Amateur career

Jones won the 1984 United States National Junior Olympics in the 119 lb (54 kg) weight division, the 1986 United States National Golden Gloves in the 139 lb (63 kg) division, and the 1987 United States National Golden Gloves in the 156 lb (71 kg) division. As an amateur, he ended his career with a 121-13 record.

Jones represented the United States at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, where he won the silver medal. He dominated his opponents, never losing a single round en route to the final. His participation in the final was met with controversy when he lost a 3-2 decision to South Korean fighter Park Si-Hun despite pummeling Park for three rounds, landing 86 punches to Park's 32. Allegedly, Park himself apologized to Jones afterward and the referee told Jones that he was dumbstruck by the judges decision. One judge shortly thereafter admitted the decision was a mistake and all three judges voting against Jones were eventually suspended. An official IOC investigation ending in 1997 found that three of the judges had been wined and dined by South Korean officials. This led to calls for Jones to be awarded a gold medal, but the IOC still officially stands by the decision, despite the allegations. Jones was awarded the Val Barker trophy, as the best stylistic boxer of the 1988 games, which was only the third and to this day the last time in the competition's history when the award did not go to one of the gold medal winners. The incident led Olympic organizers to establish a new scoring system for Olympic boxing.

Professional career

Early career

On turning professional, he had already sparred with many professional boxers, including NABF Champion Ronnie Essett, IBF Champion Lindell Holmes and Sugar Ray Leonard. Jones began as a professional on May 6, 1989, knocking out Ricky Randall in two rounds in Pensacola at the Bayfront Auditorium. For his next fight, he faced the more experienced Stephan Johnson in Atlantic City, beating him by a knockout in round eight.

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 knocked Vaca out in round one to reach 16 knockout wins in a row. 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.

Middleweight title

Roy Jones vs. Bernard Hopkins

Jones made his first attempt at a world title on May 22, 1993. He beat future Undisputed Middleweight Champion Bernard Hopkins by unanimous decision in Washington, D.C. to capture the IBF Middleweight Championship. Jones was ahead on all three judges scorecards (116-112 three times). Jones landed 206 of 594 punches (35%) and Hopkins connected on 153 of 670 (23%). Jones claimed he had entered the bout with a broken right hand, but still managed to outpoint Hopkins and secure a unanimous decision win. Jones reminded the world of this claim on his hit single "Ya'll Must've Forgot" later in his career.

For his next fight, he fought another future world champion, Thulane "Sugar Boy" Malinga, in a non-title affair. Jones beat Malinga by knockout in six rounds. Jones finished the year with another win, beating Fermin Chirino by decision. In 1994, Jones beat Danny "Popeye" Garcia by knockout in six, then retained his IBF title against Thomas Tate in two rounds at Las Vegas on May 27.

Super Middleweight title

Roy Jones vs. James Toney

Main articles: James Toney vs. Roy Jones, Jr. and Roy Jones Jr. vs. Vinny Pazienza

On November 18, 1994, he was set to face undefeated IBF Super Middleweight Champion James Toney, who was ranked highly in the "pound for pound" rankings. Toney had remained undefeated in 46 bouts and was rated the best in the world at 168 lbs. Billed as "The Uncivil War," Toney vs Jones was heavily hyped. Jones, for the first time in his career, was the underdog.

Over the course of the 12-round unanimous decision, Jones demonstrated his greatness. He danced circles around Toney, landing quick combinations at will, scoring a flash knockdown in the third round. Ring magazine called Jones' performance the most dominant of any big fight in 20 years. Jones knocked Toney down in the third round with a left hook. Jones landed 285 of 614 punches (46%) and Toney connected on 157 of 451 (35%). Jones was ahead on all three judges scorecards (117-110, 119-108 & 118-109).

In 1995, Jones defended his super middleweight title successfully multiple times. He began the year by knocking out Antoine Byrd in round one. He faced former IBF Lightweight Champion Vinny Pazienza and defeated him in round six. He then beat Tony Thornton in round two by KO.

Career from 1996 to 2002

In 1996, Jones maintained his winning ways, defeating Merqui Sosa by knockout in two and future world champion Eric Lucas in round 11. When he boxed Lucas, he became the first athlete to participate in two paid sports events on the same day. He had played a basketball game in the morning and defended his boxing title in Jacksonville, Florida that evening. He also held a press conference in the ring just before the fight, taking questions from a chair in the middle of the ring and defending his choice of Bryant Brannon as his opponent instead of Frankie Liles, his nemesis from the amateurs. He then defeated Bryant Brannon in a round two TKO.

Light Heavyweight title

Roy Jones vs Mike McCallum

Main article: Roy Jones, Jr. vs. Mike McCallum

In November 1996 at Ice Palace, Tampa, Florida, Jones defeated 40-year-old former three-weight world champion Mike McCallum via a shutout decision (120-107, 3 times) to win the vacant Interim WBC Light Heavyweight title. Jones was soon upgraded to full champion by the WBC. Jones made $2.8 million from the fight and McCallum got $750,000.

Roy Jones vs. Montell Griffin I & II

Main articles: Roy Jones, Jr. vs. Montell Griffin and Montell Griffin vs. Roy Jones Jr. II

In 1997 Jones had his first professional loss, a disqualification against Montell Griffin (26-0, 18 KOs) at the Taj Majal Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Griffin was trained by the legendary Eddie Futch, who had taught him how to take advantage of Jones technical mistakes and lack of basic boxing fundamentals. Griffin jumped out to an early lead on Jones but by round 9 Jones was ahead on the scorecards by a point and had Griffin on the canvas early in round nine. But as Griffin took a knee on the canvas to avoid further punishment, Jones hit him twice. Subsequently, Jones was disqualified and lost his title. At the time of disqualification, Jones was ahead on two of the judges scorecards (75-76, 77-75, 76-75).

Jones sought an immediate rematch five months later at Foxwoods Resort, Connecticut, USA and regained the World Light Heavyweight title easily, knocking Griffin down within the first 2 minutes 31 seconds of the fight, then ending the fight by knocking Griffin out just over two minutes in with a leaping left hand shot. The fight took place in a bingo hall before a sellout crowd of 4,500. Both Jones and Griffin earned a $1.5 million purse.

Career from 1998 to 2002

In 1998, Jones began by knocking out former Light Heavyweight and future Cruiserweight Champion Virgil Hill (who had already lost his belts to Lineal & WBO Champion Dariusz Michalczewski) in four rounds at Biloxi, Mississippi with a huge right to the body that broke one of Hill's ribs. He followed that with a win against the WBA Light Heavyweight title holder, Puerto Rico's Lou Del Valle, by a decision in 12 on July 18, to unify the WBC and WBA belts. Jones had to climb off the canvas for the first time in his career, as he was dropped in round eight, but continued to outbox Del Valle throughout the rest of the fight and gained a unanimous decision. Jones then followed with a defense against Otis Grant. He retained the crown by knocking Grant out in ten rounds.

Jones began 1999 by knocking out the WBC number one ranked contender at the time, Rick Frazier. After this, many boxing critics started to criticize Jones for fighting overmatched mandatories who few had ever heard of as well as his steadfast refusal to meet Dariusz Michalczewski in a unification bout. Jones answered these calls on June 5 of that year, when he beat the IBF title holder, Reggie Johnson, by a lop-sided 12-round decision to add that belt to the WBC and WBA belts he already owned in the division. Jones dropped Johnson hard in the second round, but backed off and allowed Reggie to finish the fight.

The year 2000 began with Jones easily beating the hard-punching David Telesco via a 12 round decision on January 15, at Radio City Music Hall to retain his titles. Jones reportedly fractured his wrist a few weeks before this fight and fought almost exclusively one-handed. He entered the ring surrounded by the famous group of dancers, The Rockettes. His next fight was also a first time boxing event for a venue, as he traveled to Indianapolis and retained his title with an 11-round technical knockout over Richard Hall at the Conseco Fieldhouse. A post fight drug test showed that both Jones and Hall tested positive for androstenedione which was available legally over the counter at that time but banned by the IBF. The results of Jones' next two drug tests, which were negative, were sent to the Indiana Boxing Commission. The IBF chose not to take any action against Jones or Hall. Jones ended the year with a 10-round stoppage of undefeated Eric Harding in New Orleans.

In 2001, Jones released Round One: The Album, a rap CD. That year he retained the title against Derrick Harmon by a knockout in ten and against future world champion Julio César González of Mexico by a 12-round unanimous decision.

In 2002, Jones retained his title by knocking out Australian boxer Glen Kelly in seven rounds. After this bout, Jones was controversially awarded The Ring Championship belt, despite Dariusz Michalczewski still being regarded as the Lineal champion in the same weight class.

Jones then defeated future world champion Clinton Woods by technical knockout. He performed a song from his CD during his ring entrance.

WBA Heavyweight Champion

Roy Jones vs. John Ruiz

Main article: John Ruiz vs. Roy Jones, Jr.

On March 1, 2003, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Roy Jones defeated John Ruiz, the man who defeated an aging Evander Holyfield, for the WBA Heavyweight title infront of 15,300 fans. Jones officially weighed in at 193 lb (88 kg) and Ruiz at 226 lb (103 kg). Jones became the first former Middleweight title holder to win a Heavyweight title in 106 years. Jones also became the first fighter to start his career as a light middleweight and win a heavyweight title. Jones was guaranteed $10 million against 60% of the profits. Ruiz had no guarantee. He received 40% of the profits, which he had to share with promoter Don King. Jones won on all three scorecards (116-112, 118-110 & 117-111). According to Mark Taffet, HBO’s Senior Vice-President of Sports Operations and Pay-Per-View, the fight generated 602,000 pay-per-view buys.

Roy Jones vs. Antonio Tarver

Main article: Antonio Tarver vs. Roy Jones, Jr.

Jones chose to return to the light heavyweight division and on November 8, 2003 he defeated Antonio Tarver to retain The Ring Light Heavyweight Championship and win Tarver's WBC title, as well as the vacant WBA (Super) title. Jones appeared a lot weaker after coming back down to the light heavyweight division, losing the muscle he gained for the heavyweight fight seemed to have taken a toll on his aging body and his cat-like reflexes appeared diminished. Jones won by majority decision, the judges giving him 117-111,116-112 and 114-114.

Fall from grace

Roy Jones vs. Antonio Tarver II, Glen Johnson

Main articles: Roy Jones, Jr. vs. Antonio Tarver II and Glen Johnson vs. Roy Jones Jr.

On May 15, 2004, Jones faced Tarver in a rematch. Jones was heavily favored to win, but Tarver knocked him down at 1:41 of the second round. Jones had won the first round (Tarver only landed two punches in the first round), but in the second, as Jones tried a combination, he was caught by a big counter left hook from Tarver. Jones got on his feet by the count, but for the first time in his career was ruled unable to continue by referee Jay Nady.

On September 25, 2004, Jones attempted to win the IBF Light Heavyweight title from Glen Johnson in a match in Memphis, Tennessee. Johnson knocked out Jones 49 seconds into the ninth round. Jones lay on the canvas for three minutes after being counted out. Johnson was ahead on all three judges' scorecards at the time of the knockout (77-75, 77-75, 78-74) and had landed 118 punches to Jones's 75. Jones used the ring's canvas that night as a billboard for his upcoming rap CD, which came out November 1.

Roy Jones vs. Antonio Tarver III

Main article: Antonio Tarver vs. Roy Jones, Jr. III

After almost a year away from the ring, focusing on training and working as an analyst for HBO Boxing, Jones scheduled a third fight with Antonio Tarver, on October 1, 2005, at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida, which aired on HBO PPV. For only the second time in his career, Jones was considered an underdog going into the fight. Tarver won by unanimous decision (117-111, 116-112, 116-112).

Fallout with HBO

After the loss in the third Tarver bout, Jones resumed his duties as a commentator for HBO World Championship Boxing, calling the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Sharmba Mitchell fight on November 19, 2005 and the Jermain Taylor-Bernard Hopkins rematch on December 3, 2005. His return to the network was short lived, as Jones was let go from his ringside analyst role in January 2006. HBO cited his reported lack of commitment to attending the network's production meetings.

Comeback trail

Back to winning ways

Jones took on Prince Badi Ajamu on July 29, 2006, at the Qwest Arena in Boise, Idaho. Jones defeated Ajamu by a unanimous decision, winning the WBO NABO Light Heavyweight title.

Next up for Jones was the undefeated Anthony Hanshaw, on July 14, 2007, at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi. Hanshaw was knocked down in the 11th round. Jones won the bout by unanimous decision.

Roy Jones vs. Félix Trinidad

Main article: Félix Trinidad vs. Roy Jones, Jr.

On January 19, 2008, Jones faced former 147 and 154 pound five-time world champion Félix Trinidad at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The bout was fought at a catchweight of 170 lbs. Jones had a noticeable size and speed advantage, and in round seven, a short right hand to the temple dropped Trinidad to his knees. Jones fired a combination in the tenth round to send Trinidad down once more. Jones won the fight by scores of 117-109 and 116-110 (twice). This was the first time a former Heavyweight Champion returned to fight successfully at 170 lbs. The fight generated 500,000 pay-per-view buys and $25 million in domestic television revenue. This was also the last fight of Trinidad's career.

Roy Jones vs. Joe Calzaghe

Main article: Joe Calzaghe vs. Roy Jones, Jr.

After Joe Calzaghe's split from promoter Frank Warren, it was officially announced that Roy Jones Jr. and Joe Calzaghe had reached an agreement to fight for the The Ring Light Heavyweight Championship in New York City at Madison Square Garden on September 20, 2008 on HBO PPV. However, Calzaghe claimed injury to his right hand in training, so the fight had to be postponed a couple of weeks, with November 8 being set as the new date. Calzaghe was knocked down by a perfectly timed uppercut and cut on the bridge of the nose in the first round. Calzaghe resumed control almost immediately and dominated Jones throughout the remainder of the fight. The Welshman opened a cut over Jones' left eye. Jones' corner, who had never seen Roy cut before, didn't know how to properly handle the situation. Blood covered the left side of Jones' face. Ultimately, Jones lost by unanimous decision, winning only one round (10-8 in the first) on the 3 official judges cards. There was a crowd of 14,152. The fight generated 225,000 pay-per-view buys.

Career from 2009 to 2013

Main article: Danny Green vs. Roy Jones, Jr.

Jones defeated Omar Sheika on March 21, 2009, via fifth-round technical knockout. Sheika had previously defeated Glen Johnson, who had knocked out Jones in 2004. On August 15, 2009, Jones beat former Super Middleweight Champion Jeff Lacy in 10 rounds after Lacy's corner stopped the fight. Lacy had never been knocked out or stopped before.

In December 2009, Roy Jones was set to face Australian boxer Danny Green in Sydney, Australia. In the weeks leading up to this fight, there were reports in the newspapers indicating difficulties getting Roy's sparring partners into Australia. Then on December 2, 2009, following an extensive pre-fight delay due to hand wrap protests, Danny Green defeated Jones in a first round TKO.

Roy Jones vs. Bernard Hopkins II

Main article: Bernard Hopkins vs. Roy Jones, Jr. II

Roy Jones Jr. and Bernard Hopkins (50-5-1, 32 KOs) met in a rematch bout, on April 3, 2010 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, 17 years after their first fight. After going the distance, Hopkins was awarded with a unanimous decision (118-109, 117-110 twice). Hopkins landed 184 of 526 punches (35%), while Jones connected on 82 of 274 (30%). The fight generated 150,000 pay-per-view buys.

Roy Jones vs. Denis Lebedev

On May 21, Jones travelled to Russia to face Denis Lebedev, who had just come off a controversial split decision loss to Marco Huck. Weighing in at 198 lbs, Jones looked slow and old. Despite this, he gave a decent showing and was heading for at least a majority decision loss at the beginning of the 10th round. However, with less than 20 seconds remaining, Lebedev landed a big right followed by an uppercut. Jones, having bent down holding his head and in no position to continue, was then hit by a final big right hand as Steve Smoger hesitated to stop the fight. Jones lay on the canvas for several minutes before getting up.

Roy Jones vs. Max Alexander

Jones won a 10-round unanimous decision against Max Alexander on December 10, 2011 in Atlanta, snapping a three-match losing streak, and winning the Universal Boxing Organisation (UBO) Intercontinental Cruiserweight Championship.

Roy Jones vs. Paweł Głażewski

Jones was supposed to face Dawid Kostecki in a ten round bout at Atlas Arena, Poland on June 30. Days before the fight, Kostecki was convicted of being the ringleader of a criminal organization and was thrown in jail. Paweł Głażewski stepped in to fight Jones instead. Jones defeated the 17-0 Głażewski by split decision.

Roy Jones vs. Zine Eddine Benmakhlouf

On December 21, 2013, Jones defeated Zine Eddine Benmakhlouf by unanimous decision for the vacant WBU Cruiserweight title at the Dynamo Palace of Sports in Krylatskoye in Moscow, Russia. The judges scored the bout 120-108, 119-109 and 118-111.

Career from 2014 to 2016

Jones, fighting in Latvia, defeated Courtney Fry (18-5-0) via RTD in the 5th round on July 26, 2014. Jones was ahead on all three judges scorecards by the end of the fourth round. On September 26, 2014, Jones then defeated Hany Atiyo via 1st round KO after 1:15 minutes. Jones' next bout, for the first time 4 years, took place in the USA and ultimately saw him defeat Willy Williams via 2nd round TKO. Near the end of the same month on March 28, Jones was again back in the ring, this time against Paul Vasquez, defeating him via 1st round TKO for the WBU (German Version) Cruiserweight title. On August 16, 2015, Jones scored his 62nd professional victory and 45th knockout win by defeating Eric Watkins via 6th round KO.

Roy Jones vs. Enzo Maccarinelli

On October 28, 2015, it was announced that Jones would be fighting ex-WBO cruiserweight champion Enzo Maccarinelli, 35, who has a career record of 40 wins and 7 losses, for the WBA 'super' world cruiserweight title. However, this was a 'false rumour'. It was however announced that they would fight on December 12, 2015 in a non-title Cruiserweight battle. This was Jones first fight since being granted Russian citizenship. The fight took place at the VTB Arena in Moscow. After an evenly matched 3 rounds, the 4th round started more in Maccarinelli's favour after he dropped Jones with an uppercut. Jones beat the count and carried on before being hit with another huge uppercut, falling face down on the canvas, referee Ingo Barrabas waved off in what was Jones' 9th career defeat, 5th by KO.

Roy Jones vs. Vyron Phillips

On March 20, 2016, Jones fought in Phoenix, Arizona against 33-year-old MMA fighter Vyron Phillips, who had won the right to fight him after having been selected through a vote on Facebook. Phillips, who fought in his first boxing match and who would have received $100,000 if he had won, was knocked down in the second round by Jones. The referee then stopped the fight.

Professional boxing record

63 Wins (46 knockouts, 17 decisions), 9 Losses (5 knockouts, 4 decisions, 1 disqualification), 0 Draws
Res.	Record	Opponent	Type	Rd., Time	Date	Location	Notes
Win	63-9	Vyron Phillips
Loss	62-9	Enzo Maccarinelli
Win	62-8	Eric Watkins
Win	61-8	Paul Vasquez
Win	60-8	Willie Williams
Win	59-8	Hany Atiyo
Win	58-8	Courtney Fry
Win	57-8	Zine Eddine Benmakhlouf
Win	56-8	Paweł Głażewski
Win	55-8	Max Alexander
Loss	54-8	Denis Lebedev
Loss	54-7	Bernard Hopkins
Loss	54-6	Danny Green
Win	54-5	Jeff Lacy
Win	53-5	Omar Sheika
Loss	52-5	Joe Calzaghe
Win	52-4	Félix Trinidad
Win	51-4	Anthony Hanshaw
Win	50-4	Prince Badi Ajamu
Loss	49-4	Antonio Tarver
Loss	49-3	Glen Johnson
Loss	49-2	Antonio Tarver
Win	49-1	Antonio Tarver
Win	48-1	John Ruiz
Win	47-1	Clinton Woods
Win	46-1	Glen Kelly
Win	45-1	Julio César González
Win	44-1	Derrick Harmon
Win	43-1	Eric Harding
Win	42-1	Richard Hall
Win	41-1	David Telesco
Win	40-1	Reggie Johnson
Win	39-1	Richard Frazier
Win	38-1	Otis Grant
Win	37-1	Lou Del Valle
Win	36-1	Virgil Hill
Win	35-1	Montell Griffin
Loss	34-1	Montell Griffin
Win	34-0	Mike McCallum
Win	33-0	Bryant Brannon
Win	32-0	Eric Lucas
Win	31-0	Merqui Sosa
Win	30-0	Tony Thornton
Win	29-0	Vinny Pazienza
Win	28-0	Antoine Byrd
Win	27-0	James Toney
Win	26-0	Thomas Tate
Win	25-0	Danny Garcia
Win	24-0	Fermin Chirino
Win	23-0	Thulani Malinga
Win	22-0	Bernard Hopkins
Win	21-0	Glenn Wolfe
Win	20-0	Percy Harris
Win	19-0	Glenn Thomas
Win	18-0	Jorge Castro
Win	17-0	Art Serwano
Win	16-0	Jorge Vaca
Win	15-0	Lester Yarbrough
Win	14-0	Kevin Daigle
Win	13-0	Eddie Evans
Win	12-0	Ricky Stackhouse
Win	11-0	Reggie Miller
Win	10-0	Rollin Williams
Win	9-0	Tony Waddles
Win	8-0	Ron Johnson
Win	7-0	Knox Brown
Win	6-0	Billy Mitchem
Win	5-0	Joe Edens
Win	4-0	David McCluskey
Win	3-0	Ron Amundsen
Win	2-0	Stephan Johnson
Win	1-0	Ricky Randall

Titles in boxing

Major World Titles:

• IBF Middleweight Champion (160 lbs)
• IBF Super Middleweight Champion (168 lbs)
• WBC Light Heavyweight Interim Champion (175 lbs)
• WBC Light Heavyweight Champion (175 lbs)
• (2) WBC Light Heavyweight Champion (175 lbs)
• WBA Light Heavyweight Champion (175 lbs)
• IBF Light Heavyweight Champion (175 lbs)
• WBA Heavyweight Champion (+200 lbs)
• (3) WBC Light Heavyweight Champion (175 lbs)
• (2) WBA Light Heavyweight Champion (175 lbs)

Minor World Titles:

• WBU Cruiserweight Champion (200 lbs)
• IBO Light Heavyweight Champion (175 lbs)
• NBA Light Heavyweight Champion (175 lbs)
• WBF Light Heavyweight Champion (175 lbs)
• IBA Light Heavyweight Champion (175 lbs)
• IBC Light Heavyweight Champion (175 lbs)

The Ring/Lineal Championship Titles:

• The Ring Light Heavyweight Champion (175 lbs)

Regional/International Titles:

• WBC Continental Americas Super Middleweight Champion (168 lbs)
• WBO NABO Light Heavyweight Champion (175 lbs)
• (2) WBO NABO Light Heavyweight Champion (175 lbs)
• UBO Intercontinental Cruiserweight Champion (200 lbs)

Pay-per-view bouts

Date	Fight	Billing	Buys
November 18, 1994	Toney vs. Jones	The Uncivil War	300,000
September 9, 2000	Jones vs. Harding	Bourbon St Brawl	140,000
March 1, 2003	Jones vs. Ruiz	Never take a Heavyweight Lightly	602,000
November 8, 2003	Jones vs. Tarver	Now It's Personal	302,000
May 15, 2004	Jones vs. Tarver II	More Than Personal	384,000
October 1, 2005	Jones vs. Tarver III	No Excuses	440,000
January 19, 2008	Jones vs. Trinidad	Bring on the Titans	500,000
November 8, 2008	Calzaghe vs. Jones	Battle of the Superpowers	225,000
March 3, 2010	Hopkins vs. Jones II	The Rivals	15,000
Total	9 Pay Per View Fights		3,043,000

Personal life

Jones was born in Pensacola, Florida, to two very different parents. His mother, Carol, was warm and easy-going, whereas his father, Roy Sr., was much like a Marine Drill Instructor with respect to his son. A decorated Vietnam veteran, ex-club fighter and retired aircraft engineer who had taken up hog farming, Roy Sr. was hard on his son from early on, taunting the child, "sparring" with him, enraging Roy Jr., yelling at him and beating the child, often for 20 minutes at a time. This behavior never really changed; if anything it became more brutal as Roy Jr. grew up. Many people would call the father's treatment out-and-out abuse, but he believed he had a good reason for it: to make Roy Jr. tough enough to be a champion. In this pursuit, he was relentless and Roy Jr. lived in constant fear of his father's verbal and physical violence against him.

Jones described his childhood in Sports Illustrated: "After a while I didn't care about gettin' hurt or dyin' anymore. I was in pain all day, every day, I was so scared of my father. He'd pull up in his truck and start lookin' for something I'd done wrong. There was no escape, no excuse, no way out of nothin'. ... Getting' hurt or dyin' might've been better than the life I was livin'. ... Used to think about killin' myself anyway."

Roy Sr. ran his own boxing gym, to which he devoted all his available time and financial resources. He offered direction and useful discipline to numerous youths and steered many of them away from trouble. Roy Sr. did everything possible to expand the program and help more kids. But towards his own son he was merciless, driving Roy Jr. to the brink of exhaustion, screaming at him in front of all the other fighters, assaulting him."

Using his birds as an image for his own predicament, Jones said in the same Sports Illustrated piece: "I spent all my life in my dad's cage. I could never be 100 percent of who I am until I left it. But because of him, nothing bothers me. I'll never face anything stronger and harder than what I already have.""

But his father's strictness paid him well — after some quick successes initially in his career including 1984 United States National Junior Olympics victory — Jones' hard work started paying him off. He not only gained fame, but wealth — according to a research, Jones' assets exceeded the amount of $45 million US dollars as of 2012.

Former Heavyweight Champion George Foreman said Jones, "hits like a heavyweight and moves like a lightweight."

Boxer Montell Griffin, who faced Jones twice at 175 lbs and sparred with Floyd Mayweather Jr. at 140 lbs said, "Floyd was no comparison as far as speed. Roy was much faster."

In 1996, High Frequency Boxing's John DiMaio wrote "The early evidence points toward the real possibility that Jones is the greatest talent this sport has ever seen. His skill so dwarfs that of his nearest ranked opposition...that providing competitive opponents is a more challenging dilemma than the fights themselves." The expert opinion of Boxing magazine's 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 Mike MacCallum lost the World Boxing Council light heavyweight crown to Roy Jones in a 1996 unanimous decision, he called Jones "the greatest fighter of all time."

On August 19, 2015, Roy Jones met with Vladimir Putin in Sevastopol, Crimea, to ask for a dual Russian-American citizenship. He explained that he often visits Russia for business activity, and a passport would avoid inconvenient rides. Jones was granted Russian citizenship on September 12.

Awards

Selected Awards: Ring Sports Magazine—1993 Fighter of the Year; 1995 Man of the Year; 1996 Sportsman of the Year. Ring, Boxing Illustrated, and Boxing Scene magazines—1994 Fighter of the Year. International Boxing Federation—1995 Fighter of the Year and 1995 Fighter of Unlimited Potential. ESPN ESPY Award—1995 Boxer of the Year. The Sports Network-Boxer of the Decade. Boxing Illustrated's Budweiser ratings, June 1995 onward—Best Pound-for-Pound Fighter in the World. March of Dimes—1995 Honorary Chairman. KO—1996 Best Pound-for-Pound Fighter in the World and 1996 Best Fighter in the World. Congress of Racial Equality—1996 Outstanding Achievement Award. American Association for the Improvement of Boxing (the Marciano Foundation)--1996 Humanitarian of the Year. Boxing 1996—Best Pound-for Pound Fighter in the World. Harlem Globetrotters—Honorary Ambassador of Goodwill (1997). Escambia-Pensacola Human Relations Commission—1997 Olive Branch Award, for humanitarianism.

Music career

See also: Body Head Bangerz

Roy Jones Jr.
Birth name	Roy Levesta Jones Jr.
Born	(1969-01-16) January 16, 1969 (age 47)
Origin	Pensacola, Florida, United States
Genres	Hip hop, Southern Hip Hop, Crunk, Dirty South
Occupation(s)	Boxer, rapper, actor, promoter, sports commentator
Years active	2001-present
Labels	Body Head Entertainment

Jones started his rap music career in 2001 with his album, titled Round One: The Album and the debut single, "Y'All Must've Forgot". In 2004, Jones formed a group - Body Head Bangerz and released an album. The album, Body Head Bangerz: Volume One, featured B.G., Juvenile, Bun B of UGK, Petey Pablo, Lil' Flip and Mike Jones among others.

Discography

Album

Album information
Round One: The Album Released: February 26, 2002 Label: Body Head Entertainment Last RIAA Certification: None Singles: "Y'all Must've Forgot", "And Still"

With Body Head Bangerz

Album information
Body Head Bangerz: Volume One Released: October 26, 2004 Label: Body Head Entertainment Last RIAA Certification: None Singles: "Can't Be Touched", "I Smoke, I Drank (Remix)"

Solo singles

• 2001: "Y'all Must've Forgot"
• 2001: "And Still"
• 2009: "Battle of the Super Powers"

Featured singles

• 2004: "Can't Be Touched"

Filmography

• The Devil's Advocate (1997) - himself
• The Wayans Brothers, Rope-a-Dope (1999) - himself
• The Matrix Reloaded (2003) - Captain Ballard
• Enter The Matrix (2003) - Captain Ballard
• Cordially Invited (2007) - Lenny Banks
• Universal Soldier: A New Dimension (2012) - Mess Hall Unisol
• Southpaw (2015) - himself

[ Source: Wikipedia ]