Vaca was summarily dispatched by KO in round one to reach 16 knockout wins and Jones even extended it to 17 KO wins, before finally being taken the distance for a first time against future world champion Jorge Castro. Pensacola Bay Center, Pensacola W-UD. Bill Vilonais a retired Pensacola News Journal sports columnist and now senior writer for Pensacola Blue Wahoos. The boxers home in Pensacola, Florida is 15,000 square-feet, built on 80 acres of land owned by Jones Jr. himself. Earned WBC light heavyweight title in 1996. Attorney, television host (Lorraine Taylor/Fox News Digital) Jones, considered by many to be one of the greatest boxers of all time with. In fact, many of his fights have been serious mismatches. Dmitry Korotayev/Kommersant Photo/Getty Images Jones made his professional debut in Pensacola in 1989. People from all walks of life have journeyed this land he calls home, including aspiring boxers, athletes, troubled youth and father-son duos. Box-pro. "If my athlete affiliations can help rectify the situation why wouldnt I try?" 188cm Stance: Orthodox Weight Class: Middleweight, Roy Jones Jr . But Jones often waded through boxing's cesspool of characters, con-artists and crooks without a super agent, magnanimous promoter or full-fledged entourage. Sign upfor the latest news, new drops, upcoming sale notices and more. One of Pensacola's greatest athletes, among the most revered in his sport, Jones, 53, received the highest honor Sunday when he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York. Mr. Jones, having a lifelong passion for the sport of boxing, has freely opened his home, which includes a self made boxing gym and barn, to countless citizens in Pensacola and various parts of the world. In addition, Jones is one boxer who has provided a positive role model for young people. In addition, Jones has done a lot of motivational speaking, primarily to younger people. Derrick Brooks (Booker T. Washington High, 1990) Enshrined as linebacker in 2014 into Pro Football Hall of Fame. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. His Hall of Fame induction will put Jones on a mantle of greatness with fellow Pensacola athletes running back Emmitt Smith and linebacker Derrick Brooks -- both enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and pitcher Don Sutton, who is enshrined at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, not far from the Boxing Hall of Fame. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Like so many other Juniors, Roy Jones Jr. was born into a family with a boxing tradition. Jones visits hospitals to offer hope and inspiration to severely III and injured patients. But U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken would not disclose U.S. plans to bring Griner home when asked if a swap was being considered. Jones, 52, who always touted Pensacola in his fights, was a first-ballot selection and easy choice to headline an eight-member class into the Boxing Hall of Fame. International Boxing Federation1995 Fighter of the Year and 1995 Fighter of Unlimited Potential. 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. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. 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 used to train Roy before they had a fallout. Jones said he reached out to his lawyer to get in contact with the White House. ESPN ESPY Award 1995 Boxer of the Year. You know how bad that is? Some people know him as one of the nations finest stage actors, an artist who tackles the works of such playwrights as, Jones, Sam III 1983- (Samuel L. Jones, III), Jones, Sissieretta (born Matilda Sissieretta Joyner), Jones, Spike (actually, Lindley Armstrong Jones), https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/jones-roy-jr-1969. Boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. works with aspiring fighters at his gym in Pensacola, Florida. Ring magazine called Jones performance the most dominant of any big fight in 20 years and though Toney is known to have been wildly unprepared for the fight, the judges scorecards of 119108, 118109, and 117110 bore out Ring magazines assessment of Jones Jrs simply mesmerising performance! Contemporary Black Biography. He also runs a youth program in Pensacola. 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. ." Jones, considered by many to be one of the greatest boxers of all time with an illustrious career spanning nearly 30 years, became aware of Griner's predicament and decided he might be able to help. She gave up her potential career as lawyer in order to help raise her three children with Jones Jr. Jones aims to select matches that cany big purses, and he has expressed frustration that his weight class is paid is so much less than the heavy-weights are. Chris Eubank Jr believes he may have found the perfect trainer to help him achieve his potential in Roy Jones Jr. Box-am Box-pro All Bouts promoter . Jones Jr was born on January 16, 1969, making him 51 years old. He became a four-weight world champion after defeating John Ruiz for the WBA title in 2003 somewhat incredulous considering he started at the same weight as Eubank Jr. Now he is passing on tips to Eubank Jr, as he looks to stay in top shape for when he returns to the ring once the COVID-19 outbreak has subsided. However, the date of retrieval is often important. For his next fight, he faced the more experienced Stephan Johnson in Atlantic City, beating him by a knockout in round eight. on January 16, 1969, Roy Jones Jr. has shown the best ability he has in the boxing world. As Kevin Monaghan, NBCs boxing correspondent at the games, said inUSA Today, It was an absolute joke. ", Boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. works with aspiring fighters at his gym in Pensacola, Florida. Boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. is offering up his connections in Russia to help the American athlete after she was arrested at an airport near Moscow in February on charges of possession and transportation of cannabis and she's been detained there ever since. Griffin established an early lead but by round 9 Jones was ahead on the cards and dropped Griffin to the canvas. RJJ boxing school - Moscow Russia Boxing Career: Amateur, Professional, Trainer, Commentator, Rapper Nickname: Superman, RJ, RJJ, Captain Hook Height: 5 Ft 11 inches. He did not want to be under any contract to have future fights controlled by one promoter or the other. I was in pain all day, every day, I was so scared of my father. Jones Jr. for the first time in his career was the underdog, but it made little difference quite frankly as Superman boxed rings round Toney (as he would go on to do to many others) and even handed Lights Out a very rare flash knockdown in the 3rd round on route to a 12-round unanimous decision. Roy . The pair met in the early 2000s, before they began dating and got married. Jones began as a professional on May 6, 1989, knocking out Ricky Randall in 2 rounds in Pensacola at the Bayfront Auditorium. Governor Ron DeSantis told Floridians in a live-stream from his conference room in the Capitol to stay at home to stop the spreading of the disease. There may not be another city of Pensacola's size in America with four former athletes becoming Hall of Famers in three different sports. Jones winning a 10-round decision in front of a USA Network national audience. Using his fighting birds as an image for his own predicament, Jones said in the sameSports Illustrated piece: I spent all my life in my dads cage. Over the course of the 12-round unanimous decision, Jones demonstrated his greatness. Roy Sr. claimed he was just trying to carefully cultivate his sons career and his character. (Lorraine Taylor/Fox News Digital). He also has the ability to outthink other fighters, to anticipate and counter their moves before they even know what they are. talented fighter who had "savvy", was very quick and could box or punch; He The way that sets him apart. He had seven of his. Olympic team coach Alton Merkerson, whom Jones hired in the early 1990s as his trainer, said inSports Illustrated, Roys not only got the quickest hands in boxing, but the quickest mind.. A boxer with Jones skills and genius easily could rack up a string of victories every year, and expand his visibility to the public. It was Jones' first true loss in 50 pro fights. Therefore, its best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publications requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. Roy Jones Jr. has sealed his place among the greatest boxers of all time. He danced circles around Toney, scoring a flash knockdown in the third round. Such a disgrace was the incident considered, that it led the Olympic organisers to establish a new scoring system for Olympic boxing. (Lorraine Taylor/Fox News Digital). He had the platform to stage fights in Pensacola and he chose to do it as much as possible. Its all about sports. Escambia-Pensacola Human Relations Commission 1997 Olive Branch Award, for humanttanianism. Reflection: When Pernell Sweet Pea Whitaker and Roy Jones Jr. played basketball against each other. Jones won by unanimous decision and scores of 120-108, 119-109 and 118-111 and went on to defend the title three times, twice in 2014 and once in 2015. SportsIllustrated, May 24, 1993, p. 56; June 26, 1995, p. 78. His mother, Carol, was warm and easygoing, whereas his father, Roy Sr., was much like a Marine drill sergeant with respect to his son. In June of 1999 Jones became the first undisputed ight heavyweight champ since 1985 (when Michael Spinks relinquished that distinction to fight at the heavyweight level), to unify the belts, Jones easily overwhelmed International Boxing Federation (IBF) belt-holder Reggie Johnson in a unanimous decision, with Johnson bleeding heavily down several times, and in trouble the entire fight. Jones is also noted for holding a record seven belts at the same time; the WBC, WBA, IBF, IBO, NABF, WBF, and IBA light heavyweight championships. The formal induction ceremony will be part of a four-day, series of events in that community to celebrate boxings history. TM & 2023 BoxingScene.All Rights Reserved. Other members of the 2022 Boxing Hall of Fame Class are welterweight champion Miguel Cotto, along with female fighters Regina Hamlich and Holly Holm, plus Tod Morgan in the Old Timer category, boxing publicist Bill Caplan, ring announcer Chuck Hull in the non-participant category, long-time boxing writer Ron Borges and historian/producer Bob Yalen. State honor: Roy Jones. He even raises birds himself, though he does not necessarily fight them. Total Fights: 75, Wins: 66, Wins by KO: 47, Losses: 9, Draws: 0. He always wanted to do it his way. Griffin was proving himself a tough adversary, and it had gotten to Jones. 1986 United StatesNational Golden Gloves at 139 lbs (63 kg) division. He has raised money for a number of charitable causes, including his injured friend Gerald McClellan. These include cock-fighting, which Jones has pursued avidly his whole life. Jones was awarded the Val Barker trophy as the most stylistic boxer of the 1988 games. Many people in the boxing industry would love to see him do exactly that. In 1995, Roy defended his super middleweight title multiple times firstly knocking out Antoine Byrd in round one, before absolutely pasting former world lightweight champion Vinny Pazienza to defeat in round six. Jones credits the gutsy roosters for helping teach him about being a valiant and shrewd fighter. Won National Junior Olympics title before he was 15. This service is provided on talkSPORT Ltd's Terms of Use in accordance with our Privacy Policy. In addition to being a great athlete, Jones is intelligent and sensitiveand he does not want those qualities diminished. Essentially, Jones did not lose a fight from 1989 until 2004 in a TKO lost against fellow Floridian Antonio Tarver. Emmitt Smith (Escambia High, 1987) Enshrined as running back in 2010 into Pro Football Hall of Fame. Also ensuring Roy became a member of an elite class of boxing champions who had won titles at three weight classes. . Toney had gone undefeated in 46 bouts and was rated the best in the world. Jones went from sparse beginnings, training at an old, hardscrabble Boys Club gym off Palafox Street, to U.S. Olympian, to professional champion, to Hall of Fame enshrinement. The fight lasted the full 8 rounds and was declared a draw. His final fight occurred at the Pensacola Bay Center on August 2, 2018 when he defeated Scott Sigman for a cruiserweight title despite breaking his hand. Middleweight Championship of the World, Roy Jones Jr. (Booker T. Washington High, 1988) -- To be enshrined on June 12, 2022 into International Boxing Hall of Fame. Roy Jones Jr and Jodi Solomon proudly introduce their commercial and professional boxing gym. The former world heavyweight champion had been called upon by Tyson's team in the summer to take part in an exhibition bout. Roy Sr. went onto his sons land and shot the dog numerous times while it was tied to a tree. Ill 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 boxerthe need to become his own man. Web site: http://www.edwardjones.com . He is the only boxer ever to start his career at Junior middleweight yet go on to become a Heavyweight champion of the world. Composer. Roy Jones Jr 103: 18: 0: 52 KOs 5 KOs; wiki. This behavior never really changed; if anything it became more brutal as Roy Jr. grew up. event bout wiki. These four men all grew up in Pensacola, graduated from local high schools, and provide Pensacola a rare distinction in America sports history as respective Hall of Famers from a community this size. It doesnt take an accumulation of punches to mess you up. From Pensacola to boxing immortality. Roy Jones Sr. Boxing Club: Roy Jones Sr., 1715 W. Detroit Boulevard, Pensacola, FL. Just as my father was not for everybody, nor am I for everybody and Roy is most definitely not for everybody, so this makes for a perfect union.. he said of Griner's situation. But no one suggests that the 5 11 Jones should switch sports. They still have a good relationship, but Al Merkerson was his trainer. And foremost. Frederick McKinley Jones (1893?-1961) was known for his mechanical aptitude and his curious and inv, Jones, Star 1962(? Jones wanted to steer clear of allegiance and obligation to boxing's two biggest all-time promoters, Bob Arum and Don King. Father, an exfighter, was Roy Jr.s boxing teacher.Education: Graduate from Washington High in Pensacola in 1987. Son of Roy Sr. and Carol Jones. I . Gerald didnt have any hard fights before Benn. ", He continued, "I would feel bad sitting there comfortable at night knowing shes in that country in prison and I have citizenship in that country and Im not trying to do nothing to help. Legal Statement. As he asserted in aUSA Today article:I dont care what nobody thinks. Jones Jr would not fight in any military wars or thereby achieve any such honours but he would go on to be more successful in the ring than his father -whose main claim to fame was that on the 10th June 1977 he fought Marvelous Marvin Hagler on the Sugar Ray Leonard vs Vinnie DeBarros undercard. Won Silver Medal at 1988 Olympic Games. He has a well-developed conscience, and would hate to inflict a terrible injury. Jones has made clear many times that he has conflicted feelings about boxing, mostly because of the sports inherent dangerfor both combatants. Jones was an extremely talented fighter who had "savvy", was very quick and could box or punch; He innovated in the ring and was unmatched in his natural ability; In addition to boxing, he was talented in all other sports and in music and acting as well; Jones fought from middleweight to heavyweight and deserves to be ranked among the best that Roy Jones Jr. trains an aspiring fighter at his gym in Pensacola, Florida. Unlike other famous athletes from Pensacola, boxing enabled Jones to often dictate where he fought. The Committee presented Jones with the Olympic Order in September 1997, but this belated consolation prize was no substitute for the medal that was stolen. (Lorraine Taylor/Fox News Digital). He was so fast, the guy couldnt lay a glove on Roy. The same article includes a quote from U.S. Olympic Committee director of media services Bob Condron:It was not, in any sense of the word, close. The decision was such a blatant injustice that 50 Korean Buddhist monks went to Jones to express their shame. Captured IBF middle-weight crown in 1993. Jones again winning by majority decision and a score of 117111, 116112 and 114114. His fathers style of management was one of absolute control, and many of Jones Sr.s decisions at the time were considered perverseespecially his choices of opponents for his son. 655 views 3 years ago Legend Roy Jones jr training boxing contenders to be the next breakout stars. "Jones, Roy Jr. 1969 Near-death Experience Brought Balance If those are not the attributes that one desires to possess then it would be extremely hard to work with Roy nor would there be any point in working with him. Of course, Jones Jr. also has a games room upstairs in the mansion, hosting an air hockey table and table football among other things. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. won the Heavyweight Championship, he shares this unique accomplishment with the Roy Jones Jr. is hoping he can use his connections in Russia to help free WNBA star Brittney Griner. Boxing is his profession, but he has loads of other passions. For his next fight, he faced the more experienced Stephan Johnson in Atlantic City, beating him by a knockout in round eight. After six rounds, a TKO finally was called. Two years after hanging up his gloves, Jones Jr. returns to the ring one last time for the exhibition fight against Iron Mike Tyson. Unlimited Potential and got married or punch ; he the way that sets him apart my.! He had the platform to stage fights in Pensacola, boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. basketball. Years old would not disclose U.S. plans to bring Griner home when asked a. Want those qualities diminished with our Privacy Policy front of a USA Network national audience he reached out his. 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