Coordinates: 29°45′39″N 95°21′54″W / 29.760876°N 95.364994°W / 29.760876; -95.364994

Jones Hall in Houston, Texas

The Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, commonly known as Jones Hall, is a performance venue in Houston, Texas, and the permanent home of the Houston Symphony Orchestra and the Houston Society for the Performing Arts.

Jones Hall is also frequently rented as a venue for contemporary pop musicians and other performers and is estimated to draw over 400,000 audience members yearly.

History[link]

Officially completed on October 2, 1966 at the cost of $7.4 million, it is named after Jesse H. Jones, a former United States Secretary of Commerce and Houstonian. (For the Hall's opening concert a special work was commissioned of the American composer Alan Hovhaness, the appropriately titled 'Ode to the Temple of Sound'). Construction of the hall was underwritten by Houston Endowment, Inc., a foundation endowed by Jones and his wife. Upon completion, the hall was donated to the city, and today is operated by the Houston First Corporation.

Designed by the Houston-based architectural firm Caudill Rowlett Scott, the hall, which takes up an entire city block, features a white Italian marble exterior with eight-story tall columns. The interior includes a basement and a sub-basement which houses a rehearsal room. The lobby is dominated by a 60-foot (18 m) high ceiling featuring a massive hanging bronze sculpture by Richard Lippold entitled "Gemini II". The inside of the concert hall itself is unique in that the ceiling is made of 800 hexagonal segments which can be raised or lowered to change the acoustics of the hall. The segments can actually be lowered enough to close the upper balcony, so the seating capacity therefore fluctuates from about 2,300 with the balcony covered to 2,908 with the balcony open. The building won the 1967 American Institute of Architects' Honor Award, which is bestowed on only one building annually.

The acoustics were designed by the firm Bolt, Beranek and Newman, who also designed New York's Avery Fisher Hall and San Francisco's Davies Hall, both of which have also been subject to much criticism. However, the only renovations since the hall's construction have been unrelated. In 1993, it was renovated to bring it in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. From 2001-2003, a $24 million renovation took place to reaffix marble panels which had begun to fall from the building's exterior façade, to renovate parts of the building that had been flooded during 2001's Tropical Storm Allison, and to remove asbestos from the interior.

See also[link]

List of Major Concert Halls

External links[link]

• Jones Hall homepage
• Jones Hall at the Handbook of Texas Online

George Jones
Jones performing at Harrah's Metropolis in Metropolis, Illinois in June 2002
Background information
Birth name	George Glenn Jones
Also known as	No Show Jones[1] The Possum[1]
Born	(1931-09-12) September 12, 1931 (age 80) Saratoga, Texas, USA
Origin	Vidor, Texas, USA
Genres	Country
Occupations	singer-songwriter
Instruments	acoustic guitar vocals
Years active	1954–present
Labels	Starday Mercury United Artists Musicor Epic MCA Nashville Asylum Bandit
Associated acts	Tammy Wynette, Merle Haggard
Website	www.GeorgeJones.com

George Glenn Jones (born September 12, 1931) is an American country music singer known for his long list of hit records, his distinctive voice and phrasing, and his marriage to Tammy Wynette.

Over the past 20 years, Jones has frequently been referred to as the greatest living country singer.^[2][3] Country music scholar Bill C. Malone writes, "For the two or three minutes consumed by a song, Jones immerses himself so completely in its lyrics, and in the mood it conveys, that the listener can scarcely avoid becoming similarly involved."

Throughout his long career, Jones made headlines often as much for tales of his drinking, stormy relationships with women, and violent rages as for his prolific career of making records and touring. His wild lifestyle led to Jones missing many performances, earning him the nickname "No Show Jones."^[1] With the help of his fourth wife, Nancy, he has been sober for over 10 years. Jones has had more than 150 hits during his career, both as a solo artist and in duets with other artists. The shape of his nose and facial features have given Jones the nickname "The Possum." Jones said in an interview that he has chosen to tour only about 60 dates a year.

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

George Glenn Jones was born on September 12, 1931 in Saratoga, Texas, and was raised in Vidor, Texas, with his brother and five sisters.^[4] When he was seven, his parents bought a radio and he heard country music for the first time. Given a guitar when he was nine, Jones was soon busking for money on the streets of Beaumont.

He left home at 16 and went to Jasper, Texas, where he sang and played on the radio station. He married his first wife Dorothy when he was 19, but they divorced within a year. The Korean War was underway, and he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He was stationed in California for his entire service. Not long after his discharge, his music career took off.^[5]

Wild years[link]

Jones's identity was closely tied to his alcoholism. One of the best known stories of Jones' drinking days happened when he was married to his second wife, Shirley Corley. Jones recalled Shirley making it physically impossible for him to travel to Beaumont, located 8 miles away, and buy liquor. Because Jones would not walk that far, she would hide the keys to each of their cars they owned before leaving. She, however, did not hide the keys to the lawn mower. Jones recollects being upset at not being able to find any keys before looking out the window and at a light that shone over their property. He then described his thoughts, saying: "There, gleaming in the glow, was that ten-horsepower rotary engine under a seat. A key glistening in the ignition. I imagine the top speed for that old mower was five miles per hour. It might have taken an hour and a half or more for me to get to the liquor store, but get there I did."^[6]

In her 1979 autobiography, former wife Tammy Wynette recalled waking at 1 AM to find her husband gone: "I got into the car and drove to the nearest bar 10 miles away. When I pulled into the parking lot there sat our rider-mower right by the entrance. He'd driven that mower right down a main highway. He looked up and saw me and said, `Well, fellas, here she is now. My little wife, I told you she'd come after me.'"^[7]

Jones later jokingly sang of the lawn mower incident in his 1996 single "Honky Tonk Song", and parodied his arrest in the music video.

In the 1970s, a manager introduced Jones to cocaine before a show, because he was too tired to perform. His self-destructive behavior brought him close to death and he was in an Alabama psychiatric hospital by the end of the decade. Celebrated by some of his fans as the hard-drinkin', fast-livin' spiritual-son of his idol, Hank Williams, Jones missed so many engagements that he gained the nickname of "No-Show Jones." (The song "No-Show Jones" makes fun of Jones and other country singers.) He was often penniless and admits that Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash came to his financial aid during this time.

Poking fun at his past, three country music videos would feature Jones arriving on a riding lawn mower. The first was Hank Williams, Jr's "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight" in 1984 while the second was Vince Gill's "One More Last Chance" in 1993. Gill's song mentioned the mower with the lines "She might have took my car keys, but she forgot about my old John Deere." At the end of Gill's video, he is leaving the golf course on a John Deere tractor and greets Jones with "Hey, possum." Jones, arriving at the golf course driving a John Deere riding lawn mower with a set of golf clubs mounted behind him, replies to Gill "Hey, sweet pea." The third is John Rich's "Country Done Come to Town" and shows George mowing grass on the rooftop on a zero turn mower.

The Jones Boys band[link]

George Jones has had many great musicians over the years, with many finding much success in Nashville as session players and singers. These singers include: Hank Singer, Brittany Allyn, Sonny Curtis, Ron Gaddis, Kent Goodson, Bobby Burkhead, Dan Schafer^[8] and Steve Hinson.

Marriages[link]

Jones was married twice before he was 24. His 1950 marriage to Dorothy Bonvillion lasted a year, but they had a daughter, Susan. In 1954, Jones married Shirley Ann Corley. This marriage lasted until 1968 and produced two sons, Jeffrey and Bryan. He married Tammy Wynette in 1969. They stayed married for six years and had a daughter, Tamala Georgette. As Georgette Jones, she is a country singer and has performed on stage with her father. Jones married his current wife, Nancy Sepulvado, on March 4, 1983 in Woodville, Texas. Nancy became his manager. Jones credits his wife Nancy for rescuing him from drinking and cocaine. They now live in Franklin, Tennessee.

Wives[link]

• Dorothy Bonvillion (1950 – 1951) (divorced) 1 daughter
• Shirley Ann Corley (September 14, 1954 – June 11, 1968) (divorced) 2 sons
• Tammy Wynette (February 16, 1969 – March 13, 1975) (divorced) 1 daughter
• Nancy Sepulvado (March 4, 1983 – present)

Awards and honors[link]

Jones has received many honors during his long career, from Most Promising New Country Vocalist in 1956, being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1992, and being named a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2008. In 2012 he was presented with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement award. At the ceremony his longtime friend Merle Haggard paid tribute to him.^[9]

He served as judge in 2008 for the 8th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.^[10]

Number one country hits[link]

1. "White Lightning" (1959)
2. "Tender Years" (1961)
3. "She Thinks I Still Care" (1962)
4. "Walk Through This World with Me" (1967)
5. "We're Gonna Hold On" (with Tammy Wynette) (1973)
6. "The Grand Tour (song)" (1974)
7. "The Door (George Jones song)" (1975)
8. "Golden Ring (song)" (with Tammy Wynette) (1976)
9. "Near You" (with Tammy Wynette) (1977)
10. "He Stopped Loving Her Today" (1980)
11. "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool" (with Barbara Mandrell) (1981)
12. "Still Doin' Time" (1981)
13. "Yesterday's Wine" (with Merle Haggard) (1982)
14. "I Always Get Lucky with You" (1983)

Discography[link]

See also[link]

	Biography portal
	United States Marine Corps portal

• Academy of Country Music
• List of country musicians
• Country Music Association
• List of best-selling music artists
• Inductees of the Country Music Hall of Fame (1992 inductee)

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• I Lived to Tell it All, George Jones with Tom Carter, Dell Publishing, 1997, ISBN 0-440-22373-3
• In The Country of Country: A Journey to the Roots of American Music, Nicholas Dawidoff, Vintage Books, 1998, ISBN 0-375-70082-X
• Country Music U.S.A., Bill C. Malone, University of Texas Press, 1985, ISBN 0-292-71096-8
• Joel Whitburn's Top Country Songs, 1944 to 2005, Record Research, Inc., Menomonee Falls, WS, 2005, ISBN 0-89820-165-9

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: George Jones (musician)

• Official Website
• A Tribute to the Greatest Country Song of All Time
• Official MySpace
• George Jones Country Sausage
• Record Label
• at the Country Music Hall of Fame

Roy Jones, Jr.
Statistics
Real name	Roy Levesta Jones Jr.
Nickname(s)	Junior Superman RJ Captain Hook
Rated at	Middleweight Super Middleweight Light Heavyweight Heavyweight Cruiserweight
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Reach	74 in (188 cm)
Nationality	American
Born	(1969-01-16) January 16, 1969 (age 43) Pensacola, Florida, USA
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	63
Wins	55
Wins by KO	40
Losses	8
Draws	0
No contests	0
Medal record Men's Boxing Silver 1988 Seoul Korea Light-Middleweight

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]

Boxing career[link]

Amateur career[link]

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.

Professional career[link]

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.

Roy Jones vs. Bernard Hopkins[link]

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.

Roy Jones vs. James Toney[link]

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.

Career from 1996 to 2002[link]

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.

Roy Jones vs Mike McCallum[link]

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.

Roy Jones vs. Montell Griffin I & II[link]

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.

1998-2002[link]

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.

WBA Heavyweight Champion[link]

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]

Roy Jones vs. Antonio Tarver[link]

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]

Fall From Grace[link]

Roy Jones vs. Antonio Tarver II & Roy Jones vs. Glen Johnson[link]

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.

Roy Jones vs. Antonio Tarver III[link]

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).

Fallout with HBO[link]

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]}

Comeback Trail[link]

Back to winning ways[link]

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.

Roy Jones vs. Félix Trinidad[link]

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.

Roy Jones vs. Joe Calzaghe[link]

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.

Recent fights (2009)[link]

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 vs. Bernard Hopkins II[link]

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.

Roy Jones vs. Denis Lebedev[link]

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.

Roy Jones vs. Max Alexander[link]

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.

Roy Jones vs. Dawid Kostecki[link]

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]

Professional boxing record[link]

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

Titles in boxing[link]

Major World Titles:

• IBF Middleweight Champion (160 lbs)
• IBF Super Middleweight Champion (168 lbs)
• WBC Light Heavyweight Champion (175 lbs)
• WBA Light Heavyweight Champion (175 lbs)
• IBF Light Heavyweight Champion (175 lbs)
• WBA Heavyweight Champion (+200 lbs)
• (2) WBC Light Heavyweight Champion (175 lbs)
• (2) WBA Light Heavyweight Champion (175 lbs)

Minor World Titles:

• IBO Light Heavyweight Champion (175 lbs)
• NBA Light Heavyweight Champion (175 lbs)
• WBF Light Heavyweight Champion (175 lbs)
• IBA Light Heavyweight Champion (175 lbs)
• IBC Light Heavyweight Champion (175 lbs)

The Ring/Lineal Championship Titles:

• The Ring Light Heavyweight Champion (175 lbs)

Regional/International Titles:

• WBC Continental Americas Super Middleweight Champion (168 lbs)
• WBO NABO Light Heavyweight Champion (175 lbs)
• (2) WBO NABO Light Heavyweight Champion (175 lbs)
• UBO Intercontinental Cruiserweight Champion (200 lbs)

Personal life[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2011)

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.'`

Awards[link]

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.

Music career[link]

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[link]

Album[link]

With Body Head Bangerz[link]

Solo singles[link]

• 2001: "Y'all Must've Forgot"
• 2001: "And Still"
• 2009: "Battle of the Super Powers"

Featured singles[link]

• 2004: "Can't Be Touched"

Filmography[link]

• Married... with Children, Torch Song Duet (1996) – himself^[24]
• The Devil's Advocate (1997) – uncredited^[24]
• New Jersey Turnpikes (1999) – unknown^[24]
• The Wayans Brothers, Rope-a-Dope (1999) – himself^[24]
• The Matrix Reloaded (2003) – Captain Ballard^[24]
• Enter The Matrix (2003) – Captain Ballard^[24]
• Cordially Invited (2007) – Lenny Banks^[24]
• Universal Soldier: A New Dimension (2012)^[24]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Professional boxing record for Roy Jones, Jr. from BoxRec
• Roy Jones Jr's Official Blog
• Roy-Jones.net
• Roy Jones Jr. Fight-by-Fight Career Record
• Boxing-Encyclopedia
• "One Tough Bird" – a 1995 Sports Illustrated feature article by Gary Smith.