Roy Jones, Jr. (born January 16, 1969) is an American professional boxer. As a professional, he has captured numerous world titles in the middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions. He is the only boxer in history to start his career as a light middleweight (154 lbs) and go on to win a heavyweight title.
Jones left his mark in boxing history when he won the WBA Heavyweight title, becoming the first former middleweight champion to win a heavyweight title in 106 years. Jones was named "Fighter of the Decade" for the 1990s by the Boxing Writers Association of America.[1]
Jones 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.[2] He dominated his opponents, never losing a single round en route to the final. His participation in the final was met with controversy when he lost a 3–2 decision to South Korean fighter Park Si-Hun despite pummeling Park for three rounds, landing 86 punches to Park's 32.[2] Allegedly, Park himself apologized to Jones afterward and the referee told Jones that he was dumbstruck by the judge's decision.[3] One judge shortly thereafter admitted the decision was a mistake and all three judges voting against Jones were eventually suspended. An official IOC investigation concluding in 1997 found that three of the judges were wined and dined by South Korean officials. This led to calls for Jones to be awarded a gold medal, 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 did not go to one of the gold medal winners. The incident led Olympic organizers to establish a new scoring system for Olympic boxing.
On turning professional, he had already sparred with many professional boxers, including NABF Champion Ronnie Essett, IBF Champion Lindell Holmes and Sugar Ray Leonard. Jones began as a professional 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.
Jones made his first attempt at a world title on May 22, 1993. He beat future Undisputed Middleweight Champion Bernard Hopkins by unanimous decision in Washington, D.C. to capture the IBF Middleweight Championship. Jones claimed he had entered the bout with a broken right hand, but still managed to outpoint Hopkins and secure a unanimous decision win. Jones reminded the world of this claim on his hit single "Ya'll Must've Forgot" later in his career. While working for HBO as an analyst for Bernard Hopkins' title defense against Simon Brown, Jones would admit on air that he was 16 pounds heavier than Hopkins on fight night, weighing 180 to Hopkins 163.
For his next fight, he fought another future world champion, Thulane "Sugar Boy" Malinga, in a non-title affair. Jones beat Malinga by knockout in six rounds. Jones finished the year with another win, beating Fermin Chirino by decision. In 1994, Jones beat Danny "Popeye" Garcia by knockout in six, then retained his IBF title against Thomas Tate in two rounds at Las Vegas on May 27.
On November 18, 1994, he was set to face undefeated IBF Super Middleweight Champion James Toney, who was ranked highly in the "pound for pound" rankings. Toney had remained undefeated in 46 bouts and was rated the best in the world at 168 lbs. Billed as "The Uncivil War," Toney vs Jones was heavily hyped. Jones, for the first time in his career, was the underdog.
Over the course of the 12-round unanimous decision, Jones demonstrated his greatness. He danced circles around Toney, landing quick combinations at will, scoring a flash knockdown in the third round. Ring magazine called Jones' performance the most dominant of any big fight in 20 years. Claims that Toney was badly unprepared and dehydrated would surface in the days following the fight. Toney himself would claim in an interview with The Ring magazine that he had taken laxatives and diuretics the day of the weigh-in to make weight.
In 1995, Jones defended his super middleweight title successfully multiple times. He began the year by knocking out Antoine Byrd in round one. He faced former IBF Lightweight Champion Vinny Pazienza and defeated him in round six. He then beat Tony Thornton in round two by KO.
In 1996, Jones maintained his winning ways, defeating Merqui Sosa by knockout in two and future world champion Eric Lucas in round 11. When he boxed Lucas, he became the first athlete to participate in two paid sports events on the same day. He had played a basketball game in the morning and defended his boxing 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 and defending his choice of Bryant Brannon as his opponenet instead of Frankie Liles, his nemesis from the amateurs. He then defeated Bryant Brannon in a round two TKO.
In November 1996 at Ice Palace, Tampa, Florida, Jones defeated 40 year old former three-weight world champion Mike McCallum via a shutout decision to win the vacant Interim WBC Light Heavyweight title. Jones was soon upgraded to full champion by the WBC.
In 1997 Jones had his first professional loss, a disqualification against Montell Griffin. Griffin was trained by the legendary Eddie Futch, who had taught him how to take advantage of Jones technical mistakes and lack of basic boxing fundamentals. Griffin jumped out to an early lead on Jones but by round 9 Jones was ahead on the scorecards by a point and had Griffin on the canvas early in round nine. But as Griffin took a knee on the canvas to avoid further punishment, 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 shot.
In 1998, Jones began by knocking out former Light Heavyweight and future Cruiserweight Champion Virgil Hill (who had already lost his belts to Lineal & WBO Champion Dariusz Michalczewski) in four rounds at Biloxi, Mississippi with a huge right to the body that broke one of Hill's ribs. He followed that with a win against the WBA Light Heavyweight title holder, 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 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 by knocking Grant out in ten rounds.
Jones began 1999 by knocking out the WBC number one ranked contender at the time, Rick Frazier. After this, many boxing critics started to criticize Jones for fighting overmatched mandatories who few had ever heard of as well as his steadfast refusal to meet Dariusz Michalczewski in a unification bout. Jones answered these calls on June 5 of that year, when he beat the IBF title holder, 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. Jones dropped Johnson hard in the second round, but backed off and allowed Reggie to finish the fight.
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 his titles. Jones reportedly fractured his 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 technical knockout over Richard Hall at the Conseco Fieldhouse. A post-fight drug test showed that both Jones and Hall tested positive for androstenedione which was available legally over-the-counter at that time but banned by the IBF. The results of Jones' next two drug tests, which were negative, were sent to the Indiana Boxing Commission. The IBF chose not to take any action against Jones or Hall.[4][5] 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. After this bout, Jones was controversially awarded The Ring Championship belt, despite Dariusz Michalczewski still being regarded as the Lineal champion in the same weight class.[6]
Jones then defeated future world champion Clinton Woods by technical knockout. He performed a song from his CD during his ring entrance.
On March 1, 2003, in Las Vegas,[7] Roy Jones defeated John Ruiz, the man who defeated an aging Evander Holyfield, for the WBA Heavyweight title. Jones officially weighed in at 193 lb (88 kg)[8] and Ruiz at 226 lb (103 kg). Jones became the first former Middleweight title holder to win a Heavyweight title in 106 years, though many historians refuse to recognize the accomplishment because Lennox Lewis was the true and Lineal Champion at the time of the bout.[9] Jones also became the first fighter to start his career as a light middleweight and win a heavyweight title.[10]
Jones chose to return to the light heavyweight division and on November 8, 2003 he defeated Antonio Tarver to retain The Ring Light Heavyweight Championship and win Tarver's WBC title, as well as the vacant WBA (Super) title.[11] Jones appeared a lot weaker after coming back down to the light heavyweight division, losing the muscle he gained for the heavyweight fight seemed to have taken a toll on his aging body and his cat-like reflexes appeared diminished. Jones won by majority decision, the judges giving him 117–111,116–112 and 114–114.[11]
On May 15, 2004, Jones faced Tarver in a rematch. Jones was heavily favored to win, but Tarver knocked him down at 1:41 of the second round. Jones had won the first round (Tarver only landed two punches in 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.
On September 25, 2004, Jones attempted to win the IBF Light Heavyweight title from Glen Johnson in a match in Memphis, Tennessee.[12] Johnson knocked out Jones 49 seconds into the ninth round. Jones lay on the canvas for three minutes after being counted out.[13] 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 1st.
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).
After the loss in the third Tarver bout, Jones resumed his duties as a 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 let go from his ringside analyst role in January 2006. HBO cited his reported lack of commitment to attending the network's production meetings.[citation needed]
Jones took on Prince Badi Ajamu on July 29, 2006, at the Qwest Arena in Boise, Idaho. Jones defeated Ajamu by a unanimous decision, winning the WBO NABO Light Heavyweight title.[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.
On January 19, 2008, Jones faced former 147 and 154 pound 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] This was the first time a former Heavyweight Champion returned to fight successfully at 170 lbs.
After Joe Calzaghe's split from promoter 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, so the fight had to be postponed a couple of weeks, with November 8 being set as the new date. Calzaghe was knocked down by an accidental forearm and cut on the bridge of the nose in the first round. Calzaghe resumed control almost immediately and dominated Jones throughout the remainder of the fight. Calzaghe toyed with Jones and mocked him from the center of the ring, daring Jones to try and hit him and then countering with fast combinations. The Welshman opened a cut over Jones' left eye. Jones' corner, who had never seen Roy cut before, didn't know how to properly handle the situation. Blood covered the left side of Jones' face. Ultimately, Jones lost by unanimous decision, winning only 2 rounds on the 3 official judges cards.
Jones defeated Omar Sheika on March 21, 2009, via fifth-round technical knockout. Sheika had previously defeated Glen Johnson, who had knocked out Jones in 2004. On August 15, 2009, Jones beat former Super Middleweight Champion Jeff Lacy in 10 rounds after Lacy's corner stopped the fight. Lacy had never been knocked out or stopped before.
In December 2009, Roy Jones was set to face Australian boxer Danny Green in Sydney, Australia. In the weeks leading up to this fight, there were reports in the newspapers indicating difficulties getting Roy's sparring partners into Australia.[20] Then on December 2, 2009, following an extensive pre-fight delay due to hand wrap protests, Danny Green defeated Jones in a first round TKO.
Roy Jones Jr. and Bernard Hopkins met in a rematch bout, on April 3, 2010 in Las Vegas. After going the distance, Hopkins was awarded with a unanimous decision.
On May 21, Jones travelled to Russia to face Denis Lebedev, who had just come off a controversial split decision loss to Marco Huck. Weighing in at 198 lbs, Jones looked slow and old. Despite this, he gave a decent showing and was heading for at least a majority decision loss at the beginning of the 10th round. However, with less than 20 seconds remaining, Lebedev landed a big right followed by an uppercut. Jones, having bent down holding his head and in no position to continue, was then hit by a final big right hand as Steve Smoger hesitated to stop the fight. Jones lay on the canvas for several minutes before getting up.
Jones won a 10-round unanimous decision against Max Alexander on December 10, 2011 in Atlanta, snapping a three-match losing streak, and winning the UBO Intercontinental Cruiserweight Championship.
Jones will face Dawid Kostecki in a ten round bout at Atlas Arena, Poland on June 30th. The bout will be in the cruiserweight division at a contracted weight limit of 185 pounds.[21]
| 55 Wins (40 knockouts, 15 decisions), 8 Losses (4 knockouts, 3 decisions, 1 disqualification), 0 Draws[22] |
| Res. |
Record |
Opponent |
Type |
Rnd. Time |
Date |
Location |
Notes |
| Win |
55–8 |
 Max Alexander |
UD |
10 |
2011-12-10 |
Civic Center, Atlanta, Georgia |
Won vacant UBO Intercontinental Cruiserweight title. |
| Loss |
54–8 |
 Denis Lebedev |
KO |
10 (10), 2:58 |
2011-05-21 |
Krylatskoe Sport Palace, Moscow |
|
| Loss |
54–7 |
Bernard Hopkins |
UD |
12 |
2010-04-03 |
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada |
|
| Loss |
54–6 |
 Danny Green |
TKO |
1 (12), 2:02 |
2009-12-02 |
Acer Arena, Sydney, New South Wales |
For IBO Cruiserweight title. |
| Win |
54–5 |
Jeff Lacy |
RTD |
10 (12), 3:00 |
2009-08-15 |
Mississippi Coast Coliseum, Biloxi, Mississippi |
Retained WBO NABO Light Heavyweight title. |
| Win |
53–5 |
Omar Sheika |
TKO |
5 (12), 1:45 |
2009-03-21 |
Civic Center, Pensacola, Florida |
Won vacant WBO NABO Light Heavyweight title. |
| Loss |
52–5 |
 Joe Calzaghe |
UD |
12 |
2008-11-08 |
Madison Square Garden, New York, New York |
For The Ring Light Heavyweight title. |
| Win |
52–4 |
 Félix Trinidad |
UD |
12 |
2008-01-19 |
Madison Square Garden, New York, New York |
|
| Win |
51–4 |
Anthony Hanshaw |
UD |
12 |
2007-07-14 |
Mississippi Coast Coliseum, Biloxi, Mississippi |
Won vacant IBC Light Heavyweight title. |
| Win |
50–4 |
Prince Badi Ajamu |
UD |
12 |
2006-07-29 |
Qwest Arena, Boise, Idaho |
Won WBO NABO Light Heavyweight title. |
| Loss |
49–4 |
Antonio Tarver |
UD |
12 |
2005-10-01 |
St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, Florida |
For The Ring, IBO & vacant NBA Light Heavyweight titles. |
| Loss |
49–3 |
 Glen Johnson |
KO |
9 (12), 0:48 |
2004-09-25 |
FedEx Forum, Memphis, Tennessee |
For IBF Light Heavyweight title. |
| Loss |
49–2 |
Antonio Tarver |
TKO |
2 (12), 1:41 |
2004-05-15 |
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada |
Lost WBC, WBA (Super), IBO, IBA & The Ring Light Heavyweight titles.
For vacant WBF & vacant NBA Light Heavyweight titles. |
| Win |
49–1 |
Antonio Tarver |
MD |
12 |
2003-11-08 |
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada |
Retained The Ring & IBO and won WBC and vacant WBA (Super) Light Heavyweight titles. |
| Win |
48–1 |
John Ruiz |
UD |
12 |
2003-03-01 |
Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada |
Won WBA Heavyweight title. |
| Win |
47–1 |
 Clinton Woods |
TKO |
6 (12), 1:29 |
2002-09-07 |
Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon |
Retained WBC, WBA (Super), IBF, IBO, NBA, WBF, IBA & The Ring Light Heavyweight titles. |
| Win |
46–1 |
Glen Kelly |
KO |
7 (12), 1:55 |
2002-02-02 |
American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida |
Retained WBC, WBA (Super), IBF, IBO, NBA, WBF & IBA Light Heavyweight titles. Awarded vacant The Ring Light Heavyweight title. |
| Win |
45–1 |
 Julio César González |
UD |
12 |
2001-07-28 |
Staples Center, Los Angeles, California |
Retained WBC, WBA (Super), IBF, IBO & NBA and won WBF & vacant IBA Light Heavyweight titles. |
| Win |
44–1 |
Derrick Harmon |
RTD |
10 (12), 3:00 |
2001-02-24 |
Ice Palace, Tampa, Florida |
Retained WBC, WBA (Super), IBF & IBO and won NBA Light Heavyweight titles. |
| Win |
43–1 |
Eric Harding |
RTD |
10 (12), 3:00 |
2000-09-09 |
New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana |
Retained WBC, WBA & IBF and won IBO Light Heavyweight titles. |
| Win |
42–1 |
Richard Hall |
TKO |
11 (12), 1:41 |
2000-05-13 |
Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana |
Retained WBC, WBA & IBF Light Heavyweight titles. |
| Win |
41–1 |
David Telesco |
UD |
12 |
2000-01-15 |
Radio City Music Hall, New York, New York |
Retained WBC, WBA & IBF Light Heavyweight titles. |
| Win |
40–1 |
Reggie Johnson |
UD |
12 |
1999-06-05 |
Grand Casino Biloxi, Biloxi, Mississippi |
Retained WBC & WBA and won IBF Light Heavyweight titles. |
| Win |
39–1 |
Richard Frazier |
TKO |
2 (12), 2:59 |
1999-01-09 |
Civic Center, Pensacola, Florida |
Retained WBC & WBA Light Heavyweight titles. |
| Win |
38–1 |
Otis Grant |
TKO |
10 (12), 1:18 |
1998-11-14 |
Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket, Connecticut |
Retained WBC & WBA Light Heavyweight titles. |
| Win |
37–1 |
Lou Del Valle |
UD |
12 |
1998-07-18 |
The Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York, New York |
Retained WBC and won WBA Light Heavyweight titles. |
| Win |
36–1 |
Virgil Hill |
KO |
4 (12), 1:10 |
1998-04-25 |
Mississippi Coast Coliseum, Biloxi, Mississippi |
|
| Win |
35–1 |
Montell Griffin |
KO |
1 (12), 2:31 |
1997-08-07 |
Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket, Connecticut |
Won WBC Light Heavyweight title. |
| Loss |
34–1 |
Montell Griffin |
DQ |
9 (12), 2:27 |
1997-03-21 |
Trump Taj Mahal Casino & Resort, Atlantic City, New Jersey |
Lost WBC Light Heavyweight title. Disqualified for hitting a downed opponent. |
| Win |
34–0 |
Mike McCallum |
UD |
12 |
1996-11-22 |
Ice Palace, Tampa, Florida |
Won interim WBC Light Heavyweight title. |
| Win |
33–0 |
Bryant Brannon |
TKO |
2 (12), 2:23 |
1996-10-04 |
The Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York, New York |
Retained IBF Super Middleweight title. |
| Win |
32–0 |
 Eric Lucas |
RTD |
11 (12), 3:00 |
1996-06-15 |
Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum, Jacksonville, Florida |
Retained IBF Super Middleweight title. |
| Win |
31–0 |
 Merqui Sosa |
TKO |
2 (12), 2:36 |
1996-01-12 |
Madison Square Garden, New York, New York |
|
| Win |
30–0 |
Tony Thornton |
TKO |
3 (12), 0:45 |
1995-09-30 |
Civic Center, Pensacola, Florida |
Retained IBF Super Middleweight title. |
| Win |
29–0 |
Vinny Pazienza |
TKO |
6 (12), 2:58 |
1995-06-24 |
Atlantic City Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey |
Retained IBF Super Middleweight title. |
| Win |
28–0 |
Antoine Byrd |
TKO |
1 (12), 2:06 |
1995-03-18 |
Civic Center, Pensacola, Florida |
Retained IBF Super Middleweight title. |
| Win |
27–0 |
James Toney |
UD |
12 |
1994-11-18 |
MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada |
Won IBF Super Middleweight title. |
| Win |
26–0 |
Thomas Tate |
TKO |
2 (12), 0:30 |
1994-05-27 |
MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada |
Retained IBF Middleweight title. |
| Win |
25–0 |
Danny Garcia |
KO |
6 (10), 2:59 |
1994-03-22 |
University of West Florida Field House, Pensacola, Florida |
|
| Win |
24–0 |
 Fermin Chirino |
UD |
10 |
1993-11-30 |
Civic Center, Pensacola, Florida |
|
| Win |
23–0 |
 Thulani Malinga |
KO |
6 (10), 1:57 |
1993-08-14 |
Casino Magic, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi |
|
| Win |
22–0 |
Bernard Hopkins |
UD |
12 |
1993-05-22 |
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington D.C., Washington |
Won vacant IBF Middleweight title. |
| Win |
21–0 |
Glenn Wolfe |
TKO |
1 (10), 2:23 |
1993-02-13 |
Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada |
|
| Win |
20–0 |
Percy Harris |
TKO |
4 (12), 3:00 |
1992-12-05 |
Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City, New Jersey |
Won vacant WBC Continental Americas Super Middleweight title. |
| Win |
19–0 |
Glenn Thomas |
TKO |
8 (10), 3:00 |
1992-08-18 |
Bayfront Auditorium, Pensacola, Florida |
|
| Win |
18–0 |
 Jorge Castro |
UD |
10 |
1992-06-30 |
Civic Center, Pensacola, Florida |
|
| Win |
17–0 |
 Art Serwano |
KO |
1 (10), 1:40 |
1992-04-03 |
Reno-Sparks Convention Center, Reno, Nevada |
|
| Win |
16–0 |
Jorge Vaca |
KO |
1 (10), 1:45 |
1992-01-10 |
Paramount Theatre, New York, New York |
|
| Win |
15–0 |
Lester Yarbrough |
KO |
8 (10), ? |
1991-08-31 |
Interstate Fairgrounds, Pensacola, Florida |
|
| Win |
14–0 |
Kevin Daigle |
TKO |
2 (10), ? |
1991-08-03 |
Interstate Fairgrounds, Pensacola, Florida |
|
| Win |
13–0 |
Eddie Evans |
TKO |
3 (10), ? |
1991-04-13 |
Pensacola, Florida |
|
| Win |
12–0 |
Ricky Stackhouse |
KO |
1 (10), 0:46 |
1991-01-31 |
Bayfront Auditorium, Pensacola, Florida |
|
| Win |
11–0 |
Reggie Miller |
TKO |
5 (10), ? |
1990-11-08 |
Bayfront Auditorium, Pensacola, Florida |
|
| Win |
10–0 |
Rollin Williams |
KO |
4 (10), 2:56 |
1990-09-25 |
Pensacola, Florida |
|
| Win |
9–0 |
Tony Waddles |
KO |
1 (10), 2:02 |
1990-07-14 |
Bayfront Auditorium, Pensacola, Florida |
|
| Win |
8–0 |
Ron Johnson |
KO |
2 (10), 2:28 |
1990-05-11 |
Bayfront Auditorium, Pensacola, Florida |
|
| Win |
7–0 |
Knox Brown |
TKO |
3 (10), 2:20 |
1990-03-28 |
Interstate Fairgrounds, Pensacola, Florida |
|
| Win |
6–0 |
Billy Mitchem |
TKO |
2 (8), 2:57 |
1990-02-28 |
Interstate Fairgrounds, Pensacola, Florida |
|
| Win |
5–0 |
Joe Edens |
KO |
2 (8), ? |
1990-01-08 |
County Fairgrounds, Mobile, Alabama |
|
| Win |
4–0 |
David McCluskey |
TKO |
3 (8), 2:00 |
1989-11-30 |
Bayfront Auditorium, Pensacola, Florida |
|
| Win |
3–0 |
Ron Amundsen |
TKO |
7 (8), 2:43 |
1989-09-03 |
Civic Center, Pensacola, Florida |
|
| Win |
2–0 |
Stephan Johnson |
TKO |
8 (8), 2:04 |
1989-06-11 |
Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey |
|
| Win |
1–0 |
Ricky Randall |
TKO |
2 (8), 2:46 |
1989-05-06 |
Civic Center, Pensacola, Florida |
|
Major World Titles:
Minor World Titles:
The Ring/Lineal Championship Titles:
Regional/International Titles:
Roy Jones, Jr., was born in Pensacola, Florida,[23] to two very different parents. His mother, Carol, was warm and easy-going, whereas his father, Roy Sr., was much like a Marine Drill Instructor with respect to his son. A decorated Vietnam veteran, ex-club fighter and retired aircraft engineer who had taken up hog farming, Roy Sr. was hard on his son from early on, taunting the child, ``sparring'` with him, enraging Roy Jr., yelling at him and beating the child, often for 20 minutes at a time. This behavior never really changed; if anything it became more brutal as Roy Jr. grew up. Many people would call the father's treatment out-and-out abuse, but he believed he had a good reason for it: to make Roy Jr. tough enough to be a champion. In this pursuit, he was relentless and Roy Jr. lived in constant fear of his father's verbal and physical violence against him.[citation needed]
Jones described his childhood in Sports Illustrated: ``After a while I didn't care about gettin' hurt or dyin' anymore. I was in pain all day, every day, I was so scared of my father. He'd pull up in his truck and start lookin' for something I'd done wrong. There was no escape, no excuse, no way out of nothin'. ... Getting' hurt or dyin' might've been better than the life I was livin'. ... Used to think about killin' myself anyway.'` There's no way to know whether or not Jones would have become a world champion fighter without this extremely punitive upbringing, but there's little question it toughened the young man.[citation needed]
Roy Sr. ran his own boxing gym, to which he devoted all his available time and financial resources. He offered direction and useful discipline to numerous youths and steered many of them away from trouble. Roy Sr. did everything possible to expand the program and help more kids. But towards his own son he was merciless, driving Roy Jr. to the brink of exhaustion, screaming at him in front of all the other fighters, assaulting him. Roy Sr.'s father had been a hard-working laborer and had been tough on him the way he was on Roy Jr. But Jones, the world champion boxer, will not continue this line of treatment. He is very attuned to others' anguish; on his web site, he says, ``What gets [me] down?'` is watching other people be hurt and mistreated.'` It is a feeling he has known very well.[citation needed]
Using his birds as an image for his own predicament, Jones said in the same Sports Illustrated piece: ``I spent all my life in my dad's cage. I could never be 100 percent of who I am until I left it. But because of him, nothing bothers me. I'll never face anything stronger and harder than what I already have.'` Jones' father, with his overbearing and overwhelming personality, had created a powerful craving in the boxer—the need to become his own man.
Former Heavyweight Champion George Foreman said Jones, "hits like a heavyweight and moves like a lightweight."
Boxer Montell Griffin, who faced Jones twice at 175 lbs and sparred with Floyd Mayweather Jr. at 140 lbs said, "Floyd was no comparison as far as speed. Roy was much faster."
In 1996, High Frequency Boxing's John DiMaio wrote ``The early evidence points toward the real possibility that Jones is the greatest talent this sport has ever seen. His skill so dwarfs that of his nearest ranked opposition...that providing competitive opponents is a more challenging dilemma than the fights themselves.'` The expert opinion of Boxing magazine's editor, Bert Sugar, is provided on Jones' website: ``He possesses the fastest hands in boxing with lightning fast moves and explosive power in both hands.'` After Mike MacCallum lost the World Boxing Council light heavyweight crown to Roy Jones in a 1996 unanimous decision, he called Jones ``the greatest fighter of all time.'`
Selected Awards: Ring Sports Magazine—1993 Fighter of the Year; 1995 Man of the Year; 1996 Sportsman of the Year. Ring, Boxing Illustrated, and Boxing Scene magazines—1994 Fighter of the Year. International Boxing Federation—1995 Fighter of the Year and 1995 Fighter of Unlimited Potential. ESPN ESPY Award—1995 Boxer of the Year. The Sports Network-Boxer of the Decade. Boxing Illustrated's Budweiser ratings, June 1995 onward—Best Pound-for-Pound Fighter in the World. March of Dimes—1995 Honorary Chairman. KO—1996 Best Pound-for-Pound Fighter in the World and 1996 Best Fighter in the World. Congress of Racial Equality—1996 Outstanding Achievement Award. American Association for the Improvement of Boxing (the Marciano Foundation)--1996 Humanitarian of the Year. Boxing 1996—Best Pound-for Pound Fighter in the World. Harlem Globetrotters—Honorary Ambassador of Goodwill (1997). Escambia-Pensacola Human Relations Commission—1997 Olive Branch Award, for humanitarianism.
| Roy Jones, Jr. |
| Birth name |
Roy Lavesta Jones, Jr. |
| Born |
(1969-01-16) January 16, 1969 (age 43) |
| Origin |
Pensacola, Florida, United States |
| Genres |
Hip hop, Southern Hip Hop, Crunk, Dirty South |
| Occupations |
Boxer, rapper, actor, promoter, sports commentator |
| Years active |
2001–present |
| Labels |
Body Head Entertainment |
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.
- 2001: "Y'all Must've Forgot"
- 2001: "And Still"
- 2009: "Battle of the Super Powers"
| Awards |
Preceded by
Inaugural Award |
BWAA Fighter of the Decade
1990–1999 |
Succeeded by
Manny Pacquiao |
Preceded by
Michael Carbajal |
Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year
1994 |
Succeeded by
Oscar De La Hoya |
| Achievements |
Preceded by
James Toney
Vacated |
IBF Middleweight Champion
May 25, 1993 –1994 |
Succeeded by
Vacancy filled by
Bernard Hopkins |
Preceded by
James Toney |
IBF Super Middleweight Champion
November 18, 1994 – 1997 |
Succeeded by
Vacancy filled by
Charles Brewer |
Preceded by
Fabrice Tiozzo
Vacated |
WBC Light Heavyweight Champion
November 22, 1996 – March 21, 1997
Initially interim title |
Succeeded by
Montell Griffin |
Preceded by
Montell Griffin |
WBC Light Heavyweight Champion
August 07, 1997–2002 |
Succeeded by
Vacancy filled by
Antonio Tarver |
Preceded by
Lou Del Valle |
WBA Light Heavyweight Champion
July 18, 1998 – December 12, 2001
Promoted |
Succeeded by
Bruno Girard
as Regular champion |
Preceded by
Reggie Johnson |
IBF Light Heavyweight Champion
June 5, 1999 – September 7, 2002 |
Succeeded by
Vacancy filled by
Antonio Tarver |
Preceded by
N/A
Inaugural champion |
WBA Light Heavyweight Champion
Super title
December 12, 2001 – 2002 |
Succeeded by
Himself
Title reinstated |
Preceded by
John Ruiz |
WBA Heavyweight Champion
March 1, 2003 – February 20, 2004 |
Succeeded by
John Ruiz
Interim champion elevated |
Preceded by
Antonio Tarver |
WBC Light Heavyweight Champion
Nov 08 2003 – May 15, 2004 |
Succeeded by
Antonio Tarver |
Preceded by
Himself
Title reinstated |
WBA Light Heavyweight Super Champion
Nov 08 2003 – May 15, 2004 |
Preceded by
Michael Spinks
Vacated |
The Ring Light Heavyweight Champion
2002 – May 15, 2004 |
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Awarded to the outstanding and most stylistic boxer of each Olympic Games
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