Go to Part I
Once out of the starting blocks, Jones moved quickly. A blurring left hook kayoed top contender Thomas Tate in the second round of his first middleweight defense in May 1994 before Jones' signature fight came against favored, unbeated super middleweight champion, James Toney in November 1994.
In a sensational display, Jones tormented Toney with a dominating performance that featured a taunting move by Jones that Toney tried to mimic, only to have the challenger land a solid blow that sent the champion reeling against the ropes in the third round. Jones got credit for a knockdown and went on to sweep all three judges scores to claim another title.
Ever looking upward, Jones scored a 12-round unanimous decision over Mike McCallum to win the interim WBC Light Heavyweight Championship. Before he was done creating havoc among the 175-pounders, Jones put the division tidily under one flag (WBC, WBA and IBF). In his wake, he left 13 challengers bent and bloodied.
In March 2003, Roy Jones, Jr. left his mark firmly in boxing history by becoming the first middleweight to win the heavyweight championship since Bob Fitzsimmons turned the trick in 1897. Giving away almost 30 pounds to John Ruiz, Jones earned $10 million to score a remarkable easy 12-round decision. He won eight rounds on one scorecard, nine on a second and an amazing ten on the third.
"I know what people are going to say, but there is nothing wrong with John Ruiz," said Jones. "Like a lot of other guys I fought, he was just slower than me. And I kind of out thought him."
"What's next?" a visitor asked the 34-year old ruler of all the WBA heavyweights. "I'll think of something," said Jones with a wide grin.
Following the celebratory win over Ruiz, Antonio Tarver was seated, along with the media, in the post-fight press conference. "I want my shot at history, Roy." Roy eventually had heard enough and in November 2003, Jones met the unified light heavyweight champion, Antonio Tarver. Jones won a 12-round majority decision. It was Jones' first fight at light heavyweight since beating Ruiz. He had to drop over twenty-five pounds to make the weight and looked physically drained. Jones had to dig down deep, arguably the deepest in his career, to rally during the last two rounds to win.
The Jones vs Tarver rematch took place in May 2004. The action was just starting to warm up when Tarver scored a knockdown midway through the second round. He got up just after the referee reached the count of ten and waved the fight over. After the fight, Roy said, "There ain't no excuses on my part. I come out and do what I do. Guys always get up to fight Roy Jones. It happens like that. I'm a warrior and I'm going to fight. It happens to the best of us."
Surprisingly, Jones returned to the ring almost immediately. Not for a tune-up fight, but to fight for a world title - because that is the only thing Roy Jones knows what to do - fight for world titles. He fought Glen Johnson for the IBF Light Heavyweight Title in September 2004. For only the third time in fifty-two fights, the bout finished in Jones' opponent's favor.
Thinking of new ways to astonish his legions of followers had never been a problem for this superb athlete. One only has to go back to June 1996 to find a stunning example of Jones' incredible athletic ability and stamina. A few hours befopre defending his IBF super middleweight championship against Eric Lucas, Jones spent 15 grueling minutes playing for the Jacksonville Barracudas of the United States Basketball League. He scored six points.
Defeating Lucas took a little longer. "He was a bit stubborn," said Jones of the Canadian, who would go on to become a WBC super middleweight champion five years later. He stopped Lucas in the 12th round. "That is the last time I do that. It was one long day."
Besides boxing, basketball, fishing, hunting and raising fighting cocks, Jones' and his involvement in the music, motion picture and television industry, he devotes much time working with America's youth and has been involved in boxing reform.
"When you have been blessed as I have been," said Jones, "you have to give something back. If some day I find that I have turned around the life of some troubled young man or woman, I will accept that as an award as great as any I have ever received."
Don't think Jones is through in the ring though. He still has a score to settle with Antonio Tarver, and on October 1st, there will be "No Excuses".
