Very few people notice that Roy Jones the Younger is a person with an amazing combination of charisma and talent. A pensive, quiet personality - boxing superstar and world celebrity. Actor, rap artist, music producer, professional basketball player and just a great guy. Undisputed world middleweight champion. In this article, you will be presented with a brief biography of the boxer.
Childhood
Roy Jones (photo below) was born in Pensacola (USA) in 1969. His father was a professional boxer. From childhood, he tried to instill in his son a love for this sport. Senior Roy Jones did not become a star of the ring, but had high hopes for his child. The boy began to train at the age of ten, and his father realized that his son had a great future.
First fight and the Olympic Games
In 1984, Roy Jones the Younger won the U.S. Junior Olympic Games. And two years later he obeyed such a prestigious tournament as Golden Gloves.
By the age of 19, the athlete reached the limit of dreams of any boxer - participation in the Olympics. The competition took place in Seoul, and in the 1st middleweight title, Roy easily cracked down on his rivals. Everyone was sure that Jones would get the gold. However, the judges condemned him in the final, giving the medal to his compatriot. Seeing such an injustice, the Olympic Committee presented the athlete with a special Vela Balker award entitled “The Best Boxer”.
Transition to Professionals
Roy Jones soon completed his amateur career and turned into a professional. At that time, his father was the trainer and promoter of the boxer. In an effort to save his son, Jones Sr. picked him extremely weak opponents. Roy decided to change manager and hired a professional. He picked him only serious opponents, from whom the boxer triumphantly won.
Title fight
In May 1993, Roy Jones, whose photo was on the cover of many sports publications, fought with Bernard Hopkins. He occupied the first line of the boxing rating. The fight was very difficult for both participants. But Jones looked more confident and clearly dominated the opponent. The judges unanimously awarded Roy victory and a league title. Three years later, the boxer became the champion in the new weight, defeating Mike McCallum.
First defeat
In 1996, the athlete was disqualified for breaking the rules during the fight. This was the first formal defeat Roy Jones suffered in his career. Boxer fought with Montell Griffin. The latter tried to impose his battle tactics on him. That is, he forced Roy to constantly attack, although Jones's skate was a counterattack. Of course, the champion did not lose, but he was very angry. In the ninth round, he knocked down Griffin with a powerful blow and continued to finish him off when he was on his knees. So Roy was disqualified. This "defeat" of the champion caused a great stir in the media. Roy's haters rejoiced, and Griffin in every interview said he was literally in the balance of victory. Of course, that was a lie. And Montell paid for it. A year later, Jones knocked him out in the first round of the rematch. Roy no longer allowed the loss of control over emotions.
New victories
Next came a series of victories over light heavy athletes. Roy Jones defeated Julio Gonzalez, Derik Harmon, Eric Harding, Otis Grant, Virgill Hill and many others. The name of the boxer has become synonymous with the word “victory”. The WBC assigned Jones the first place in the Pound-Fo-Pound rating (the best boxer in the world, regardless of weight). Now Roy faced another problem - the lack of opponents in his category. And the athlete made an unprecedented decision - the transition to heavyweight, which has always been the most prestigious category and was considered the “face” of boxing. Here Roy fought with Johnny Ruiz, who was the champion. The difference in the weight of the boxers was enormous, however, the hero of this article won. Thus, Roy Jones became the champion in the fourth weight category.
Light Heavy Return
The victory over Ruiz was the peak of a boxer career. Roy turned 35 years old, and the ideal solution would be to end his career. But the athlete decided to continue, although his enthusiasm subsided a bit.
Roy Jones, films with whose participation are known in Russia, returned to light heavyweight for a fight with Antonio Tarver. To participate in this fight, the boxer had to throw as much as ten kilograms. Jones won, but the victory did not bring much joy. Everyone was waiting for revenge.
First knockout and sunset career
The revenge took place in May 2004. Tarver knocked out Roy in the second round. At that time, there were many assumptions about what happened. Some considered it simply a “happy” blow, the second spoke about the underestimation of the opponent, and the third referred to the age of Roy and his loss of speed qualities. It is noteworthy that during his entire career, Jones has never been on the floor of the ring. The boxer was confident in his own invulnerability. The loss broke Roy and resulted in a further series of rare victories and offensive defeats. Jones' career gradually went to sunset. But the main thing is that the athlete forever inscribed his name in the world of boxing history.
Activities outside boxing
Roy Jones is not limited to training and fighting. The athlete has other talents. He is a sports commentator, actor, rap artist, professional basketball player, and music producer. Roy is also actively “spinning up” his record company Body Head Entertainment.
In his hometown, Jones has his own farm, on which he raises horses, pit bulls and breeds fighting cocks. As an exemplary father, the boxer annually organizes a children's golf tournament. Roy also meets with youth in the United States, trying to convey to them the importance of education and sports.