a devastating score gave the victory to Roy Jones.
On March 1, 2003, he competed in heavyweight and met with WBA world champion John Ruiz, whom he defeated. After that, he returned back to light heavyweight. In 2003, the WBA appointed Jones the mandatory challenger Vitali Klitschko, but the fight did not take place.
Jones faced WBC light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver on November 8, 2003. In a stubborn battle, Roy won by majority decision of the judges. The hall met the decision with a dissatisfied rumble. Tarver disagreed with the judges' verdict.
In November 2008, a fight took place between Roy Jones and undefeated Welshman Joe Calzaghe. In the middle of the 1st round, Jones hit the opponent's head with a counter left hook. The Welshman fell to the canvas but got up on the count of five. Roy did not rush to finish off the enemy. Calzaghe went forward the whole fight, throwing a huge number of punches and surpassing his opponent in endurance. The American could do nothing to oppose this pressure. By the end of the fight, a cut formed over Jones' left eye. At the end of the fight, all the judges with the same devastating score of 118-109 gave the victory to Joe Calzaghe.
The fight with Jeff Lacy took place on August 15, 2009. Lacy actively started the fight, pressing and pinching Jones at the ropes of the ring, but Roy skillfully avoided blows and blocked most of them. From the 4th round, Jeff was visibly tired and slowed down, and Jones began to act in his favorite manner: with lowered arms, feints with legs, demonstrating superiority over Lacey in speed, and at the same time, being at the ropes, did not forget to talk to the audience. After the 7th round, a large hematoma appeared over Lacey's left eye. In the 9th and 10th rounds, Jones openly mocked Lacey, demonstrating a complete advantage over his opponent. After the 10th round, the referee stopped the fight at the request of Jeff's seconds, fixing Roy's victory by technical knockout.
On May 21, 2011, a fight between Roy Jones and Denis Lebedev took place in Moscow. For most of the fight, the advantage was on the side of the Russian boxer. At the end of the 4th round, Lebedev delivered an accurate blow and was able to shock Jones. In the 9th round Denis missed a strong beat in the head, but managed to survive. On the last seconds 10th round Lebedev held a series accurate strikes, after which Jones covered his face with his hands and leaned forward a little. It became obvious that Jones was in a difficult, so-called "standing knockout". Despite the obviousness of Jones's condition, Lebedev deliberately landed the strongest right to Jones' head, after which he fell to the floor. Only after that the referee intervened and stopped the fight. It took the doctors more than ten minutes to bring the American to his senses.
In 2014 and 2015 he had six fights, all of which ended ahead of schedule. Roy knocked out British Corti Fry, won a knockout victory over Hani Atiyo. In 2015, fights against Willy Williams, Paul Vasquez, Eric Watkins ended with early victories.
In August 2015, in Sevastopol, Roy met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, where he asked him for help in obtaining Russian citizenship. The President promised to help and already September 12, 2015 Roy Jones Jr. received Russian citizenship. The corresponding Decree was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In the first fight with the new citizenship, on December 12, 2015, he lost by knockout in a rating fight against Enzo Maccarinelli. After the loss, the fighter made a statement that he was ending his cooperation with promoter Vladimir Khryunov and hiring Umar Kremlev.
On February 10, 2016, the sports director of the Patriot promotion company Dmitry Luchnikov announced the completion sports career Roy Jones Jr. However, Roy Jones continued to fight in 2016.
The triumphant fight between Roy Jones and Bobby Gunn for the vacant WBF world title took place on February 7, 2017. Roy dominated the entire fight. At the end of the 7th round, Jones landed a powerful left and shook Gunn. At the beginning of the 8th round, Gunn refused to continue the fight and the referee recorded the victory of Jones by technical knockout.
Roy Jones last fight in his professional career February 8, 2018 against Scott Sigmon, in which he won by unanimous decision. Even before the start of the fight, Jones announced his decision to end his boxing career.
In addition to boxing, Roy Jones also participates in various filming. Worked as a commentator for HBO. After receiving Russian citizenship, he became one of the commentators and presenter on the Match TV channel. Roy is also known for his vocal abilities and even recorded the rap album Round One: The Album. He also founded the rap group Body Head Bangerz.
Roy Jones Sporting Achievements
1988 - Silver at the XXIV Summer Olympics
1990 - Boxer of the Millennium (according to the American Association of Journalists and Ring magazine)
International Boxing Day officially recognized this year International Association boxing, was held in Moscow from 20 to 22 July 2019. The event included an open training session with famous athletes, a boxing show and a big concert. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his greetings to the participants and guests of the event.
Not every boxer manages to reach the top in both amateur and professional boxing. Jones Jr. won an Olympic medal, and after that he won everything that is possible as a professional.
Roy began boxing at the urging of his father at the age of 10, and at 19 he won the right to play for the US team at the 1988 Games in Seoul, where he won a silver medal. The defeat of the American in the final was one of the most high-profile judicial scandals in the history of the Olympics. Experts almost unanimously agree that he was sued. Jones' rival, South Korean Park Si Hoon himself, seemed surprised by the decision, which saw him win two of the three rounds. In fact, Jones Jr. had an overwhelming advantage in all three rounds of the fight. So in the first round, he delivered 20 accurate punches out of 85, while Si Hong - 3 punches out of 38. In the second round - Jones 39/98, Si Hong -15/71. Third round - Jones 36/120, Pak 14/79. Judges from the USSR and Hungary recorded a well-deserved victory for Jones, and the Uruguayan and Moroccan gave the fight to the Korean. The judge from Uganda awarded a draw, but was forced to choose the winner and settled on the representative of Korea. Later, Roy Jones stated that his opponent apologized for the stolen victory:
“He told me he was sorry. He told me that he knew that he lost, but the victory was given to him. During the fight, I didn't even think that he hit me more than twice. I beat him until I felt that I was winning unconditionally and could not be robbed by the judges. However, it did happen,” Jones told The New York Times.
1988 Olympics. Final
To make amends for an unpleasant incident, the International Olympic Committee awarded Jones with the Val Barker Cup, which is awarded to the most technical boxer in the Olympics. Later, this case influenced the introduction of a new, more transparent refereeing system in Olympic boxing. One way or another, the main successes of Jones Jr. were still ahead. The boxer is much better known not as an amateur, but as a professional who became an eight-time world champion with a unique fighting style.
SUPERMAN AND CLOWN
Superman is one of the nicknames of Roy Jones, which very accurately characterizes his achievements in professional boxing. Jones Jr. won the world title in the middle, second middle, first heavy and heavy weight categories, and in the light heavyweight became absolute champion peace. For three years, he led the ranking of the best boxers, regardless of the pound for pound weight category, according to The Ring magazine - in 1996, 1999 and 2003. The American Association of Boxing Writers named Jones the Boxer of the Decade in the 1990s. He is a puncher who finished 71% of his fights by knockout. He has a unique fighting style that is both admired and criticized at the same time. “He hits like a heavyweight but moves like a lightweight,” former world heavyweight champion George Foreman described Jones Jr. Low-down arms, sharp attacks and clowning are the elements of his unique style. In his best years, Roy Jones not only moved superbly, but often clowned around: he grimaced and danced during the fight. “My opponent once had a broken neck. I didn't want to break it again - that's not what I'm fighting for. I fight to have a good time, not to hurt anyone, ”Jones Jr. said after defeating former champion Peace of Winnie the Patient in 1995. In the third round of this fight, Jones spread his arms to the sides and performed a short dance.
14.04.2017
early years
Roy Levesta Jones Jr. was born on January 16, 1969 in a small town called Pensacola, Florida, USA. Already at the age of 6, he began boxing under the strict supervision of his father.
Roy Sr., by the way, was a Vietnam veteran, after his service he worked at a naval base near Pensacola. He had some experience in professional boxing. Jones Sr. achieved a record of 13-6-1 (5 KOs) and ended his career, and one of his most famous rivals was the legendary Marvin Hagler, whom Roy lost with a TKO of 3.
Roy Jr.'s mother, named Carol, on the other hand, was a kind and accommodating woman. The Jones family owned a small pig farm and a boxing gym. A lot of poor guys were engaged in that very hall, and Jones Sr. did everything possible to have time to help everyone. But with his own son, he was merciless.
A demanding father provided young Roy with a tough training regimen and discipline. Sometimes he got on his knees and boxed with his young son, and sometimes he hit the youngster with a piece of pipe on the hips, or threw improvised objects if he did something wrong during training. Jones Sr. sincerely wanted to make his child a champion, a terminator, a universal fighter, leaving him no choice. His main motto was: kill or be killed.
As a result, young Jones grew up in constant fear of his father's abuse, but day by day, under his supervision, he honed his skills and character. He sparred to the point of exhaustion with bigger and older guys. His father made him run 10 miles every day (16 km - approx. T0Fight). Later, in many interviews, Roy Jr. will say that he has thought about suicide more than once.
“I spent my whole life in my father’s cage and never knew 100% who I was until I got out of it.”- said Roy Jones in an interview.
“I was running 10 miles every damn day, sparring with bigger guys until I collapsed from exhaustion. Nothing but training. I was called the most gifted professional... Talent? Bullshit! Not a single fighter in history plowed like me. No one. Dot"- Jones in big interview Bryn-Jonathan Butler for Bleacherreport, 2015.
Amateur career:
In 1984, Roy Jones Jr. Next - Roy Jones) won the National Youth Olympic Games in the 54 kg division. In 1986, he took the 63kg Golden Gloves National Championship and the 71kg Golden Gloves the following year.
In 1988, at the next Golden Gloves, Jones won bronze, losing in the semifinals to Gerald McLellan. Later, he would become friends with Roy, and would also be known as one of the most formidable middleweight punchers.
In the same 1988, Olympic Games in Seoul, Roy represented the United States as part of the junior middleweight division. He was the youngest member of the team. Jones won victories one after another, including beating Soviet boxer Yevgeny Zaitsev in the quarterfinals.
In the final, Jones faced a boxer from South Korea named Park Si Hoon. Roy completely dominated the fight, but the judges gave the victory to Xi Hong (3-2). The Soviet and Hungarian judge gave the fight to Jones, the Uruguayan and the Moroccan - to the Korean. The representative of Uganda said that the result should be a draw, but he gave the advantage to the Korean for aggression, which, by the way, was not in sight.
Jones was awarded the silver medal. To say that he and the entire boxing world were shocked by this decision would be an understatement. The wave of indignation was so powerful that even 50 Korean Buddhist monks apologized to Jones. They said they felt a deep sense of shame.
The hit statistics were shocking. In each round, Jones landed at least twice as many accurate shots as his opponent. Eventually - 86 accurate strikes per fight against 32 at Xi Hong. The Korean himself also apologized to Jones after the fight.
A subsequent investigation showed a strong possibility of a corruption scheme, but the IOC stated that there was no hard evidence of this. However, three judges were permanently banned from boxing. Roy tried to achieve his gold medal, but his attempts were in vain. Only in September 1997, the International Olympic Committee awarded him the Olympic Order, but this belated consolation prize could not replace the real well-deserved gold.
For his performance at the Olympic Games, Roy Jones received the Val Barker Cup ( prize for the most technical boxer of the Games). He ended his amateur career with a record 121-13 .
Start professional career: average weight
Roy Jones made his first professional fight on May 6, 1989. From the very beginning of his professional career, Jones Jr. rejected all kinds of offers from the biggest promoters in the boxing environment. His coach and manager was his father, who initial stage rather carefully selected opponents. Well, the son quickly dealt with them, leaving not the slightest chance. Many began to criticize the managerial policies of Jones Sr. As a result, the talented Olympian Roy began to lose the reputation earned at the Games.
An interesting incident happened to Roy Jones in July 1990. Jones' rival on July 14 of that month was supposed to be Dennis Johnson, however, his candidacy was dropped after the fighter began to ask for a larger amount than he deserved. A replacement was announced in the person of a boxer named Dervin Richards.
Roy won by knockout in the first round. However, interesting details later surfaced. Pensacola sports editor Junior Ingram discovered a day later that there was no Derwin Richards in the ring with Roy on the night of the fight. The photographs of the real Derwin and the "fake" were different people. Ingram contacted Richards, who confirmed he was out of state on the night of the fight.
Florida State Athletic Commission Assistant Director Shelley Bradshaw discovered two days later that Derwin Richards' record did not match that of rival Jones pictured on the poster. She stated that she did not check such details as she was too busy with other things.
As a result, an investigation began. During it, it turned out that boxer Tony Waddles from Oklahoma was in the ring that night. Waddles also stated that the organizer of the boxing event, Elvis Belt, promised him $ 700 for the fight, the boxer was very surprised to learn that his fee was actually registered as $ 2,000. Belt was accused of fraud. As it turned out later, fights with false names and speculation on fees were quite common in the state of Florida.
Jones continued to win victories over mediocre opponents, most of his fights at the initial stage of his career took place within the first middleweight ( 69 kg) and average weight ( 72 kg). In 1992, he defeated ex-world welterweight champion Jorge Vaca and future Argentine middleweight champion Jorge Fernando Castro by breaking his nose. It was Roy's first out of eighteen bouts that went to a decision.
It was after this fight, in the late summer of 1992, that a turning point occurred in Jones' career. He stopped working with his father. The end point in the relationship between father and son was Roy's dog, which frightened his younger sister. Jones senior tied a Rottweiler puppy to a tree and shot him with a gun.
Roy hired a new coach - Elton Merkerson. The level of his opposition also began to grow. Jones scored three early victories and took the second line of the IBF middleweight rankings. This title was left vacant by James Toney, rising up. The organization immediately appointed an eliminator. In the title fight came together the second number of the rating - Roy Jones and the first number of the rating - Bernard Hopkins. It was the first title fight for both of them.
On May 22, 1993, Roy more than confidently defeated Hopkins. Bernard was looking for success at close range, but Jones was significantly faster and more accurate. He became the new world champion. After the fight, Roy stated that he boxed with a broken right hand.
Choosing the word that most characterizes Jones, the first thing that comes to mind is the term "bright". It was this image that the boxer created for himself with extravagant outfits and demeanor in the ring.
"I have fun in combat"
"Jones hits like a heavyweight and moves like a lightweight"— George Foreman
Roy Jones liked to pull his opponents apart, worked perfectly ahead of the curve, used various feints and deceptive movements, hit from different angles. All this thanks to excellent speed and reaction, combined with a sense of distance. In addition, he had knockout power. His signature move was the left hook on the jump, which he could perform both to the head and to the body.
Jones fought his next fight after Hopkins at a higher weight - super middleweight ( 76 kg). His opponent was the experienced and awkward African Thulani Malinga. Roy dominated throughout the fight, and at the end of the 6th round landed a powerful left hook. Malinga fell, he tried to get up, but his body did not obey. Knockout. In May 1994, Jones made his first defense of the IBF middleweight title with a quick knockout of Thomas Tate.
Super Middleweight:
After, Roy decided to move up to super middleweight for a fight with the local champion - James Toney. At that time, Tony had already been noted for more than outstanding achievements and held a high position in the ranking of the best boxers in the world, regardless of weight ( according to some publications - the first place in this rating). He approached Jones as a 6-5 favorite.
Both fighters were entitled to a fixed fee (Tony - $2.5 million, Jones - $2 million) plus interest on all income minus expenses (Tony - 45%, Jones - 35%). The fight generated 300,000 pay-per-view purchases. It took place on November 18, 1994, and it can hardly be called particularly spectacular and competitive. At the beginning of the third round, Tony was knocked down, and at the end of the fight, Jones celebrated a landslide victory by decision. The Ring called Jones' performance "the most dominant big fight in twenty years."
Roy then made his first defense against mandatory challenger Antoine Byrd before facing Vinnie the Patient. This fight would be unremarkable if not for one BUT: in the fourth round, Jones became the first fighter in the entire history of the existence of the Compubox statistical portal, who did not deliver a single blow in a whole round. The patient, on the other hand, delivered 5 blows, none of which reached the target. This was followed by a quick victory over Mercui Sosa, the fight took place in the limit of 78 kg.
In June 1996, Roy Jones fought Eric Lucas, who would become the world super middleweight champion five years later. 7 hours before the fight with him, Roy took part in basketball game, playing for the Jacksonville Barracudas in the US Basketball League. He spent 14 minutes of playing time on the court and earned five points for his team. Thus, Jones junior became the first athlete in history who managed to perform in one day at two sports events, and even within different types sports. Four months after the fight with Lucas, Jones scored another victory and made the decision to move up to light heavyweight.
Summing up this excerpt from Roy's biography, it is worth noting that, perhaps, it was in the super middleweight division that Jones was at the very peak of his abilities. Already at the time of leaving this weight, he was considered the best boxer in the world, regardless of weight, according to The Ring.
light heavyweight
In November 1996, Roy Jones had his first fight in the light heavyweight category. His opponent was Mike McCallum. Despite the fact that Mike was known as one of the most outstanding boxers in the history of middleweights, he was already at the very end of his career. Roy fought rather carefully. He defeated the 39-year-old McCallum in a one-sided fight and managed to knock him down. This happened simultaneously with the gong about the end of the 10th round. In this fight, Jones won the interim WBC title, but was later recognized as a full-fledged champion when the previous title holder Fabrice Tiozzo moved up in weight.
Next, Roy would face undefeated Montell Griffin, who had already scored two victories over James Toney. Jones was a 6 to 1 favorite. The fight took place in March 1997. It got off to a strong start.
Griffin was looking for success, driving the opponent to the ropes. From the fifth round, Jones picked up the pace and the fight became somewhat more spectacular. At the end of the seventh round, Montell Griffin was counted down by a knockdown. At the end of the ninth round, Roy shocked his opponent and rushed to finish off. After a few more missed shots, Griffin knelt down. The referee was late in reacting to the knockdown, and Jones landed a few more punches on the kneeling opponent. Heavy knockout.
Seeing the serious condition of Griffin, referee Tony Perez decided to disqualify Roy. He later stated that if Montell had continued the fight, he would have simply deducted one or two points from Jones. However, now, in the record of Jones, the first defeat appeared - by disqualification.
“I wasn't sure if he fell. I didn't have time to think or see if he was on his knees or just crouched. And in general, I didn’t feel that the referee was trying to separate us.” Roy Jones said.
After this incident, a wave of criticism followed in the direction of Roy. A rematch was immediately scheduled. The fight also started actively. Already in the first seconds, Griffin was counted down. Jones looked like a boxer, obviously charged with punching and a quick win. At the end of the first round, Montell was back on the canvas, missing a left hook. He tried to get up, but couldn't. And Roy Jones, thereby, regained the WBC title.
However, in early 1998, he left that title and decided to move up two weights to heavyweight, signing to fight James "Buster" Douglas on May 2 for the IBA title. Meanwhile, in March, Graziano Rocchigiani became the new WBC light heavyweight champion after defeating Michael Nunn for the vacancy.
At the same time, Roy Jones pulled out of the fight with Douglas and signed a contract to fight the outstanding ex-champ Virgill Hill. This fight took place in April, a weight limit was assigned ( 80.5 kg). Hill got off to a good start, pressing and jabbing heavily, but Jones' speed advantage was solid. At the beginning of the fourth round, he caught the opponent with a right to the body. Hill was unable to continue the fight, this was the first early defeat in his career. Knockout was named "Knockout of the Year" by The Ring.
After that, in June 1998, the WBC declared Jones "champion on vacation", and Graziano Rocchigiani, who won this full title - " interim champion". Thus, Jones and Rocchigiani had to meet in the ring and reveal the real champion. Promoter Murad Mohammed canceled this fight, as Graziano did not show up for a press conference. And the WBC stripped him of his title. Later, in the early 2000s, he won the court, achieved solid compensation and the return of a full WBC title.
AT next fight Jones' rival was the newly minted WBA light heavyweight champion, Lou Del Valle. A few years earlier, he had been Roy's sparring partner. Jones won a landslide victory, but during the fight for the first time in his career he was knocked down.
Roy's next fight was also a unification - with a WBO champion named Otis Grant. Jones scored an early victory in the 10th round. What is remarkable: out of 137 jabs thrown by Grant, only one found the target.
This was followed by a passing fight, after which Jones again had a unification fight. The opponent was IBF champion Reggie Johnson, who lost to Roy by decision. With this victory, Jones becomes the first undisputed world light heavyweight champion in nearly 15 years. At the very end of 1999, he had a small motorcycle accident and injured his left wrist, but a month later he entered the ring and defended against David Telesco.
In May 2000, Roy defeated Richard Hall, but after the fight, both fighters tested positive for anabolic steroids. Moreover, the content of prohibited substances in Hall's analyzes exceeded the norm by ten times, and Jones - by 5-6 times. Roy said that the reason for everything sports nutrition, in particular the fat burner Ripped Fuel. The state of Indiana, where the fight took place, did not have legal authority to test for steroids. No fines or sanctions other than warnings were issued.
Jones made several more defenses and captured a couple of minor titles. On February 2, 2002, he had a famous fight with Glen Kelly, the one where in the 7th round Jones put his hands behind his back. Also the day before, The Ring awarded him their light heavyweight title, which has not been awarded to anyone for almost twelve years.
Heavyweight voyage and trilogy with Antonio Tarver
In early 2003, Jones again came up with the idea to foray into heavyweight. This time, he did what he set out to do. Jones' rival was WBA heavyweight champion John Ruiz. He made his third defense of the title. Jones was the favorite 9 to 5. In addition, his guaranteed fee was $ 10,000,000 + 60% of the profits.
Jones' diligent preparation for this fight meant a solid set muscle mass without appreciable damage to speed and endurance. A combination that is very difficult to achieve, and therefore - Jones did not reach the heavyweight limit, but entered the fight with a record weight in his career at that time - 87,6 kg. Johnny Ruiz was 15 kg heavier.
In battle, the champion sought success in body attacks, but he did little. The difference in speed and class had a noticeable effect and the dimensions could not affect it. Roy Jones was more accurate than his opponent, and a few missed accented blows from a real "heavyweight" did not bother him. As a result, he celebrated the victory by decision after 12 rounds.
Thus, Jones became the seventh boxer in history to win titles in four weight categories. In addition, the second former middleweight champion to win the heavyweight title. ( The first was Bob Fitzsimmons back in 1897 - approx. ToFight). The Jones-Ruiz fight was named "Event of the Year" by The Ring and generated 602,000 pay-per-view purchases.
Jones did not linger at heavyweight, he relinquished the title and returned to light heavyweight. It is worth saying that Roy himself expressed a desire to fight Mike Tyson, who at that time was at the end of his career. His promoter claimed they were unable to secure fights with Tyson, Lewis and Holyfield. From the fight with Corrie Sanders, the side of Jones refused for financial reasons.
“After winning the heavyweight title, I wanted to fight Tyson. I did everything to make this fight happen, but Mike didn't accept it. Look what Tony did to Holyfield and what I did to Tony. I could perform with Tyson, as well as Holyfield. And I would try to knock him out."
Thus, Roy had no choice but to look for worthy opponents in the light heavyweight division, and they were there. Two of Jones's remaining titles at the time were won by his compatriot, trained left-handed boxer Antonio Tarver.
The fight took place on November 8, 2003. Roy Jones was the favorite 8 to 1. From the very first seconds of the fight, Antonio Tarver began to press, actively using the jab. From the third round, Jones managed to seize the initiative. He focused on the right punch to the torso. In general, the fight turned out to be competitive, with Roy winning by majority decision. The hit stats were slightly outweighed, but in favor of Jones. He got his titles back.
A revenge was appointed, which took place in May 2004. In the second round, Tarver landed a left hook that dropped Jones. Knockout of the Year by The Ring and the first stoppage loss of Roy's career.
In the next fight, Roy met another champion of this weight - Glen Johnson. Johnson from the first seconds rushed to the attack. Roy spent the entire first round at the ropes, and his opponent shot him. From the second round, Jones began to move more and traditionally acted ahead of the curve. As for Glen Johnson, he mostly had success when the opponent was at the ropes. At the very beginning of the ninth round, he struck a right hand to the temple. Roy Jones fell and lay on the canvas for quite some time. Hardest knockout.
Jones left the arena in an ambulance. The fight received the status of "Upset of the Year 2004", before the fight, Glen Johnson was considered an underdog in the ratio of 6 to 1. For almost a year, Roy did not enter the ring. And in October 2005, he had a third, decisive duel with Antonio Tarver.
In this fight, unlike the previous two, Jones moved more than usual and tried to spin the opponent. The middle rounds were quite spectacular. At the beginning of the eleventh three-minute period, Jones was shocked. Nevertheless, the fight came to a decision, and Antonio Tarver celebrated the victory. According to statistics, Tarver landed almost twice as many punches in the entire fight.
Jones blamed the loss on his father, whom he called in for the first time since 1992 as a second coach. However, the fighter claimed that his father did not follow the rules, argued with the main coach Elton Merkerson and interrupted him. In the next two years, Roy spent only two fights with mediocre opponents.
In 2008, he defeated the famous Puerto Rican Felix Trinidad. It was the only noteworthy victory in several years, but against an opponent long past its peak. This fight took place in the intermediate limit of 77.1 kg. The duel generated 500,000 PPV purchases.
Fight with Calzaghe and The final stage career
At the end of the same 2008, Roy Jones had a fight with the undefeated former super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe, who had already managed to defeat Bernard Hopkins in the light heavyweight division. The fight was originally scheduled for September, but was then rescheduled due to Calzaghe's injury.
At the end of the first round, the Welshman was knocked down when Roy caught him in the oncoming traffic. Calzaghe took his quantity, throwing light ( and not very) beats. At the beginning of the fight, Roy managed to work well ahead of the curve, but as the fight progressed, he lost his advantage. In the middle of the seventh round, he received a serious cut over his left eye. During the fight, Joe Calzaghe landed 985 punches, he won by unanimous decision.
“Today I did my best, this guy was better than me”- Jones after the fight with Calzaghe.
In the next five fights, Roy suffered three defeats: an early defeat from Danny Green, a decision in a rematch with Bernard Hopkins and a knockout from Russian Denis Lebedev. Over the next few years, Roy did not face any serious opponent, with the exception of Enzo Maccarinelli, whom he also lost by knockout.
Needless to say about the natural loss of former speed and reflexes, about serious problems with the knees, in the end about the age of this boxer ... His boxing career continues to this day and has almost 30 years. The last stage of his career takes place mainly within the first heavyweight, where Roy also dreams of becoming a champion ...
Achievements in and out of boxing, personal life
The Boxing Writers Association named Roy the "Boxer of the Decade of the 1990s". He became a 9-time world champion in four weight categories and was the undisputed light heavyweight champion for several years. He was repeatedly named "Fighter of the Year" and "Man of the Year" according to many sports publications.
Roy and his family still live in Pensacola. He has a wife and six children, as well as a large household. Natlin and Roy got married in the early 2000s, but they've known each other since they were young. Roy Jones became her first boyfriend. Even now, Roy rarely communicates with his father, they live in the same city, but in different houses. house and two cars Bentley and Rolls-Royse) Roy Sr. was bought by his son ...
In 1998, Roy Jones founded his label Body Head Entertainment. In 2002, a hip-hop album called Round One was released, which peaked at number 50 on the Billboard chart. In 2004, Jones formed the musical group Body Head Bangerz, with whom he released another album.
Roy has his own promotion company, often appears as a boxing commentator. He is actively involved in charity work, especially in the field of working with youth in his native Pensacola. He actively helps his disabled friend Gerald McClellan, visits hospitals. He has acted in many films and TV shows, voiced video games.
Roy Jones has dual citizenship - American and Russian. On August 19, 2015, in Crimea, he met with Vladimir Putin and received a Russian passport.
One of his hobbies for a long time was cockfighting, at one time he even bred roosters himself. He still has a passion for basketball and plays every morning at a military base in Pensacola.