He took on the most challenging fighters out there, and trounced most of them in a few rounds. PENSACOLA, Fla. (WKRG) Pensacola's Roy Jones Jr. will be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame later this week in upstate New York. The separation between him and his father, who was once his trainer, is the most noteworthy. ESPN ESPY Award 1995 Boxer of the Year. Jones always shouted Pensacola In The House after each of his victorious fights and made sure that several of his world title bouts, including ones on HBO to a world-wide audience, were held in Pensacola. The Hall of Fame ceremony Sunday, which ends a four-day set of events at this venue, is billed as a Trilogy, since it will also enshrine classes from 2020 and 2021 events cancelled by the ongoing coronavirus. Jones was 34 years-old then in climbing four weight classes. The boxers walk-in wardrobe is also a thing of beauty, housing all of his ring-gear, clothes as well as his trainer collection. ROY JONES JR hasn't fought for over two years but he returns to the ring on November 28 when he faces Mike Tyson. MIKE TYSON, ROY JONES JR. FIGHT TO A DRAW IN BOXING SPECTACLE, Roy Jones Jr. trains aspiring boxers at his gym in Pensacola, Florida. In a March 1997 fight against Montell Griffin, Jones had to work hard to gain an edge. He offered direction and useful discipline to numerous youths, and steered many of them away from trouble. Thats an escape, not a life. david lim maze runner Goumi Berry Plants For Sale, Does Beau Rivage Have Room Service, Concerts At Wrigley Field 2022, Roy Jones Jr Boxing Gym Pensacola, More Likely Than Not Legal Standard, Amanda Obdam Height Weight, Bright Funeral Home Wake Forest, Nc, Shorehaven Beach Club, Real Estate Pro Forma Modeling, Kinder Egg Recall 2022 Canada, Masterbuilt . 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. The U.S. State Department classified Griner as wrongfully detained in May. Jones hopes to help WNBA star Brittney Griner who is detained in Russia. *** Nb James Toney did not quite see it the same way blaming making the weight for his poor performance before going on a bender of epic proportions! Roy Jones Jr. trains an aspiring fighter at his gym in Pensacola, Florida. In addition to being a great athlete, Jones is intelligent and sensitiveand he does not want those qualities diminished. . 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. "But I guess going into marrying a professional athlete, you have to know what youre marrying into. With the winner receiving the entire purse. His last time Roy Jones Jr. was in a competition was Nov. 28, 2020 when he fought Mike Tyson in a nostalgic pay-per-view exhibition bout. USA Today, August 29, 1990, p. 1C; June 13, 1996, p. 14C; September 26, 1997; April 30, 1998, p. 14C. The boxing icon was born in Pensacola, Floria, where he currently resides with his wife and three sons. Son of Roy Sr. and Carol Jones. The fight lasted the full 8 rounds and was declared a draw. Contemporary Black Biography. . On the 18th November 1994, Roy Jones Jr. faced the #1 ranked pound for pound contender and undefeated IBF super middleweight champion James Lights Out Toney. Natlyn and Jones Jr have three sons together, Roy III, DeShaun and DeAndre. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Not that I did. Jones hopes to help WNBA star Brittney Griner who is detained in Russia. For his next fight, he faced the more experienced Stephan Johnson in Atlantic City, beating him by a knockout in round eight. Griffin was proving himself a tough adversary, and it had gotten to Jones. 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. You dont give a kid $2 million and the prestige of a world title. Going into the 1988 Olympic games in Seoul, Korea, Jones had amassed an extraordinary record of 106-4. Jones landing 86 punches to Parks 32 yet somehow lost a 3-2 decision and thereby was only awarded the Silver medal instead of a deserved Gold. But the biggest reason is the lack of any fighters in Jones weight division who can push him to his limits. Middleweight, Super Middleweight, Light Heavyweight, Cruiserweight, Heavyweight. But the International Olympic Committee has refused to overturn the scandalous decision. 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. And look what happened. A year later, he was quoted in the same paper:This game is not a good game for anyoneme or anyone else. Since the ref did not tell him to halt his attack, Jones hit Griffin with two more punches, the second one hard enough to knock him out. Follow him @Majorpull or on Facebook at Frederic. Part of the reason probably is his refusal to market himself as a spectacle merely as a spectacular fighter. And the list goes on; Jones is as involved in community-building and humanitarian work as any fighter ever. By the time RJJ, as he was also known, turned professional, he had already sparred with a whole host of notable champions including Sugar Ray Leonard. This behavior never really changed; if anything it became more brutal as Roy Jr. grew up. He has raised money for a number of charitable causes, including his injured friend Gerald McClellan. Won Silver Medal at 1988 Olympic Games. /KO1996 Best Pound-for-Pound Fighter in the World and 1996 Best Fighter in the World (in poll of boxing experts). Jonescareer finally started to soar. Roy Sr. did everything possible to expand the program and help more kids. That fight was considered one of Jones all-time greatest bouts. 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. Assn. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Jones is still hopeful that Griner will be able to return home safely. Dmitry Korotayev/Kommersant Photo/Getty Images Jones made his professional debut in Pensacola in 1989. Selected awards: Ring Sports Magazine1993 Fighter of the Year; 1995 Man of the Year; 1996 Sportsman of the Year.Ring, Boxing Illustrated, and Boxing Scene magazines1994 Fighter of the Year. Toney was 44-0-2 at the time; Jones was 26-0 in the prime of his career. Jones said his contact was able to reach authorities in Russia who expressed willingness to conduct a prisoner swap with the U.S. Jones said the process was slow moving and has since stalled. The early days of Jones professional career were very controversial. There may not be another city of Pensacola's size in America with four former athletes becoming Hall of Famers in three different sports. He has even considered bulking up to take on the heavy-weights or trimming down to fight the welterweight champions. Legal Statement. (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. He did it his way. Griner, an Olympic gold medalist, had been playing overseas during the league's offseason to make money. Born Roy Jones Jr., January 16, 1969, in Pensacola, FL. 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. To briefly recap for those unfamiliar, South Korean fighter Park Si-Hun was pounded around the ring for three rounds. So I went on a little vacation to Pensacola this weekend. Addresses: Online http://www.Royjonesjr.Com Pro-motion-Square Ring, Inc., 200 West LA RUA Street, Pensacola, FL 32501. But because of him, nothing bothers me. Giving away 36lbs in the process, Jones weighed in at 193 lbs and Ruiz at 226 lb, Jones won by unanimous decision and became the first former middleweight title holder to win a heavyweight title in 106 years. When he began his career, Jones often said he didn't see himself fighting past 30-years old. From that point, Jones lost eight more times, a few of those in brutal fashion. Jones hopes the connections he made as a fighter in Russia can help him facilitate Griners safe return. NJ TK 8 Sep 3 Ron Amundsen . he said of Griner's situation. 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. Several more victories would follow before Roy decided to move up to super middleweight and put on probably the best performance of a career that had many! Amer. Light-Heavyweight Championship of the World and Pound for Pound the best Boxing Gym and Promotion Company in the Nation. was he roys trainer? But Jones often waded through boxing's cesspool of characters, con-artists and crooks without a super agent, magnanimous promoter or full-fledged entourage. He also connected with a friend who knows people well-connected in Russian politics. (Lorraine Taylor/Fox News Digital). Look at their condition 10 years after theyre done. His skill so dwarfs that of his nearest ranked oppositionthat providing competitive opponents is a more challenging dilemma than the fights themselves. The expert opinion ofBoxing magazines 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 lost the World Boxing Council light heavyweight crown to Jones in a 1996 unanimous decision, Mike McCallum called Jones the greatest fighter of all time., Jones mastery extends beyond mere strength and speed, however. They still have a good relationship, but Al Merkerson was his trainer. Roy Jones Jr. enters Florida Sports Hall of Fame with rare legacy in boxing, Roy Jones Jr. fights again in surprise exhibition match at Island Fights 52, When Pernell Sweet Pea Whitaker and Roy Jones Jr. played basketball against each other, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Eubank - who has 29 wins and two defeats to his name - moved to work at Jones' remote gym in Pensacola, Florida, when public gyms started closing down across the US because of the pandemic. Bulking up to take on the heavy-weights or trimming down roy jones jr boxing gym pensacola fight the champions... 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