Roy Jones Jr.

For the English footballer, see Roy Jones (footballer).
Roy Jones Jr.

Jones in 2012
Statistics
Real name Roy Levesta Jones Jr.
Nickname(s)
  • Junior
  • Superman
  • RJ
  • Captain Hook
Rated at
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Reach 74 in (188 cm)
Nationality
  • American
  • Russian
Born (1969-01-16) January 16, 1969
Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights 73
Wins 64
Wins by KO 46
Losses 9

Roy Levesta Jones Jr. (born January 16, 1969) is an American professional boxer, boxing commentator, boxing trainer, rapper, and actor who holds dual American and Russian citizenship. He has won numerous world titles in the middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight divisions, and is the only boxer in history to start his professional career as a light middleweight and go on to win a heavyweight title. As an amateur he represented the United States at the 1988 Summer Olympics, winning a silver medal in the light middleweight division.

Jones, who is considered by many to be one of the best boxers of all time, pound for pound, left his mark in the sport's history when he won the WBA heavyweight title in 2003, becoming the first former middleweight champion to win a heavyweight title in 106 years. He also became the undisputed light heavyweight champion in 1999, by unifying the WBA, WBC, and IBF titles.

The Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) named Jones as the "Fighter of the Decade" for the 1990s. He was also named Fighter of the Year for 2003 by the World Boxing Hall of Fame.

During his prime, Jones was known for possessing exceptional hand speed, athleticism, movement and reflexes.

Amateur career

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.[1] 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.[1] Allegedly, Park himself apologized to Jones afterward and the referee told Jones that he was dumbstruck by the judges' decision.[2] One judge shortly thereafter admitted the decision was a mistake and all three judges voting against Jones were eventually suspended. An official IOC investigation ending in 1997 found that, although the offending judges had been wined and dined by South Korean organisers, there was no evidence of corruption in the boxing events in Seoul.[3] 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.[2]

Professional career

Early years

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 two 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.

Middleweight title

Roy Jones vs. Bernard Hopkins

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 was ahead on all three judges scorecards (116-112 three times).[4] Jones landed 206 of 594 punches (35%) and Hopkins connected on 153 of 670 (23%).[4] 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.

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.

Super Middleweight title

Roy Jones vs. James Toney

On November 18, 1994, Jones was set to face undefeated IBF Super Middleweight Champion James Toney, who was ranked highly in the "pound for pound" rankings. Toney was undefeated after 46 bouts and was rated the best in the world at 168 lbs. Billed as "The Uncivil War", Toney vs. Jones was heavily hyped and on PPV. 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, utilizing his speed and athleticsm to dictate the action, and landing quick combinations whenever Toney pressured him. Jones scored a flash knockdown in the third round with a leaping left hook after goading Toney by imitating a fighting cock.[5] Ring magazine called Jones' performance the most dominant of any big fight in 20 years. Jones landed 285 of 614 punches (46%) and Toney connected on 157 of 451 (35%). Jones was ahead on all three judges scorecards (117-110, 119-108 & 118-109). The fight generated 300,000 pay-per-view buys.[6]

Miscellaneous defenses

In 1995, Jones defended his super middleweight title successfully multiple times. He began the year by knocking out IBF #1 Antoine Byrd in round one. This was the first time a championship fight took place at Pensacola. In a fight billed as 'The Devil & Mr Jones', he faced former IBF Lightweight Champion Vinny Pazienza and defeated him in round six, after knocking down Pazienza three times. In the fourth round, Jones became the first fighter in CombuBox history to go an entire round without being hit by his opponent. Pazienza was credited with throwing five punches and landing zero. Pazienza was guaranteed $1.35 million, while Jones, who worked off percentages of the gate and the pay-per-view revenue, was guaranteed at least $2 million. Jones then beat Tony Thornton in round two by KO three months later.

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 his 3rd bout of the year, taking questions from a chair in the middle of the ring and defending his choice of Bryant Brannon as his opponent instead of Frankie Liles, his nemesis from the amateurs. He then defeated Bryant Brannon in a round two TKO.

Light Heavyweight title

Roy Jones vs Mike McCallum

In November 1996 at Ice Palace, Tampa, Florida, Jones defeated 40-year-old former three-weight world champion Mike McCallum via a shutout decision (120-107, 3 times) before a crowd of 12,000, to win the vacant Interim WBC Light Heavyweight title. Jones scored a knockdown just before the bell at the end of round 10. Jones landed 254 of 535 punches (47%) throughout the 12 rounds and McCallum connected on 209 of 651 (32%) Jones was soon upgraded to full champion by the WBC when former titlist Fabrice Tiozzo moved up to cruiserweight. Jones made $2.8 million from the fight and McCallum got $750,000.[7]

Roy Jones vs. Montell Griffin I & II

In 1997 Jones had his first professional loss, a disqualification against Montell Griffin (26-0, 18 KOs) at the Taj Majal Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. 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. At the time of disqualification, Jones was ahead on two of the judges scorecards (75-76, 77-75, 76-75).[8]

Jones sought an immediate rematch five months later at Foxwoods Resort, Connecticut, USA 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. The fight took place in a bingo hall before a sellout crowd of 4,500. Both Jones and Griffin earned a $1.5 million purse.

Career from 1998 to 2002

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, despite the fact that boxers are obligated to fight mandatory opponents to keep their belts. Dariusz Michalczewski's refusal to travel to the United States to face Jones in a unification bout only complicated matters further. Jones answered all of these critics 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.

The year 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.[9] 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 a crowd of 20,409. The three judges scored it (119-106, 118-107, 119-106) all for Jones. Jones knocked Gonzalez down in rounds one, five and twelve and earned a $1.5 million purse. Jones landed 192 of 375 punches (51%) whilst Gonzalez connected on a very low 91 of 609 (15%).

In 2002, Jones retained his title by knocking out Australian boxer Glen Kelly in seven rounds via knockout. Jones put both hands behind his back. As Kelly moved in behind a jab, Jones went over the jab with a right to the head. Kelly went down and was counted out. Jones landed 124 of 249 punches (50%) and Kelly connected on 42 of 171 (25%). Before 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.[10]

Jones then defeated future world champion, WBC #1 Clinton Woods by technical knockout before a crowd of 16,229. He performed a song from his CD during his ring entrance. The bout was stopped in round 6 after Woods' corner threw in the towel. Jones landed 140 of 300 punches (47%) and Woods connected on 39 of 166 (23%).

WBA Heavyweight Champion

Roy Jones vs. John Ruiz

On March 1, 2003, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas,[11] Roy Jones defeated John Ruiz, the man who defeated an aging Evander Holyfield, for the WBA Heavyweight title in front of 15,300 fans. Jones officially weighed in at 193 lb (88 kg)[12] and Ruiz at 226 lb (103 kg). Jones became the first former Middleweight title holder to win a Heavyweight title in 106 years.[13] Jones also became the first fighter to start his career as a light middleweight and win a heavyweight title.[14] Jones was guaranteed $10 million against 60% of the profits. Ruiz had no guarantee. He received 40% of the profits, which he had to share with promoter Don King. Jones won on all three scorecards (116-112, 118-110 & 117-111). According to Mark Taffet, HBO's Senior Vice-President of Sports Operations and Pay-Per-View, the fight generated 602,000 pay-per-view buys.[15]

Roy Jones vs. Antonio Tarver

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.[16] 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.[16]

Fall from grace

Roy Jones vs. Antonio Tarver II

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.

Roy Jones vs. Glen Johnson

On September 25, 2004, Jones attempted to win the IBF Light Heavyweight title from Glen Johnson in a match in Memphis, Tennessee.[17] Johnson knocked out Jones 49 seconds into the ninth round. Jones lay on the canvas for three minutes after being counted out.[18] 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 November 1.

Roy Jones vs. Antonio 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, a sellout crowd of 20,895 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) and had Jones out on his feet in the 12th round. Tarver landed 158 of 620 punches (25%) and Jones connected on 85 of 320 (27%). Despite being clearly behind from early in the contest, there was little urgency in either Jones' corner or his performance as he seemed content to make it to the end of the fight following his back-to-back knockout losses.

In the post-fight interview with ESPN's Brian Kenny, Jones said that he would like to fight again. He would welcome a fourth bout with Tarver or another duel with Johnson. The fighters earned in excess of $4 million apiece plus a share of pay-per-view revenues, with the fight generating 440,000 pay-per-view buys.[19]

Fallout with HBO

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 TaylorBernard 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.

Comeback trail

Back to winning ways

Jones took on Prince Badi Ajamu (25-2-1, 14 KOs) on July 29, 2006, at the Qwest Arena in Boise, Idaho. Jones defeated Ajamu by a unanimous decision (119-106, 3 times), winning the WBO NABO Light Heavyweight title.[20] Ajamu won the first round on all three official scorecards, however it was the only round he won. Ajamu also lost two points for repeated low blows in round seven and one more in round eight.[21]

Next up for Jones was the undefeated 29 year old Anthony Hanshaw (24-0-1, 14 KOs), on July 14, 2007, at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi. Hanshaw was ranked 11th by the IBF at super middleweight. Hanshaw was knocked down in the 11th round.[22] Jones won the bout by unanimous decision (114-113, 117-110, 118-109) to claim the vacant International Boxing Council light heavyweight title.[22]

Roy Jones vs. Félix Trinidad

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.[23] Jones had a noticeable size and speed advantage, and in round seven, a short right hand to the temple dropped Trinidad to his knees.[24] Jones fired a combination in the tenth round to send Trinidad down once more.[25] Jones won the fight by scores of 117–109 and 116–110 (twice).[26] This was the first time a former Heavyweight Champion returned to fight successfully at 170 lbs. The fight generated 500,000 pay-per-view buys and $25 million in domestic television revenue. This was also the last fight of Trinidad's career.[27]

Roy Jones vs. Joe Calzaghe

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.

In the first round, Jones caught Calzaghe with an uppercut and knocked him down, as well as cutting the Welshman on the bridge of the nose. However, Jones failed to capitalize on the knock down. In the 2nd round Calzaghe began to control the action and dominated Jones throughout the remainder of the fight. As the fight progressed Jones absorbed more and more punishement and suffered a cut over his left eye. Jones' corner, who had never seen Roy cut before, didn't know how to properly handle the situation and blood covered the left side of his face. Ultimately, Jones lost by unanimous decision, winning only one round (10-8 in the first) on the 3 official judges cards. There was a crowd of 14,152. The fight generated 225,000 pay-per-view buys.[28]

Roy Jones vs. Omar Sheika

Jones defeated Omar Sheika (27-8, 18 KOs) on March 21, 2009 at the Civic Center, Pensacola, Florida, via fifth-round technical knockout to claim the vacant WBO NABO light heavyweight title. The fight was the main event of a pay-per-view titled "March Badness", which included both boxing and mixed martial arts matches. Sheika had previously defeated Glen Johnson, who had knocked out Jones in 2004 and came into this fight having lost six of his last ten bouts. It was only his second fight since September 2005. Jones came in ranked as the #6 light heavyweight in the world by The Ring. [29]

Roy Jones vs. Jeff Lacey

On August 15, 2009, Jones beat former Super Middleweight Champion Jeff Lacy (25-2, 17 KOs) in 10 rounds after Lacy's corner stopped the fight. The fight, billed as "Hook City", going off the boxers nicknames of 'Captain Hook' and 'Left Hook', took place at the Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi. Lacy had never been knocked out or stopped before. Lacy had tried to pin Jones on the ropes throughout the fight, but Jones was unaffected by the tactic and seemed more worried about playing to the crowd than about Lacy's punches. There was a discussion in Lacy's corner after the ninth round about stopping it, but Lacy, convinced his team to give him another round. Jones landed 249 of 500 punches (50%) while Lacy connected on 104 of 429 (24%). Jones was ahead on all three judges scorecards at the time of stoppage (99-91, 100-89, 98-92).[30]

Consecutive defeats

Roy Jones vs. Danny Green

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.[31] Then on December 2, 2009, following an extensive pre-fight delay due to hand wrap protests, Danny Green defeated Jones via first-round TKO.[32] Jones was initially gracious in his humbling defeat, stating that "We don't make excuses, it was a great performance by Danny."[33] However, less than a month later, Jones would launch a formal complaint, accusing Green of using illegal hand wraps and demanding his loss be overturned, though the decision was upheld.[34] Though Jones' rematch with Hopkins looked to be in trouble following Jones' loss, the two sides would officially come to an agreement in February 2010 for an April 3 bout.[35]

Roy Jones vs. Bernard Hopkins II

Roy Jones Jr. and Bernard Hopkins (50-5-1, 32 KOs) met in a rematch bout, on April 3, 2010 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, 17 years after their first fight. Jones entered with a record of 5-5 in his previous ten bouts dating back to May 2004 whilst Hopkins came in 4-1 since June 2006. After going the distance, Hopkins was awarded with a unanimous decision (118-109, 117-110 twice). Hopkins landed 184 of 526 punches (35%), while Jones connected on 82 of 274 (30%). Hopkins collapsed to his knees in his dressing room, drained from a brutal fight and exhausted by the end of his 17-year wait for revenge against Jones. The fight generated 150,000 pay-per-view buys.[36]

Roy Jones vs. Denis Lebedev

On May 21, 2011, Jones travelled to Russia to face Denis Lebedev (21-1, 16 KOs), who had just come off a controversial split decision loss to Marco Huck, at the Dynamo Palace of Sports in Krylatskoye. Lebedev was ranked #4 at cruiserweight by The Ring. Weighing in at 198 lbs, Jones looked slow and old. Despite this, he gave a decent showing and was heading for at least a msplitdecision loss at the beginning of the 10th round (84-87, 86-85 & 81-90). 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 handing Jones his third consecutive defeat. Jones lay on the canvas for several minutes before getting up.[37]

Cruiserweight

Roy Jones vs. Max Alexander

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 Universal Boxing Organisation (UBO) Intercontinental Cruiserweight Championship. The three judges scored the bout all in Jones' favour (100-90, 100-90 & 99-91). Jones rarely pressed over the first seven rounds, but put together several combinations in the eighth and 10th rounds to beat Alexander. After the fight, Jones said, "I'm feeling wonderful. I want a cruiserweight title, the world title", said Jones, who weighed in at 189 pounds. "This is just a start. I'm not through yet."[38]

Roy Jones vs. Paweł Głażewski

Jones was supposed to face Dawid Kostecki (39-1, 25 KOs) in a ten-round bout at Atlas Arena, Poland on June 30. Days before the fight, Kostecki was arrested on June 19 in order to begin serving a 2 and a half year prison sentence for a prior conviction of running a prostitution ring.[39] Jones negotiated his deal with 12 Knockout Promotions, the fight's promoter, he was assured that Kostecki would not start serving his sentence until after the fight. 12 Knockout Promotions tried to secure a temporary release for Kostecki but were unsuccessful. Paweł Głażewski (17-0, 4 KOs), who was on standby all week, stepped in as a replacement. Jones defeated Głażewski by split decision (96-93, 94-95 & 96-94).

Roy Jones vs. Zine Eddine Benmakhlouf

On December 21, 2013, Jones defeated Zine Eddine Benmakhlouf (17-3-1, 8 KOs) by unanimous decision for the vacant WBU Cruiserweight title at the Dynamo Palace of Sports in Krylatskoye in Moscow, Russia. The fight was billed as a "Winner Takes All" match, with the winner receiving the entire purse. Benmakhlouf took a knee after Jones wobbled him with a left hook early in the third round.[40] The judges scored the bout 120-108, 119-109 and 118-111.[41]

Miscellaneous fights

Jones, fighting at the Kipsala Exhibition Centre in Latvia, defeated Courtney Fry (18-5-0) via RTD in the 5th round on July 26, 2014. Jones was ahead on all three judges scorecards by the end of the fourth round, (50-44, 50-44 & 50-45).[42] On September 26, 2014, Jones defeated Hany Atiyo via 1st-round KO after 75 seconds. This fight took place at The Basket Hall in Krasnodar, Russia. This was a second straight stoppage and fifth consecutive victory for Jones.[43] Jones' next bout, for the first time 4 years, took place in USA at the Cabarrus Arena in Concord, North Carolina and ultimately saw him defeat Willy Williams via 2nd-round TKO.[44] Near the end of the same month on March 28, Jones was again back in the ring, this time against Paul Vasquez (10-6-1, 3 KOs), defeating him via 1st-round TKO for the WBU (German Version) Cruiserweight title at the Pensacola Bay Center in Florida.[45] On August 16, 2015, Jones scored his 62nd professional victory and 45th knockout win by defeating Eric Watkins via 6th-round KO.[46]

Roy Jones vs. Enzo Maccarinelli

On October 28, 2015, it was announced that Jones would be fighting ex-WBO cruiserweight champion Enzo Maccarinelli, 35, who had a career record of 40 wins and 7 losses, for the WBA 'super' world cruiserweight title. However, this was a 'false rumour'. It was however announced that they would fight on December 12, 2015 in a non-title Cruiserweight battle.[47] This was Jones' first fight since being granted Russian citizenship and he was going into it with 8 straight victories, with the last 4 inside the distance.[48] The fight took place at the VTB Arena in Moscow.

After an evenly matched 3 rounds, the 4th round started more in Maccarinelli's favour. Halfway through the round, Maccarinelli dropped Jones with an uppercut. Jones beat the count and carried on for 10–12 seconds more with his gloves to his face, eating several more uppercuts. Against the ropes, he then absorbed a huge right hook which caused him to stiffen and fall face down on the canvas. Referee Ingo Barrabas waved off the fight in what was Jones' 9th career defeat, the 5th by KO.[49]

Roy Jones vs. Vyron Phillips

On March 20, 2016, Jones fought in Phoenix, Arizona at the Celebrity Theatre against 33-year-old MMA fighter Vyron Phillips, who had won the right to fight him after having been selected through a vote on Facebook. Phillips, who fought in his first boxing match, was 5-3 in MMA bouts and 6-1 as an amateur boxer. Phillips would have received $100,000 if he had knocked Jones out, but was knocked down in the second round by Jones.[50] The referee then stopped the fight.[51]

Roy Jones vs. Rodney Moore

Square Ring Promotions announced on July 29, Jones would return to his hometown, Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Florida on August 13 against journeyman "Rockin'" Rodney Moore (17-11-2, 7 KOs) in a cruiserweight bout. The fight headlined the "Island Fights 38" card, an ongoing series that combines boxing matches and MMA bouts on the same show. Jones last fought in Pensacola in March 2015, when he knocked out Paul Vasquez in the first round. Moore did not fight between 2005 and 2012 and has lost nine consecutive fights, although only one of them came by knockout. That was a second-round stoppage to top cruiserweight contender Murat Gassiev 13 months ago.[52] On fight night, in front of more than 5,000 fans in attendance, in a slow-paced affair, Jones won a one-sided 10 round unanimous decision with shutout scores of 100-90 on all three cards.[53]

It was noted that Jones incurred a tear in his right bicep in round five and fought the rest of the bout one handed and admitted after the bout the healing time required for his torn right bicep probably meant the end of his long career.[54] In October, Jones stated his intentions to continue fighting on and not retiring from the sport.[55]

Roy Jones vs. Bobby Gunn

On December 2, David Feldman Promotions confirmed a fight between Jones and undefeated bare-knuckle fighter and former world title challenger Bobby Gunn would be announced for February 17, 2017 for the vacant WBF Cruiserweight championship at a press conference on December 6 at the Chase Center in Delaware. At the time of announcement, Gunn was a former IBA cruiserweight Champion and current Bare Knuckle Heavyweight Champion having a record of 72-0 with 72 knockouts.[56]

Professional boxing record

Professional record summary
73 fights 64 wins 9 losses
By knockout 46 5
By decision 18 3
By disqualification 0 1
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
74 N/A N/A Canada Bobby Gunn N/A – (12) Feb 17, 2017 United States Chase Center, Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. For vacant WBF cruiserweight title
73 Win 64–9 United States Rodney Moore UD 10 Aug 13, 2016 United States Bay Center, Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
72 Win 63–9 United States Vyron Phillips TKO 2 (6), 2:30 Mar 20, 2016 United States Celebrity Theatre, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
71 Loss 62–9 United Kingdom Enzo Maccarinelli KO 4 (10), 1:59 Dec 12, 2015 Russia VTB Ice Palace, Moscow, Russia
70 Win 62–8 United States Eric Watkins KO 6 (10), 2:59 Aug 16, 2015 United States Foxwoods Resort Casino, Ledyard, Connecticut, U.S.
69 Win 61–8 United States Paul Vasquez TKO 1 (12), 3:00 Mar 28, 2015 United States Bay Center, Pensacola, Florida, U.S. Retained WBU (German version) cruiserweight title
68 Win 60–8 United States Willie Williams TKO 2 (10), 2:38 Mar 6, 2015 United States Cabarrus Arena, Concord, North Carolina, U.S.
67 Win 59–8 Egypt Hany Atiyo KO 1 (12), 1:15 Sep 26, 2014 Russia Basket-Hall, Krasnodar, Russia Retained WBU (German version) cruiserweight title
66 Win 58–8 United Kingdom Courtney Fry RTD 5 (12), 3:00 Jul 26, 2014 Latvia Kipsala International Exhibition Centre, Riga, Latvia Retained WBU (German version) cruiserweight title
65 Win 57–8 France Zine Eddine Benmakhlouf UD 12 Dec 21, 2013 Russia Krylatskoye Sports Palace, Moscow, Russia Won vacant WBU (German version) cruiserweight title
64 Win 56–8 Poland Paweł Głażewski SD 10 Jun 30, 2012 Poland Atlas Arena, Łódź, Poland
63 Win 55–8 United States Max Alexander UD 10 Dec 10, 2011 United States Civic Center, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Won vacant UBO Intercontinental cruiserweight title
62 Loss 54–8 Russia Denis Lebedev KO 10 (10), 2:58 May 21, 2011 Russia Krylatskoye Sports Palace, Moscow, Russia
61 Loss 54–7 United States Bernard Hopkins UD 12 Apr 3, 2010 United States Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
60 Loss 54–6 Australia Danny Green TKO 1 (12), 2:02 Dec 2, 2009 Australia Acer Arena, Sydney, Australia For IBO cruiserweight title
59 Win 54–5 United States Jeff Lacy RTD 10 (12), 3:00 Aug 15, 2009 United States Coast Coliseum, Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S. Retained WBO–NABO light heavyweight title
58 Win 53–5 United States Omar Sheika TKO 5 (12), 1:45 Mar 21, 2009 United States Civic Center, Pensacola, Florida, U.S. Won vacant WBO–NABO light heavyweight title
57 Loss 52–5 United Kingdom Joe Calzaghe UD 12 Nov 8, 2008 United States Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. For The Ring light heavyweight title
56 Win 52–4 Puerto Rico Félix Trinidad UD 12 Jan 19, 2008 United States Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
55 Win 51–4 United States Anthony Hanshaw UD 12 Jul 14, 2007 United States Coast Coliseum, Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S. Won vacant IBC light heavyweight title
54 Win 50–4 United States Prince Badi Ajamu UD 12 Jul 29, 2006 United States Qwest Arena, Boise, Idaho, U.S. Won WBONABO light heavyweight title
53 Loss 49–4 United States Antonio Tarver UD 12 Oct 1, 2005 United States St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, Florida, U.S. For IBO and The Ring light heavyweight titles
52 Loss 49–3 Jamaica Glen Johnson KO 9 (12), 0:48 Sep 25, 2004 United States FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. For IBF light heavyweight title
51 Loss 49–2 United States Antonio Tarver TKO 2 (12), 1:41 May 15, 2004 United States Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. Lost WBA (Super), WBC, IBO, IBA, and The Ring light heavyweight titles;
For vacant WBF light heavyweight title
50 Win 49–1 United States Antonio Tarver MD 12 Nov 8, 2003 United States Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. Retained WBA (Super), IBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles;
Won WBC light heavyweight title
49 Win 48–1 United States John Ruiz UD 12 Mar 1, 2003 United States Thomas & Mack Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. Won WBA heavyweight title
48 Win 47–1 United Kingdom Clinton Woods TKO 6 (12), 1:29 Sep 7, 2002 United States Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon, U.S. Retained WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, IBO, WBF, IBA, and The Ring light heavyweight titles
47 Win 46–1 Australia Glen Kelly KO 7 (12), 1:55 Feb 2, 2002 United States American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida, U.S. Retained WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, IBO, WBF, IBA, and The Ring light heavyweight titles
46 Win 45–1 Mexico Julio César González UD 12 Jul 28, 2001 United States Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, U.S. Retained WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, and IBO light heavyweight titles;
Won WBF and vacant IBA light heavyweight titles
45 Win 44–1 United States Derrick Harmon RTD 10 (12), 3:00 Feb 24, 2001 United States Ice Palace, Tampa, Florida, U.S. Retained WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, and IBO light heavyweight titles
44 Win 43–1 United States Eric Harding RTD 10 (12), 3:00 Sep 9, 2000 United States New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. Retained WBA, WBC, and IBF light heavyweight titles;
Won IBO light heavyweight title
43 Win 42–1 Jamaica Richard Hall TKO 11 (12), 1:41 May 13, 2000 United States Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. Retained WBA, WBC, and IBF light heavyweight titles
42 Win 41–1 United States David Telesco UD 12 Jan 15, 2000 United States Radio City Music Hall, New York City, New York, U.S. Retained WBA, WBC, and IBF light heavyweight titles
41 Win 40–1 United States Reggie Johnson UD 12 Jun 5, 1999 United States Grand Casino, Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S. Retained WBA and WBC light heavyweight titles;
Won IBF light heavyweight title
40 Win 39–1 United States Richard Frazier TKO 2 (12), 2:59 Jan 9, 1999 United States Civic Center, Pensacola, Florida, U.S. Retained WBA and WBC light heavyweight titles
39 Win 38–1 Jamaica Otis Grant TKO 10 (12), 1:18 Nov 14, 1998 United States Foxwoods Resort Casino, Ledyard, Connecticut, U.S. Retained WBA and WBC light heavyweight titles
38 Win 37–1 United States Lou Del Valle UD 12 Jul 18, 1998 United States Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. Retained WBC light heavyweight title;
Won WBA light heavyweight title
37 Win 36–1 United States Virgil Hill KO 4 (12), 1:10 Apr 25, 1998 United States Coast Coliseum, Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S.
36 Win 35–1 United States Montell Griffin KO 1 (12), 2:31 Aug 7, 1997 United States Foxwoods Resort Casino, Ledyard, Connecticut, U.S. Won WBC light heavyweight title
35 Loss 34–1 United States Montell Griffin DQ 9 (12), 2:27 Mar 21, 1997 United States Etess Arena, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. Lost WBC light heavyweight title;
Jones Jr. disqualified for hitting Griffin after a knockdown
34 Win 34–0 Jamaica Mike McCallum UD 12 Nov 22, 1996 United States Ice Palace, Tampa, Florida, U.S. Won WBC interim light heavyweight title
33 Win 33–0 United States Bryant Brannon TKO 2 (12), 2:23 Oct 4, 1996 United States Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. Retained IBF super middleweight title
32 Win 32–0 Canada Eric Lucas RTD 11 (12), 3:00 Jun 15, 1996 United States Coliseum, Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. Retained IBF super middleweight title
31 Win 31–0 Dominican Republic Merqui Sosa TKO 2 (12), 2:36 Jan 12, 1996 United States Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
30 Win 30–0 United States Tony Thornton TKO 3 (12), 0:45 Sep 30, 1995 United States Civic Center, Pensacola, Florida, U.S. Retained IBF super middleweight title
29 Win 29–0 United States Vinny Pazienza TKO 6 (12), 2:58 Jun 24, 1995 United States Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. Retained IBF super middleweight title
28 Win 28–0 United States Antoine Byrd TKO 1 (12), 2:06 Mar 18, 1995 United States Civic Center, Pensacola, Florida, U.S. Retained IBF super middleweight title
27 Win 27–0 United States James Toney UD 12 Nov 18, 1994 United States MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. Won IBF super middleweight title
26 Win 26–0 United States Thomas Tate TKO 2 (12), 0:30 May 27, 1994 United States MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. Retained IBF middleweight title
25 Win 25–0 Puerto Rico Danny Garcia KO 6 (10), 2:59 Mar 22, 1994 United States University of West Florida, Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
24 Win 24–0 Venezuela Fermin Chirino UD 10 Nov 30, 1993 United States Civic Center, Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
23 Win 23–0 South Africa Thulani Malinga KO 6 (10), 1:57 Aug 14, 1993 United States Casino Magic, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, U.S.
22 Win 22–0 United States Bernard Hopkins UD 12 May 22, 1993 United States Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C., U.S. Won vacant IBF middleweight title
21 Win 21–0 United States Glenn Wolfe TKO 1 (10), 2:23 Feb 13, 1993 United States Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
20 Win 20–0 United States Percy Harris TKO 4 (12), 3:00 Dec 5, 1992 United States Etess Arena, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. Won vacant WBC Continental Americas super middleweight title
19 Win 19–0 United States Glenn Thomas TKO 8 (10), 3:00 Aug 18, 1992 United States Bayfront Auditorium, Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
18 Win 18–0 Argentina Jorge Castro UD 10 Jun 30, 1992 United States Civic Center, Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
17 Win 17–0 Uganda Art Serwano KO 1 (10), 1:40 Apr 3, 1992 United States Convention Center, Reno, Nevada, U.S.
16 Win 16–0 Mexico Jorge Vaca KO 1 (10), 1:45 Jan 10, 1992 United States Paramount Theatre, New York City, New York, U.S.
15 Win 15–0 United States Lester Yarbrough KO 8 (10) Aug 31, 1991 United States Interstate Fairgrounds, Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
14 Win 14–0 United States Kevin Daigle TKO 2 (10) Aug 3, 1991 United States Interstate Fairgrounds, Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
13 Win 13–0 United States Eddie Evans TKO 3 (10) Apr 13, 1991 United States Bayfront Auditorium, Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
12 Win 12–0 United States Ricky Stackhouse KO 1 (10), 0:46 Jan 31, 1991 United States Bayfront Auditorium, Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
11 Win 11–0 United States Reggie Miller TKO 5 (10) Nov 8, 1990 United States Bayfront Auditorium, Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
10 Win 10–0 United States Rollin Williams KO 4 (10), 2:56 Sep 25, 1990 United States Interstate Fairgrounds, Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
9 Win 9–0 United States Tony Waddles KO 1 (10), 2:02 Jul 14, 1990 United States Bayfront Auditorium, Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
8 Win 8–0 United States Ron Johnson KO 2 (10), 2:28 May 11, 1990 United States Bayfront Auditorium, Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
7 Win 7–0 United States Knox Brown TKO 3 (10), 2:20 Mar 28, 1990 United States Interstate Fairgrounds, Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
6 Win 6–0 United States Billy Mitchem TKO 2 (8), 2:57 Feb 28, 1990 United States Interstate Fairgrounds, Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
5 Win 5–0 United States Joe Edens KO 2 (8), 2:05 Jan 8, 1990 United States County Fairgrounds, Mobile, Alabama, U.S.
4 Win 4–0 United States David McCluskey TKO 3 (8), 2:00 Nov 30, 1989 United States Bayfront Auditorium, Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
3 Win 3–0 United States Ron Amundsen TKO 7 (8), 2:43 Sep 3, 1989 United States Civic Center, Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
2 Win 2–0 United States Stephan Johnson TKO 8 (8), 2:04 Jun 11, 1989 United States Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
1 Win 1–0 United States Ricky Randall TKO 2 (8), 2:46 May 6, 1989 United States Bayfront Auditorium, Pensacola, Florida, U.S.

Titles in boxing

Regional titles
New title WBC Continental Americas super middleweight champion
December 5, 1992 – February 1993
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Carl Jones
Preceded by
Prince Badi Ajamu
WBONABO light heavyweight champion
July 29, 2006 – April 2007
Vacant
Title next held by
Otis Griffin
Vacant
Title last held by
Tavoris Cloud
WBO–NABO light heavyweight champion
March 21, 2009 – December 2009
Vacant
Title next held by
Otis Griffin
Minor world titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Drake Thadzi
IBO light heavyweight champion
September 9, 2000 – May 15, 2004
Succeeded by
Antonio Tarver
Vacant
Title last held by
Ole Klemetsen
IBA light heavyweight champion
July 28, 2001 – May 15, 2004
Major world titles
Vacant
Title last held by
James Toney
IBF middleweight champion
May 22, 1993 – November 1994
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Bernard Hopkins
Preceded by
James Toney
IBF super middleweight champion
November 18, 1994 – November 1996
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Charles Brewer
Vacant
Title last held by
Fabrice Tiozzo
WBC light heavyweight champion
November 22, 1996March 21, 1997
Initially interim title
Succeeded by
Montell Griffin
Preceded by
Montell Griffin
WBC light heavyweight champion
August 7, 1997 – November 2002
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Antonio Tarver
Preceded by
Lou Del Valle
WBA light heavyweight champion
July 18, 1998 – August 2001
Promoted
Succeeded by
Bruno Girard
as Regular champion
Preceded by
Reggie Johnson
IBF light heavyweight champion
June 5, 1999 – November 2002
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Antonio Tarver
Vacant
Title last held by
Michael Spinks
Undisputed light heavyweight champion
June 5, 1999 – November 2002
Titles fragmented
Vacant
New title WBA light heavyweight champion
Super title

August 2001 – November 2002
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Himself
Vacant
Title last held by
Michael Spinks
The Ring light heavyweight champion
2001 – May 15, 2004
Succeeded by
Antonio Tarver
Preceded by
John Ruiz
WBA heavyweight champion
March 1, 2003 – February 2004
Vacated
Succeeded by
John Ruiz
promoted from interim status
Vacant
Title last held by
Himself
WBA light heavyweight champion
Super title

November 8, 2003 – May 15, 2004
Succeeded by
Antonio Tarver
Preceded by
Antonio Tarver
WBC light heavyweight champion
November 8, 2003 – May 15, 2004

Pay-per-view bouts

Date Fight Billing Buys
November 18, 1994 Toney vs. Jones The Uncivil War
300,000
September 9, 2000 Jones vs. Harding Bourbon St Brawl
140,000
March 1, 2003 Jones vs. Ruiz Never take a Heavyweight Lightly
602,000
November 8, 2003 Jones vs. Tarver Now It's Personal
302,000
May 15, 2004 Jones vs. Tarver II More Than Personal
384,000
October 1, 2005 Jones vs. Tarver III No Excuses
440,000
January 19, 2008 Jones vs. Trinidad Bring on the Titans
500,000
November 8, 2008 Calzaghe vs. Jones Battle of the Superpowers
225,000
March 3, 2010 Hopkins vs. Jones II The Rivals
150,000
Total
9 Pay Per View Fights
3,178,000

Personal life

Jones was born in Pensacola, Florida,[57] 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.[58]

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."[58]

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."[58]

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."[58]

But his father's strictness paid him well—after some quick successes initially in his career including 1984 United States National Junior Olympics victory—Jones' hard work started paying him off. He not only gained fame, but wealth—according to a research, Jones' assets exceeded the amount of $45 million US dollars as of 2012.[59]

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."

On August 19, 2015, Roy Jones met with Vladimir Putin in Sevastopol, Crimea, to ask for a dual Russian-American citizenship. He explained that he often visits Russia for business activity, and a passport would avoid inconvenient rides.[60] Jones was granted Russian citizenship on September 12.[61] For this he was banned from entering Ukraine.[62] Crimea is since March 2014 under dispute by Russia and Ukraine.[63]

Awards

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

Roy Jones Jr.
Birth name Roy Levesta Jones Jr.
Born (1969-01-16) January 16, 1969
Origin Pensacola, Florida, United States
Genres Hip hop, Southern Hip Hop, Crunk, Dirty South
Occupation(s) 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, "Y'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

With Body Head Bangerz

Album information
Body Head Bangerz: Volume One

Solo singles

Featured singles

Filmography

References

  1. 1 2 Mamet, David (1988-10-07). "In Losing, a Boxer Won". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
  2. 1 2 "Sports of The Times – Nice Gesture Substitutes For Justice – NYTimes.com". Query.nytimes.com. 26 September 1997. Retrieved 2015-04-16.
  3. Ashdown, John (2012-02-15). "50 stunning Olympic moments No14: Roy Jones Jr cheated out of gold". The Guardian.
  4. 1 2 "Roy Jones Jr. vs. Bernard Hopkins (1st meeting) – BoxRec". boxrec.com. Retrieved 2016-05-23.
  5. "Jones goes off the script". guardian.com. Retrieved 2016-10-20.
  6. "James Toney vs. Roy Jones Jr. – BoxRec". boxrec.com. Retrieved 2016-05-23.
  7. "Roy Jones Jr. vs. Mike McCallum – BoxRec". boxrec.com. Retrieved 2016-05-24.
  8. "Roy Jones Jr. vs. Montell Griffin (1st meeting) – BoxRec". boxrec.com. Retrieved 2016-05-24.
  9. "Boxing does not escape the specter of steroids". Sports.espn.go.com. 2007-03-01. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
  10. "The Cyber Boxing Zone". Cyberboxingzone.com. Retrieved 2015-04-16.
  11. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on June 12, 2007. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
  12. "How I got my body". The Guardian. London. 2008-10-26. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
  13. "James Lawton: Calzaghe should beware the ageing warrior". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk.
  14. "ringsidebygus.com". Ringsidebygus.com. Retrieved 2015-04-16.
  15. "John Ruiz vs. Roy Jones Jr. – BoxRec". boxrec.com. Retrieved 2016-05-23.
  16. 1 2 "HBO: Boxing: All Fights : Upcoming". HBO.
  17. "HBO: Boxing: All Fights : Upcoming". HBO.
  18. "Johnson floors Jones". BBC News. 2004-09-26. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
  19. "Rafael: Tarver beats Jones again". ESPN.com. 2005-10-28. Retrieved 2016-07-29.
  20. "Williams_Wiggins". Eastsideboxing.com. Retrieved 2015-04-16.
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  22. 1 2 "Roy Jones Jr. vs. Anthony Hanshaw". Boxrec.com. Retrieved 2015-04-16.
  23. "HBO: Boxing: Felix Trinidad vs. Roy Jones Jr.". HBO.
  24. "Trinidad-Jones round-by-round". Yahoo Sports.
  25. Willis, George (2008-01-20). "Roy Wonder". New York Post.
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  31. James Phelps. "Oops! Roy Jones Jnr loses his posse". Dailytelegraph.com.au. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
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  33. Green stops Jones Jr in first round, ABC article, 2009-12-03, Retrieved on 2014-03-15
  34. Jones lodges formal complaint against Danny Green, WA Today article, 2009-12-25, Retrieved on 2014-03-15
  35. Jones, Hopkins to face off April 3, ESPN article, 2010-02-01, Retrieved on 2014-03-15
  36. "Bernard Hopkins vs. Roy Jones Jr. (2nd meeting) – BoxRec". boxrec.com. Retrieved 2016-05-23.
  37. "Denis Lebedev ko's Roy Jones Jr. in Russia". boxrec.com. Retrieved 2016-06-19.
  38. "Roy Jones Jr. defeats Max Alexander via UD". boxrec.com. Retrieved 2016-06-19.
  39. "Roy Jones: I Don't Care Who I Fight, Even Andrew Golota!". Boxingscene.com. Retrieved 2015-04-16.
  40. "Roy Jones Jr. def. Zine Eddine Benmakhlouf via UD". boxrec.com. Retrieved 2016-06-19.
  41. "Roy Jones Jr. defeats Zine Eddine Benmakhlouf". Boxing News 24.
  42. "Roy Jones Jr. KO's Courtney Fry". boxrec.com. Retrieved 2016-06-19.
  43. "Roy Jones Jr. knocks down Hany Atiyo in round 1". boxrec.com. Retrieved 2016-06-19.
  44. "Roy Jones Jr. TKO's Willie Williams in USA". boxrec.com. Retrieved 2016-06-19.
  45. "Roy Jones Jr. KO's Paul Vasquez in round 1". boxrec.com. Retrieved 2016-06-19.
  46. "event". BoxRec. 2015-08-16. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
  47. "Enzo Maccarinelli to fight legendary Roy Jones Jr in December". the Guardian.
  48. Bryan Armen Graham. "Roy Jones Jr officially becomes Russian citizen with Moscow passport ceremony". the Guardian.
  49. "Enzo Maccarinelli defeats Roy Jones Jnr with devastating fourth-round knockout". Mail Online. 13 December 2015.
  50. "Roy Jones Jr returns to ring to beat fan by technical knockout in second round | Sport". The Guardian. 2016-03-21. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
  51. "Roy Jones Jr KO's Vyron Phillips in an exhibition". boxrec.com. Retrieved 2016-06-19.
  52. "Jones Jr. back in action Aug. 13 against Moore". Retrieved 2016-07-29.
  53. "Roy Jones Jr. shuts out Rodney Moore | Boxing News". 2016-08-14. Retrieved 2016-08-14.
  54. "Roy Jones Jr. Tears Right Bicep, Admits Career Could Be Over - Boxing News". www.boxingscene.com. Retrieved 2016-08-15.
  55. "Roy Jones Jr: I'm Addicted To Boxing, No Retirement Right Now - Boxing News". www.boxingscene.com. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
  56. "Roy Jones Jr. vs Bobby Gunn on 2/17". December 2, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
  57. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 23, 2009. Retrieved October 21, 2009.
  58. 1 2 3 4 Smith, Gary (1995-06-26). "One Tough Bird Roy Jones Jr., The Best Boxer Pound For Pound, Was Raised Under The Rules Of Cockfighting: Win Or Die". Sports Illustrated. New York: Time Inc. Retrieved 2015-04-05.
  59. "Roy Jones Jr Net Worth". Articles Teller. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
  60. "Meeting with Roy Jones". Kremlin.ru. August 19, 2015. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  61. "Подписан Указ о приёме в гражданство Российской Федерации" (in Russian). Kremlin.ru. September 12, 2015. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
  62. SBU issues entry ban against 140 Russian artists, UNIAN (5 November 2016)
    Ukraine’s State Security Service bans 140 Russian cultural figures from entering country, TASS news agency (5 November 2016)
  63. Gutterman, Steve. "Putin signs Crimea treaty, will not seize other Ukraine regions". Reuters. Retrieved 2014-03-26.

External links

Awards
Inaugural award BWAA Fighter of the Decade
1990–1999
Succeeded by
Manny Pacquiao
Preceded by
George Foreman
Best Boxer ESPY Award
1996
Succeeded by
Evander Holyfield
Preceded by
Oscar De La Hoya
Best Boxer ESPY Award
2000
Succeeded by
Félix Trinidad
Preceded by
Lennox Lewis
Best Boxer ESPY Award
2003
Succeeded by
Antonio Tarver
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