Roy Jones Jr: Boxing Legend's Life, Career, and Net Worth
The Life and Career of Roy Jones Jr Including Career Wins and Losses Plus Net Worth
Roy Jones Jr. is known as a man of many professions. He is an actor, a rapper, and an entrepreneur. But it is his Olympic-level boxing that made him transcend the sport into a cultural icon.
Roy Jones has won plenty of gold under the WBA, IBF, WBC, IBA, and many other banners. He has conquered the super-middleweight, light-heavyweight, and even the heavyweight division.
Jones has had a boxing career of more than 30 years, picking up wins over some of the sport’s biggest names. He has humiliated many men bigger and stronger than him in the boxing ring.
So, let’s do a throwback and pay homage to one of the most underrated boxers of all time.
Roy Jones’s Early Life
Jones was born on January 16th, 1969 in the small town of Pensacola, Florida. His dad was a Vietnam War vet and like many other prominent boxers, Jones’s father was a boxer as well. This meant that he became his first-ever mentor.
Naturally, Jones was worked to the bone by his old man, physically and mentally.
Jones was destined to become a boxing bigshot. Not only was this because of his family background, it was also because of his raw talent. He quickly learned the ways of the ring and then competed in the 1894 Junior Olympics in his mid-teens.
Roy Jones’s Career
Roy Jones’s Amateur Career and Olympics Controversy
Roy Jones won the Junior Olympics and he also won gold at the 1986 and 1987 Golden Gloves tournaments.
His star also shone outside the US, as he won a silver medal at the 1986 Goodwill Games in Soviet Russia. He also won a spot on the 1988 US Olympics team in no time at all.
Jones would then raze through the competition in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Korea. He didn’t lose a single round, up to the finals. In the final match-up against Korea’s Park Si-Hun, Jones fared pretty well. He dominated the match but the judges scored in favour of Si-Hun, who didn’t agree with the result.
A big controversy ensued and the outcome was investigated. Jones didn’t win the gold medal but he did win the Val Barker Trophy for his style.
This led to the two judges who scored against Jones being banned for life. The Olympic boxing rules were also changed because of this screw-up.
Roy Jones’s Pro Career
An excellent fighting style coupled with his Olympic success meant that Jones had no problems going pro. His first-ever pro match was against Ricky Randall, which Jones won with a 2nd round stoppage. He then picked up numerous wins, but he still wasn’t in the spotlight.
Jones then picked up wins over former world welterweight champion Jorge Vaca and future middleweight champ Jorge Castro.
Meanwhile, he was struggling due to poor management from his father. He changed his team and secured the biggest fight of his career, a match-up against future legend Bernard Hopkins.
Jones was also noted for his thorough preparation, leaving no stone unturned in his quest for perfection. Including his nutrition and supplementation, aerobic training and of course analysing his opponent’s weaknesses.
Roy Jones’s Superstardom
This was his first-ever middleweight world title shot and Roy Jones delivered, winning a unanimous decision despite his broken hand.
He then picked up a couple of wins and was set to face the undefeated IBF super middleweight champ, James Toney.
Despite being an underdog against one of the best p4p boxers on the planet, Jones boxed circles around Toney. He won another decision to become a double champ. He also made more defences, against Antoine Byrd, Vinny Pazienza, Bryant Brannon, Merqui Sosa and Tony Thornton.
Jones showed his athletic ability, playing a Minor League Baseball game before defending his belt against future world champion Eric Lucas.
He then decided to move up to light heavyweight, which wasn’t common for fighters his size. He picked up an interim title win over former world champ Mike McCallum.
He then faced Montell Griffin for the undisputed WBC light heavyweight title. Jones walked into the fight with a record of 34-0 but lost his undefeated record to disqualification due to an illegal blow. He’d go on to win the belt the same year, with a first-round knockout of Griffin.
He then faced the bigger Virgil Hill and broke Hill’s ribs to successfully defend his belt. Jones then beat WBA champ Lou Del Valle to unify the light heavyweight titles.
Two knockout wins later, he beat Reggie Johnson to win the IBF light heavyweight title as well.
Jones then made several successful title defences and won the IBO and The Ring light heavyweight titles. He also moved up to heavyweight to take the WBA heavyweight championship from John Ruiz. This made him one of the first middleweights to win a heavyweight title.
Roy Jones’s Losses
Jones then dropped back down to light heavyweight and retained his belts against Antony Tarver. Jones showed signs of ageing in this match-up and would lose to Tarver in the next two rematches. He also lost to Glen Johnson via KO during this time.
Jones would get dozens more wins over the years.
But he wasn’t able to win a world title. Jones would get another hat trick of losses later on in his career; one of which was in a rematch against Bernard Hopkins.
Jones also lost via TKO to Enzo Maccarinelli, but went on a 4-fight win-streak after. His last pro fight was in 2018 against Scott Sigmon.
Since then, he has faced and had a draw against Mike Tyson in the latter’s comeback exhibition fight. Jones has had a stellar fighting career and is considered one of the greatest boxers of all time.
Right now, Jones has a record of 66–9, with 47 of his wins being via knockout.
He is considering a return to his pro fighting ways.
Roy Jones Outside of Boxing and Net Worth
Right now, Roy Jones’s net worth is at least 55 million dollars. He has been active outside the ring and has played sports such as basketball and baseball. Jones has also written and recorded a bunch of rap albums individually and with his hip-hop group, Body Head Bangerz.
He has played several roles in films such as The Matrix series. Jones also holds Russian citizenship, which helps him take care of his business ventures in Russia.
