I first saw Roy Jones Jr. as an amateur boxer when he was a teenager. As a teen the Pensacola, Florida native was a celebrated boxer who won national championships in the junior Olympics (16 and under), the Golden Gloves, and he also represented the USA in the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
Jones dominated every boxer, for every round of competition, he faced in the Olympics and... should have been awarded the gold medal in his final bout against Korean - Park Si-Hun, had he not been robbed by the judges. Jones beat Hun from pillar to post, from bell to bell, for the entire bout, but the judges literally stole the fight from the American and awarded it to the Korean.
Jones became one of the all-time greats in professional boxing having won world championships in four different weight divisions including a piece of the heavyweight championship. Jones is the only boxer in history to begin his career at 154 pounds and win a heavyweight title.
His speed and talent was so extraordinary that he was called Superman in his prime.
Now at age 43 he is an old man in a sport dominated by men under 30. There was a time when no boxer could touch him. But that time has come and gone. His speed is diminished, his skills are eroded, he is a shopworn fighter that's been knocked out four times and he is becoming a punching bag against boxers who weren't good enough to carry his bag - back in the day.
I've witnessed many warriors stick around too long. Muhammad Ali, was one of the greatest athletes I've ever seen and today he suffers from Parkinson's disease and punch drunk dementia. The roar of the crowd, the adulation of the fans, fame and fortune, all of these became the crack habit that kept him coming back until he was a broken down shell of himself. Mike and Jerry Quarry were boxing contenders in the 60's and 70's. Both of the brothers died relatively young - in their early fifties because they like Ali and Jones wouldn't walk away from the limelight.
When I was a young man I worked with a boxer who stayed too long in the sport. He had been rated as high as number two in the world. Unfortunately I was in his corner the night when he had nothing left of the skill he once possessed, in a fight where he was badly beaten, by an ordinary fighter. As I was tending to him in his corner I heard someone in the audience say - "All he has left is courage". With a broken heart for my fighter friend, I realized for the first time what the term "shot fighter" meant. I decided then that I never wanted to be a part of that again. When it's over it's over. The great matchmaker Teddy Brenner once told me "I never use a fighter who have nothing left".
Jones was a great champion and a wonderful human being who has helped others throughout his career. I have even been a beneficiary of his generosity. In 1997 as I was prepping Keith McKnight for a televised boxing match, Roy Jones and his trainer Alton Merkelson allowed our team to set up camp and stay in his Pensacola training facility for free. And we have never forgotten their kindness to our team.
It's always a heart-breaker to see the star of the show exit the stage. But it's even more heart wrenching to see these great warriors end up with brain damage, slurred speech, and perpetual health problems from damage they suffered in the ring.
Jones is scheduled to box in Poland this Saturday. He has very little left of the greatness he once possessed. Hopefully it's his last appearance as a fighter in the ring. Walk away Roy, enjoy life, while you still have your health.
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