Roy Jones, Jr. Adding Doubt To His Boxing Legacy

We all know the side effects boxing has on your health. Speech, motor skills, memory…etc. What I didn’t know is the press can suffer the same side effects. This has become known to me since Roy Jones defeated Prince Badi Ajamu just a little over a week ago. I suppose it is similar to sympathy pains suffered by a man with a pregnant wife. There have been reports of men whose wives are pregnant that suffer upset stomach or even morning sickness. The press suffers from second hand memory loss.

I am no doctor of course with my medical expertise ending at first aid and my limited knowledge of being a cut man. But this is the only explanation I can offer for some of the things I have read in the press as of late. One story had a headline of “Bring on Tarver – Jones is back!”. Another was “Jones looks like he is in his prime.” The most outrageous one had to be “Jones ready to take place back among the elite”

Are these guys crazy or just the biggest kissers of the lower rear end that I have ever seen? This bandwagon is uncalled for. Matter of fact, this bandwagon is a train wreck waiting to happen. Our usually brutal press has totally blown off recent events in Roy’s career. Those who are usually realists have just acted like the four fights prior to Jones meeting with Ajamu have never taken place. They seem to forget that Jones not only lost his last three before Ajamu but he was Blown Out!

After Jones made history by capturing the heavyweight title from John Ruiz, he decided to let the belt go up for grabs and take on Antonio Tarver back in the light heavyweight division. Jones was given the nod in a very bad decision. He was slow and made to look old. The reasons given for his poor performance were that the weight loss left him weak; he took off too much weight too quickly.

This is an excuse we have heard dozens of times from fighters; but this was Roy Jones. The man whose only loss was by DQ against Montel Griffin. I mean, he did just lose 20+ pounds of mostly muscle. So this excuse, for once, seemed valid. The press criticized Jones’ performance but to a limited extent; the press had criticized every performance of Jones, so it was nothing new. He was always accused of having a safety first style and taking on limited competition.

No one, but no one, expected the rematch to go the way it did. Who would have ever though we would see Jones on his back in the second round? But the loss still did not seem to be the end of Jones. It was too hard for him to stay strong while maintaining 175 lb. Every fighter has that one guy he just can’t beat and Tarver was that guy for Jones.

These excuses kept Jones in the rankings when it came to the P4P list. And it also kept the press, once again, from writing Jones off as a has been.

Disaster then struck in the form of Glen Johnson, the journeyman who had fought everyone everywhere. Johnson was supposed to be an easy fight for Jones but at the same time, a credible opponent. Or so Jones’ camp thought.

Johnson scored a one punch KO in the ninth round that sent Jones crashing to the canvas, hitting his head hard when he fell and leaving those around concerned. Roy didn’t move for minutes. A knockout like that had ended the careers of many a men.

It was now official; Jones was finished. “A shot fighter”claimed the press and so called experts. People said he should retire for his own safety before he gets hurt. But like every great fighter, Jones needed to get back in the ring one more time. He had to know for himself exactly what he had left. Of course, he had to find this out by again challenging his first conqueror, Antonio Tarver. This time Jones finished on his feet but was once more badly outclassed and almost KO’d. It was obvious to everyone including Jones himself that his time was finished.

Roy Jones Jr., had done all there was to do in a boxing ring. He retired with a 49-4 (38) record and had titles in four weight classes; middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight. He had the pound for pound title for so long it was as though you had Roy Jones and the rest. He held wins over legends such as James Toney and Bernard Hopkins. He’d beaten top challengers and former champions such as Vinnie Pazienza, Montel Griffin, Mike McCallum, Virgil Hill, Merqi Sosa, Otis Grant, John Ruiz and the list goes on. All top fighters at the time of these fights.

Jones had money, his mind was intact and his personal life seemed to be in order. He had become a regular on HBO fight telecasts as an announcer. Roy was well spoken, often funny and non-biased like George Forman. He had done what few fighters who reach the top ever do. Retired with grace and everything, including his pocketbook, intact.

But the time at ringside must have been to much for Jones. Sitting there watching fighters in the ring, seeing their mistakes, thinking how he would do it differently. Why not go for it one more time?

Enter Prince Badi Ajamu, 25-3-1 (14), a light puncher from NJ who could box but was a relative unknown. This Prince had been carefully scouted by the Jones camp. They made sure that he didn’t posses the same power and skill the former crown prince of boxing, Naseem Hamed, the former featherweight champion who KO’d all but four of his opponents and wreaked havoc in the late 90’s and early part of the century.

Once it was safely assumed that there was no similarities between Princes, the fight was signed. As a matter of fact, they needed to use the same fight over and over again in the promos to make Ajamu look like a star. Many questioned Jones’ decision. Promoters just saw a chance at a mega fight in the works if Jones was successful. The thoughts of one last mega fight with Bernard Hopkins made the promoting vultures salivate in greed. Jones was not only successful, but did better than hoped for. He won a one-sided decision and gave Ajamu a boxing lesson.

Now it is time for the train wreck…

Jones, like any fighter, is high on his victory. His performance over a mediocre fighter has him thinking. It has those around him filling his head with praise. Telling him he is back in true form, that it was just a matter of time.

Like any fighter with an ego, Jones will buy into this. His mind is moving along with the scenarios planned out…Hopkins just beat Tarver with ease and Jones just had an easy win. The interest of a Mega Showdown has begun.

Jones beat Hopkins once ands he just proved to be in top form again. The fans have called for years to have a rematch between the two and now the time is here; one more shot at glory.

Just one problem.

Jones fought Hopkins 13 years ago. At that time Bernard was nowhere near the fighter he is now. The affair was dull and Jones fought just enough to win. Hopkins last two losses were to a much younger fighter, Jermain Taylor, and “The Executioner” didn’t take any real punishment in them. Also Hopkins has been more active and fighting better competition then Roy has over the last few years.

Jones hasn’t been busy with the caliber of Taylor, De la Hoya, Trinidad and Eastman in a long time. Hopkins has only fought the best of the best for as far back as I can remember. Hopkins is older chronologically but he is a young 41. He hasn’t been beaten in such a harsh fashion that Roy has been. Matter of fact, Hopkins has never been knocked out. Bottom line is that Roy Jones is not Roy Jones anymore. One good performance over a handpicked fighter is not going to change that.

Jones also has to remember that his win over Hopkins is not that of the Hopkins that we see today. Bernard is now a full fledged light heavyweight who knows every trick that Jones does and maybe more. He was on top of the middleweight division for almost 11 years. He may be the greatest middleweight of all time. He is the real deal and more.

If Tarver damaged Jones, Hopkins will ruin him and a loss to Hopkins will just further damage Jones’ legacy. It will be as many losses in almost as many fights and Jones’ critics will just feed on the defeat. They will just rub in the past accusations of Jones not fighting the best to avoid losses. Words like this haunt a fighter throughout history, long after they retire and even long after they pass away.

A win over Hopkins, although highly unlikely, will also do nothing for him. The critics will only say he beat a guy he already holds a win over. No matter what Jones does, he will be in a catch 22.

What other options does Jones have at the moment? Fight more guys the caliber of Ajamu? That will only hurt his legacy to the fullest. He will be known as a guy who fought handpicked opponents just to stay in the game and feed his own ego. Roy Jones’ time is here. He needs to retire and stay retired. He is going out with a win. He is going out with a class A performance. And that is something past greats like Ali and Robinson can’t claim.

Anything else Jones does will only tarnish his accomplishments. Once you hit the top, there is nowhere else to go but down. Jones seems very intelligent. He has business success beyond the ring. Will he be smart enough to stay away? One more KO loss may damage his seemingly intact mind and body. He has an ego the size of the moon; one more embarrassment and it will put a black mark next to him for all time, one that he cannot come back to erase.

I hope Jones is the fighter and business man that I think he is. It would be nice to see a future legend go out with a win. Of course, this isn’t up to me, only Roy can make this decision. There have been questions about his heart and will to fight all comers in the past but his accomplishments override that. Now Roy just has to decide if he wants a question mark next to him throughout the future.