Jones, Roy, Jr.

Jones, Roy, Jr.
▪ 2004

      On March 1, 2003, Roy Jones, Jr., became only the second light-heavyweight boxing champion to win a heavyweight title when he won a 12-round decision over John Ruiz in Las Vegas, Nev., to capture the World Boxing Association belt. Only Michael Spinks, who had decisioned Larry Holmes to claim the International Boxing Federation (IBF) heavyweight title on Sept. 21, 1985, preceded Jones in this distinction. Jones's historic victory over Ruiz also marked the first time since Bob Fitzsimmons knocked out James J. Corbett in March 1897 that a former middleweight champion had won a heavyweight title.

      Jones was born in Pensacola, Fla., on Jan. 16, 1969. He was taught to box by his father, Roy Jones, Sr., and represented the United States at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, S.Kor., but he was the victim of a scandalous decision in the 71-kg (156-lb) gold medal match, which the judges awarded to South Korea's Park Si Hun. The decision was so bad that the International Amateur Boxing Association levied a two-year suspension against one of the judges. Jones also received the Val Barker Award as the Games' outstanding boxer.

      Jones made his professional debut on May 6, 1989, and was quickly recognized as a unique talent—an extremely skillful boxer with exceptionally quick reflexes and the ability to put his punches together in seamless combinations. He claimed his first major title on May 22, 1993, in Washington, D.C., when he won a 12-round decision over Bernard Hopkins for the vacant IBF middleweight belt. As his career progressed, Jones gradually added weight and won titles at super middleweight and light heavyweight.

      Although Jones was widely considered one of the finest boxers of his generation, for much of his career his box-office appeal was not as widespread as that of other top boxers. Owing to his vast superiority over opponents, Jones's bouts were usually one-sided. He frequently coasted after establishing his dominance in a fight and seemed content to win with a decision rather that provide fans with a knockout. Jones's focus was also questioned. He raised fighting roosters on his ranch in Pensacola and played minor league basketball for the Lakeland (Fla.) Blue Ducks and the Jacksonville (Fla.) Barracudas. He released a CD called Round One, the first single of which entered Billboard's Hot Rap list at number two in 2002.

      The Ruiz matchup was the first of Jones's cable-TV pay-per-view fights to score a major financial success. The bout was sold to approximately 525,000 homes and generated about $26.5 million in revenue, which was more than twice as much as any previous Jones fight.

      Despite the interest generated by his foray into the heavyweight division, Jones dropped back down to the light-heavyweight division to face Antonio Tarver on Nov. 8, 2003, in Las Vegas. Tarver gave Jones a surprisingly tough fight, probably the most competitive of his professional career. After being awarded a majority decision, Jones said he wanted just one more fight, against former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, before he retired.

Nigel Collins

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▪ American boxer
born January 16, 1969, Pensacola, Florida, U.S.

      American boxer who became only the second light heavyweight champion to win a heavyweight title. For several years beginning in the late 1990s, he was widely considered the best boxer of his generation.

      Jones was taught to box by his father, Roy Jones, Sr. Representing the United States at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, he became the victim of a scandalously bad decision in the 156-pound (71-kg) gold medal match, which the judges awarded to South Korea's Park Si Hun. Despite his defeat, Jones received the Val Barker Award as the Games' outstanding boxer.

      Jones made his professional debut on May 6, 1989, and was quickly recognized as a unique talent—an extremely skillful boxer with great speed, exceptionally quick reflexes, and the ability to put his punches together in seamless combinations. He claimed his first major title on May 22, 1993, in Washington, D.C., when he won a 12-round decision over Bernard Hopkins for the vacant International Boxing Federation (IBF) middleweight belt. As his career progressed, Jones gradually added weight and won titles at super middleweight and light heavyweight.

      For much of his career, Jones's appeal at the box office was not as great as that of other top boxers. Because he was usually vastly superior to his opponents, his bouts were often one-sided. He frequently coasted after establishing his dominance in a fight and seemed content to win with a decision rather than to provide fans with a knockout. Jones's focus and motivation were also occasionally questioned. He raised fighting roosters on his ranch in Pensacola and played minor league basketball for the Lakeland (Florida) Blue Ducks and the Jacksonville (Florida) Barracudas. He released a CD called Round One: The Album, the first single of which entered Billboard magazine's Hot Rap list at number two in 2002.

      Jones moved up to heavyweight to challenge John Ruiz, the World Boxing Association (WBA) titleholder, on March 1, 2003, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Jones's 12-round decision victory made him only the second light heavyweight to win a heavyweight belt (Michael Spinks (Spinks, Michael), who defeated Larry Holmes (Holmes, Larry) to claim the IBF heavyweight title on September 21, 1985, preceded Jones in this distinction). It also marked the first time since Robert Fitzsimmons (Fitzsimmons, Robert) knocked out James J. Corbett (Corbett, James J.) in March 1897 that a former middleweight champion won a heavyweight title.

      Despite the interest generated by his foray into the heavyweight division, Jones dropped back down to light heavyweight to face Antonio Tarver on November 8, 2003, in Las Vegas. Tarver gave Jones a surprisingly difficult fight, though Jones managed to win by a majority decision, capturing Tarver's World Boxing Council (WBC) light heavyweight belt. In their rematch on May 15, 2004, Jones suffered only his second defeat as a professional (his first had been by disqualification), a technical knockout in the second round. Four months later, on September 25, Jones challenged IBF light heavyweight champion Glen Johnson but again was knocked out, this time in the ninth round. By then it was clear that Jones's boxing skills had declined, and many in the boxing world urged him to consider retirement.

      Jones decided to continue his boxing career, and he faced Tarver for a third time on October 1, 2005, losing in a unanimous decision. After wins over two unimpressive opponents, Jones won a unanimous decision over former welterweight champion Felix Trinidad on January 19, 2008. His winning streak was short-lived, however, as he was easily defeated by Welsh boxer Joe Calzaghe (Calzaghe, Joe) the following November.

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