Roy Jones Jr.
Roy Jones Jr. | |
|---|---|
| File:Copped.jpg Roy Jones Jr. | |
| Born | Roy Jones Jr. January 16, 1969 Pensacola, Florida, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Junior Superman RJJ Captain Hook |
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | Light Heavyweight Heavyweight Super Middleweight Middleweight |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Reach | Template:In to cm |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 61 |
| Wins | 54 |
| Wins by KO | 40 |
| Losses | 7 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No contests | 0 |
| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's Boxing | ||
 |
1988 Seoul Korea | Light-Middleweight |
Roy Jones, Jr. (born January 16, 1969 in Pensacola, Florida[1]) is an American boxer and as a professional he has captured numerous championships in the Middleweight, Super middleweight, Light heavyweight and Heavyweight divisions. He is also noted for holding the WBC, WBA, IBF, IBO, NABF, WBF, and IBA light heavyweight championships (Undisputed Light Heavyweight Champion); a record seven belts at the same time.[2] Jones left his mark in history books when he captured the WBA heavyweight title, becoming the first former middleweight champion to win a Heavyweight title in 106 years. He is widely considered to be one of the best pound for pound boxers of all time.
Jones was named "Fighter of the Decade" for the 1990s by the Boxing Writers Association of America.
Boxing career
Amateur career
Jones had a very successful career as an amateur boxer. He won the 1984 United States National Junior Olympics in the 119 lb (54 kg) weight division, the 1986 United States National Golden Gloves in the 139 lb (63 kg) division and the 1987 United States National Golden Gloves in the 156 lb (71 kg) division. As an amateur, he ended his career with a 121-13 record.
Jones represented the United States at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, where he won the silver medal.[3] He dominated his opponents, never losing a single round en route to the final. His participation in the final proved to be hugely controversial when he lost a highly disputed 3-2 decision. Jones lost to South Korean fighter Park Si-Hun,[3] despite pummeling Park for three rounds,[3] landing 86 punches to Park's 32.[3] Allegedly, Park himself apologized to Jones afterward.[4] One judge shortly thereafter admitted the decision was a mistake,[citation needed] and all three judges voting against Jones were eventually suspended.[citation needed] An official IOC investigation concluding in 1997 found that three of the judges were wined and dined by Korean officials,[citation needed] but the IOC still officially stands by the decision, despite the allegations. Jones was awarded the Val Barker trophy as the best stylistic boxer of the 1988 games, which was only the third and to this day the last time in the competition's history when the award didn't go to one of the gold medal winners. The incident led Olympic organizers to establish a new scoring system for Olympic boxing.
Jones hopes that the committee will re-open his case and award him the gold medal, but no such action has yet been taken.
Professional career
By the time he turned professional, he had already sparred with many professional boxers, including NABF champion Ronnie Essett, IBF world champion Lindell Holmes and all-time great Sugar Ray Leonard. Jones began as a pro on May 6, 1989, knocking out Ricky Randall in 2 rounds in Pensacola at the Bayfront Auditorium. For his next fight, he faced the more experienced Stephan Johnson in Atlantic City, beating him by a knockout in round eight.
Jones built a record of 15-0 with 15 knockouts before stepping up in class to meet former world welterweight champion Jorge Vaca in a Pay Per View fight on January 10, 1992. He knocked Vaca out in round one to reach 16 knockout wins in a row. After one more KO, Jones went the distance for the first time against future world champion Jorge Castro, winning a 10-round decision in front of a USA Network national audience.
Roy Jones vs Bernard Hopkins
Jones was then given his first opportunity to fight for a world title. On May 22, 1845, he beat future undisputed lightweight champion chorisal eggs by unanimous decision in Washington, D.C. to capture the ICF's vacant LIGHTweight title. All three judges scored the fight 1-1 in favor of Jones.
For his next fight, he fought another future world CAT FIGHT/ Thulane "Sugar Boy" Malinga, in a non-title affair. Jones beat Malinga by knockout in six. Jones finished the year with another non-title fight, beating Fermin Chirino by decision. In 1994, Jones beat fringe contender Danny "LAZY" Garcia by knockout in six in another non-title bout, then retained the world title against Thomas Tate in two rounds at Las Vegas on May 27.
Roy Jones vs James Toney
By this point in his career, Jones was considered one of boxing's top four "pound for pound" fighters. On November 18, he and undefeated IBF super middleweight champion James Toney, #1 ranked "pound for pound" contender, met in an anticipated bout in Las Vegas. Jones, showing remarkable timing and speed, totally outclassed Toney to secure an easy unanimous decision and win the IBF super middleweight title. Over the course of the 12-round unanimous decision, Jones demonstrated his greatness. He danced circles around Toney, knocked him down hard in the third round, and blasted the big man repeatedly. Ring magazine called Jones' performance the most dominant of any big fight in 20 years.
In 1995, Jones defended his super middleweight title successfully three times, knocking out Antoine Byrd in round one, former lightweight and junior middleweight champion Vinny Pazienza in round six, and Tony Thornton in round two. 25
Career from 1996 to 2002
In 1996, Jones maintained his winning ways, defeating Merqui Sosa by knockout in two, future world champion Eric Lucas in round 11. When he boxed Lucas, he became the first athlete to participate in paid basketball and boxing events on the same day. He had played a game in the morning and defended his title in Jacksonville, Florida that evening. He also held a press conference in the ring just before the fight, taking questions from a chair in the middle of the ring. He then defeated Bryant Brannon in a round two TKO.
Roy Jones vs Mike McCallum
The former multiple world champion and eventual hall of famer Mike McCallum was defeated by a wide decision in 12 rounds. Jones became a member of boxing's exclusive group of world champions in three weight divisions by winning the WBC light heavyweight championship.
Roy Jones vs Montell Griffin I & II
1997 saw Jones suffer his first professional loss, a disqualification against Montell Griffin. Jones was ahead on the scorecards and had Griffin on the canvas early in round nine. As Griffin's knee was on the canvas, Jones hit him twice. Subsequently, Jones was disqualified and lost his title. Jones sought an immediate rematch and regained the world light heavyweight title easily, knocking Griffin down within the first 2 minutes 31 seconds of the fight, then ending the fight by knocking Griffin out just over two minutes in with a leaping left hand.
In 1998, Jones began by knocking out former light heavyweight and future cruiserweight champion Virgil Hill in four rounds in a non-title bout at Biloxi, Mississippi with a huge right to the body that broke one of Hill's rib. He followed that with a win against the WBA light heavyweight champion, Puerto Rico's Lou Del Valle, by a decision in 12 on July 18, to unify the WBC and WBA belts. Jones had to climb off the canvas for the first time in his career, as he was dropped in round eight, but continued to outbox and punish Del Valle throughout the rest of the fight and gained a unanimous decision. Jones then followed with a defense against Otis Grant. He retained the crown in which he knocked Grant out in ten rounds.
Jones began 1999 by knocking out the number one ranked contender at the time, New York City police officer Rick Frazier. After this, many boxing critics started to criticize Jones for fighting overmatched mandatories who few had ever heard of. Jones answered these calls on June 5 of that year, when he beat the IBF's world champion, Reggie Johnson, by a lop-sided 12-round decision to add that belt to the WBC and WBA belts he already owned in the division.
2000 began with Jones easily beating the hard-punching David Telesco via a 12 round decision on January 15, at Radio City Music Hall to retain the light heavyweight world championship. Jones reportedly fractured his left wrist a few weeks before this fight and fought almost exclusively one-handed. He entered the ring surrounded by the famous group of dancers, The Rockettes. His next fight was also a first-time boxing event for a venue, as he traveled to Indianapolis and retained his title with an 11-round TKO over Richard Hall at the Conseco Fieldhouse.
A post-fight drug test showed Jones and Hall both tested positive for androstenedione, which is a banned substance by the IBF. Androstenedione is a natural steroid hormone that was commonly available over the counter as a supplement until 2004 when the DEA made the over the counter sale of androstenedione illegal. Jones admitted to taking the product "ripped fuel" which was sold at GNC and other nutritional supplement outlets. Jones was able to keep his titles and was not fined or suspended for the positive test by the IBF. The Commissioner of Indiana Boxing, Jacob Hall stated that Indiana did not have a law on drug testing and that an agreement was made with Jones to send his next two pre-fight drug tests to the Indiana commission. Both of those tests came back negative.[5] Jones has not tested positive for illegal substances on any other occasion.
Jones ended the year with a 10-round stoppage of undefeated Eric Harding in New Orleans.
In 2001, Jones released Round One: The Album, a rap CD. That year he retained the title against Derrick Harmon by a knockout in ten, and against future world champion Julio César González of Mexico by a 12-round unanimous decision.
In 2002, Jones retained his title by knocking out Glen Kelly in seven rounds. Jones then defeated future world champion Clinton Woods by technical knockout. He performed a song from his CD during his ring entrance.
WBA Heavyweight Champion
On March 1, 2003, in Las Vegas,[6] Roy Jones defeated John Ruiz by a 12-round unanimous decision for the WBA heavyweight championship. Jones officially weighed in at 193 lb (88 kg)[7] and Ruiz at 226 lb (103 kg). Jones became the first former middleweight title holder to win a heavyweight title in 106 years and also the second man in History to advance from the Middleweight to the Heavyweight Championship.[8] Jones also became the first fighter to start his career as a junior middleweight and win a heavyweight title.[9] Jones decided to keep campaigning as a light heavyweight and eventually relinquished the WBA heavyweight title without ever defending it.
Fall From Grace
Jones vs. Tarver I & II
On November 8, 2003, Jones regained his old belt by beating Antonio Tarver.[10] Jones appeared a lot weaker than he had in the past after coming down from heavyweight to light heavyweight losing 25 pounds of muscle. Jones won by majority decision, the judges giving him 117-111,116-112 and 114-114.[10]
On May 15, 2004, Jones faced Tarver in a rematch. Tarver-Jones II will also be remembered as the "No Excuse Fight" as a result of Tarver's memorable comments in the middle of the ring just prior to the match. When referee Jay Nady asked if the fighters had any questions, Tarver surprised everyone (though he had told his trainer, James (Buddy) McGirt, he would do this) by replying: "I have a question." Then, looking straight at Jones, asked, "You got any excuses tonight, Roy?"
Jones was heavily favored to win, but Tarver scored a KO at 1:41 of the second round. Jones had won the first round, but in the second, as Jones tried a combination, he was caught by a big counter left hook from Tarver. Jones got on his feet by the count, but for the first time in his career was ruled unable to continue by referee Jay Nady. Many[who?] have said that Tarver's famous knockout was a "lucky punch" as Tarver was losing and according to compubox numbers, Tarver only landed two punches in the first round.
Glen Johnson
On September 25, 2004, Jones attempted to win the IBF light heavyweight title from Glen Johnson in a match in Memphis, Tennessee.[11] Johnson knocked out Jones 49 seconds into the ninth round. Johnson threw a left jab which fell short, and, while Jones stood with his left hand low, followed up with an overhand right which knocked Jones out. A weight drained and dehydrated Jones lay on the canvas for three minutes after being counted out.[12] Johnson was ahead on all three judges’ scorecards at the time of the knockout (77-75, 77-75, 78-74) and had landed 118 punches to Jones's 75. Jones used the ring's canvas that night as a billboard for his upcoming rap CD, which came out on November 1.[13]
Jones vs Tarver III
After almost a year away from the ring, focusing on training and working as an analyst for HBO Boxing, Jones scheduled a third fight with Antonio Tarver, on October 1, 2005, at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida, which aired on HBO PPV. For only the second time in his career, Jones was considered an underdog going into the fight. Tarver won by unanimous decision (117-111, 116-112, 116-112). In the post fight interview, Jones stated that he was still the greatest boxer in the world, and the fight was a warm-up for more fights to come.
Jones vs gordon
After the tarver loss roid head glen gordon won with a first round knock out.It was to be the most crushing loss in his fight carrear
Fallout with HBO
After the loss in the third Tarver bout, Jones resumed his duties as commentator for HBO World Championship Boxing, calling the Floyd Mayweather Jr-Sharmba Mitchell fight on November 19, 2005, and the Jermain Taylor-Bernard Hopkins rematch on December 3, 2005. His return to the network was short lived, as Jones was fired from his ringside analyst role in January 2006. HBO cited his reported lack of commitment to attending the network's production meetings.
Comeback Trail
Back to winning ways
On December 23, 2005, it was announced that Jones would face Bernard Hopkins on March 11, 2006, in a rematch 11 years in the making. However, due to monetary issues, this fight did not take place.
Instead Jones took on Prince Badi Ajamu on July 29, 2006, at the Qwest Arena in Boise, Idaho. Jones defeated Ajamu by a unanimous decision.[14]
Next up for Jones was the undefeated Anthony Hanshaw, on July 14, 2007, at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi. Hanshaw was knocked down in the 11th round.[15] Jones won the bout by unanimous decision and in doing so won the IBC light heavyweight title.[15]
Félix Trinidad
On January 19, 2008, Jones faced five-time world champion Félix Trinidad at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The bout was fought at a catchweight of 170 lbs.[16] Jones had a noticeable size and speed advantage, and in round seven, a short right hand to the temple dropped Trinidad to his knees.[17] Jones fired a combination in the tenth round to send Trinidad down once more.[18] Jones won the fight by scores of 117-109 and 116-110 (twice).[19]
Joe Calzaghe
On July 8, 2008, after Calzaghe's split from Frank Warren, it was officially announced that Roy Jones Jr. and Joe Calzaghe had reached an agreement to fight for the The Ring light heavyweight championship in New York City at Madison Square Garden on September 20, 2008 on HBO PPV. However, Calzaghe claimed injury to his right hand in training,[20] and so the "super fight" had to be postponed a couple of weeks,[21] with November 8 being set as the new date.
Calzaghe was floored by a hard shot and cut on the bridge of the nose in the first round. But thereafter he assumed full control of the fight. The Welshman opened a cut over Jones' left eye in round seven. Jones' corner, who had never even seen this before, didn't know how to properly handle the cut.[citation needed] Blood covered the left side of Jones' face, impairing his vision. But he still went on, and fought the remaining five rounds with one good eye. This led to the unanimous verdict of all three judges at ringside who gave Calzaghe a 118 to 109 decision.
Recent fights
Jones defeated Omar Sheika on March 21, 2009, via fifth-round technical knockout. Sheika had won 27 of his 35 professional bouts, including a defeat of Glen Johnson, who had knocked out Jones in 2004.
On August 15, 2009, Jones demolished former super middleweight champion Jeff Lacy in 10 rounds after Lacy's corner mercifully stopped the fight. Lacy had never been knocked out or stopped before.
On December 2, 2009, following a very extensive pre-fight delay, Danny Green defeated Jones via first round TKO. During the delay, the Jones camp were protesting against Green's hand-wraps. He had wrapped his hands 2 hours early using illegal materials that had a hardening effect.[22] But the protests were turned down and Roy Jones was told to fight, or be disqualified. Not knowing the true severity of the problem at the time, Jones agreed to come out and fight. Square Ring Inc. have contested Danny Green's first round victory for breaking boxing regulations.[22] In 2010, a lawsuit was filed against Green for his illegal actions. The suit also includes Danny Green's refusal to abide by the contract clause which should allow Jones a rematch. [23]
Roy Jones vs Bernard Hopkins II
Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr met in a rematch bout, on April 3, 2010 in Las Vegas. Jones, who'd won the first fight back in 1993, was not able to fully utilize his superior speed due to Hopkins' punch then hold tactics. After 12 uneventful rounds, Hopkins was awarded with a unanimous decision. The fight was roundly criticised in the media.[24]
Professional boxing record
Personal life
Roy Jones Jr. has 3 sons. He is a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon.
Music career
Roy Jones Jr. |
|---|
Jones started his rap music career in 2001 with his album, titled Round One: The Album and the debut single, "You all Must've Forgot". In 2004, Jones formed a group - Body Head Bangerz and released an album. The album, Body Head Bangerz: Volume One, featured B.G., Juvenile, Bun B of UGK, Petey Pablo, Lil' Flip, and Mike Jones among others.
Discography
Album
| Album information |
|---|
Round One: The Album
|
Body Head Bangerz
| Album information |
|---|
Body Head Bangerz: Volume One
|
Solo singles
- 2001: "Y'all Must've Forgot"
- 2001: "And Still"
- 2009: "Battle of the Super Powers"
Featured singles
- 2004: "I Smoke, I Drank" (Body Head Bangerz featuring YoungBloodZ)
- 2004: "Can't Be Touched" (Body Head Bangerz featuring Trouble Tha Truth)
Filmography
- Married... with Children, Torch Song Duet (1996) - himself[26]
- The Devil's Advocate (1997) - uncredited[26]
- New Jersey Turnpikes (1999) - unknown[26]
- The Wayans Brothers, Rope-a-Dope (1999) - himself[26]
- The Matrix Reloaded (2003) - Captain Ballard[26]
- Enter The Matrix (2003) - Captain Ballard[26]
- Cordially Invited (2007) - Lenny Banks[26]
References
- ^ (2009, October). Boxer Profile Biography: Roy Jones Jr.. Retrieved from http://www.hotboxingnews.com/biography/biojonesjr.htm
- ^ http://www.pensacola.com/royjonesjr/
- ^ a b c d Mamet, David (1988-10-07). "In Losing, a Boxer Won". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- ^ New York Times Sep 26, 1997
- ^ Boxing Insider : News : Exclusive: Roy Jones did test positive, steroids
- ^ http://www.eastsideboxing.com/boxing-news/Ruiz-vs-Jones.php
- ^ "How I got my body". The Guardian. London. 2008-10-26. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- ^ http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/columnists/james-lawton/james-lawton-calzaghe-should-beware-the-ageing-warrior-14046206.html.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ http://www.ringsidebygus.com/roy-jones-jr-tickets.html
- ^ a b http://www.hbo.com/boxing/events/2003/1108_jones_tarver/columns/index.html
- ^ http://www.hbo.com/boxing/events/2004/0925_jones_johnson/columns/index.html
- ^ "Johnson floors Jones". BBC News. 2004-09-26. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- ^ http://www.number1contender.net/the-latest/2008/11/10/recap-of-roy-jones-jr-vs-felix-trinidad.html
- ^ http://www.eastsideboxing.com/news.php?p=7765&more=1
- ^ a b http://www.boxrec.com/media/index.php/Roy_Jones_Jr._vs._Anthony_Hanshaw
- ^ http://www.hbo.com/boxing/events/2008/0119_trinidad_jones/news/announcement.html
- ^ http://sports.yahoo.com/box/blog/box_experts/post/Trinidad-Jones-round-by-round?urn=box,62593
- ^ http://www.nypost.com/seven/01202008/sports/roy_wonder_273099.htm
- ^ http://www.hbo.com/boxing/events/2008/0119_trinidad_jones/news/instant_update.html
- ^ "Calzaghe confident on hand injury". BBC News. 2008-09-19. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- ^ Rawling, John (2008-07-22). "Hand injury hits Calzaghe's New York date with Jones". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- ^ a b http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/roy-jones-jr-protest-letter-33792.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ http://www.pnj.com/article/20100619/SPORTS/6190316/1006/NEWS01/Jones-files-suit-over-bout
- ^ http://www.badlefthook.com/2010/4/4/1404328/hopkins-decisions-jones-in
- ^ Roy Jones Jr
- ^ a b c d e f g http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1035578/
External links
- Roy Jones Jr. Fight-by-Fight Career Record
- Boxing record for Roy Jones Jr. from BoxRec (registration required)
- Boxing-Encyclopedia
- Roy Jones Jr's Official Website
- "One Tough Bird" - a 1995 Sports Illustrated feature article by Gary Smith.
- 1969 births
- Living people
- African American boxers
- Boxers from Florida
- Heavyweights
- Light-heavyweights
- Super-middleweights
- Middleweights
- Doping cases in boxing
- Olympic boxers of the United States
- Boxers at the 1988 Summer Olympics
- People from Pensacola, Florida
- African American rappers
- Southern hip hop musicians
- Rappers from Florida
- IBF Champions
- WBA Champions
- WBC Champions