Jones-Ajamu post fight quotes!

July 30, 2006

By Rick Scharmberg


http://www.fightnews.com/scharmberg296.htm
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Roy Jones Jr.

“I want to thank Arthur Williams, who is from Pensacola, and William Guthrie. I am honored to share this opportunity with these guys.”

On why he returned and how he felt in the fight:

“I wanted to see if my reflexes were still there. I wanted to see if I could do the things I used to do like catch him off balance. After tonight, I realized that I can still do the things that I’m not supposed to be able to do any more!”

On reaching 50 career wins:

“If I got to five-O earlier, I’d be done by now. It comes at the right time.”

On Prince’s fast start in the fight:

“I wasn’t surprised. I expected that. I knew he was strong, and he caught me with some good punches. I don’t blame him for starting fast against someone who had two knockouts. I expected him to go for a quick knockout – but when it didn’t happen, ta-da da-da!”

On a potential fight with Bernard Hopkins:

“He said he didn’t want to fight me. [He] said I was too fast!”

On his ten month layoff:

“The layoff was good for me, after coming down from that weight loss.”

Was he concerned about not selling the arena out?

“Boise was one of the best places I ever performed in. They didn’t know that they were going to miss a show like this.”

On when he will be back to 100%:

“In 2-3 more months I will be all the way back. I might even go jogging tonight!”

On his opponent, Prince Badi:

“He was very gallant. He went through a lot. He’s a big guy, but it’s tough chasing a target that ain’t there.”

Will he stay at light heavyweight?

“I will stay here. No way will I fight Virgil Hill again. Look how big Virgil Hill is!

What about another move to heavyweight:

“No, but if [Hasim] Rahman…I see something in Rahman. If he wins [against Oleg Maskaev] I might want Rahman – only Rahman.”

About fighting “the giant” Nikolai Valuev:

“If something crazy comes up, I may try that. If it’s a good opportunity, why not?”



Photo: Armando Roldan
Prince Badi Ajamu:

“I want to thank everybody and supporting me. I am grateful to be here.”

On Roy Jones:

“I commend Roy on his performance. He is a great fighter. He used his experience and took advantage of what I didn’t do.”

On his opening round barrage:

“He wasn’t punching back and I landed some decent shots. I saw that he went into a little shell. I knew I had to stay calm and keep working. I had some cramps and started hyperventilating in that first round. My corner tried to get me to calm down, but I never did calm back down.”

Was he surprised by the speed of Roy Jones?

“No, I was not. Roy fought an excellent fight. I have no excuses.”

On how the referee’s penalties affected him:

The referee [Jerry Armstrong] called what he could catch, but I still kept trying to work inside. After the fight I told the referee that he did a great job. I’m not sure if he ever refereed a fight of this magnitude before, so you have to give him credit.”

On his future plans:

I have to talk it over with my camp, but I am optimistic. I haven’t been in too many wars like this, so I am optimistic that I will make a successful return.”

On how he could have improved his performance:

“I could have gotten off more on the inside when I had him on the ropes. I could have relaxed more.”