Roy Jones Jr. is 42 years old, 54-7 overall, and he’s lost his last two fights in a row. Sadly, like so many other former legends in the ring, Jones Jr. hasn’t figured out that it’s time to quit and instead he continues to sully his once pristine legacy every time he takes the ring.
Luckily for him, most fans don’t notice.
Jones Jr. has signed on to fight yet again, this time against Denis Lebedev on May 22 in Moscow. They’ll fight at cruiserweight where Roy hopes the 200-pound weight limit will give him advantage over his 31-year-old opponent.
The way he’s looked his last two fights — a loss to Bernard Hopkins and this butt kicking by Danny Green — the only ring he should be worried about is the one he aspires to receive in heaven.
It’s really painful for me to watch Jones Jr. throw away his legacy. The man absolutely dominated the 90s and was untouchable throughout the decade, beating stars like Bernard Hopkins and James Toney. His only loss was to Montell Griffin, only because he hit Griffin while he was down. Roy was smooth and cool in the ring, with his superior speed and skill allowing him to toy with opponents to no end. He wore Jordan Brand gear, was athletic enough to play in professional basketball games the same day as his fights, and he used to sport a fresh new haircut every time in the ring.
Everything Roy used to do to opponents — embarrass and belittle them with speed and skill — came back to him in the beatdown he suffered by Joe Calzaghe.
That was in 2008.
It’s three years later, and Jones is no younger.
The only thing Roy should be doing boxing-related at this point is ringside commentating for HBO, not fighting. We’ve seen enough.
