Roy Jones Jr. facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Roy Jones Jr.
Jones in 2012
Statistics
Real name	Roy Levesta Jones Jr.
Nickname(s)	Superman Junior RJ Captain Hook
Rated at	Middleweight Super middleweight Light heavyweight Cruiserweight Heavyweight
Height	5 ft 11 in
Reach	74 in
Nationality	American Russian
Born	(1969-01-16) January 16, 1969 (age 56) Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	76
Wins	66
Wins by KO	47
Losses	10
Medal record Men's amateur boxing Representing  United States Olympic Games Silver 1988 Seoul Light middleweight Golden Gloves Gold 1986 Iowa Light Welterweight Gold 1987 Tennessee Light Middleweight Bronze 1988 Nebraska Light Middleweight National Junior Olympics Gold 1984 Florida Bantamweight Goodwill Games Silver 1986 Moscow Light welterweight

Roy Levesta Jones Jr. (born January 16, 1969) is a famous American professional boxer. Many people think he is one of the greatest boxers ever. He won world championships in four different weight classes: middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight.

As a young boxer, he won a silver medal for the United States at the 1988 Summer Olympics. In 2003, he made history by winning the World Boxing Association (WBA) heavyweight title. He was the first former middleweight champion to do this in 106 years! From 1999 to 2002, he was the undisputed champion in the light heavyweight division. This means he held all the major titles at that weight at the same time.

Roy Jones Jr. holds the record for the most wins in unified light heavyweight title fights, with twelve. The Ring magazine named him the Fighter of the Year in 1994. He also won the Best Boxer ESPY Award three times. The Boxing Writers Association of America called him the Fighter of the Decade for the 1990s.

Early Life and Boxing Start

Roy Jones Jr. grew up in a family that loved boxing. His father, Roy Jones Sr., was also a middleweight boxer. His father was very strict and pushed him hard in boxing. This tough training helped Roy Jr. become very strong and determined. He learned to face anything without fear.

Amateur Boxing Career

Roy Jones Jr. had a great amateur career. He won the 1984 United States National Junior Olympics. He also won the National Golden Gloves in 1986 and 1987. He finished his amateur career with an impressive record of 121 wins and only 13 losses.

Amateur Highlights

• In 1986, he won the National Golden Gloves in Iowa.
• He won the National Golden Gloves again in 1987 in Tennessee.
• He also won the National Junior Olympics in Florida in 1984.

Olympic Games Success

Roy Jones Jr. was the youngest member of the U.S. Olympic Boxing Team in 1988. He competed at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games. He won the silver medal in the light middleweight class.

His final match was very controversial. He lost to South Korean fighter Park Si-Hun. Many people thought Roy Jones Jr. clearly won the fight. He landed many more punches than his opponent. The referee even told Roy Jones Jr. he couldn't believe the judges' decision. The judges who voted against Jones were later suspended. This incident led to new scoring rules for Olympic boxing. Roy Jones Jr. was given the Val Barker trophy for being the best boxer at the games. This award usually goes to a gold medalist.

Professional Boxing Journey

Roy Jones Jr. started his professional career on May 6, 1989. He quickly became known for his powerful knockouts. He won his first 16 fights by knockout! For his next fight, he went the full distance against Jorge Castro. He won that fight by decision.

Becoming a Middleweight Champion

On May 22, 1993, Roy Jones Jr. fought for his first world title. He beat Bernard Hopkins to win the IBF middleweight championship. Roy Jones Jr. said he had a broken right hand during this fight. But he still managed to win by a clear decision.

Moving to Super Middleweight

On November 18, 1994, Jones faced James Toney. Toney was undefeated and considered one of the best boxers at the time. Many thought Jones was the underdog. But Jones showed his amazing speed and skill. He danced around Toney and landed quick punches. Jones won by a clear decision. This fight was called "The Uncivil War."

In 1995 and 1996, Jones successfully defended his super middleweight title many times. He even became the first athlete to play in two paid sports events on the same day! He played a basketball game in the morning and defended his boxing title that evening.

First Time as Light Heavyweight Champion

In November 1996, Jones moved up in weight. He defeated 40-year-old Mike McCallum to win the interim WBC Light Heavyweight title. He soon became the full champion.

However, in 1997, Jones had his first professional loss. He was disqualified against Montell Griffin. Jones hit Griffin twice after Griffin took a knee on the canvas. Jones was ahead on the scorecards when this happened.

Winning Back the Light Heavyweight Title

Five months later, Roy Jones Jr. had a rematch with Montell Griffin. He quickly knocked Griffin out in the first round. This win helped him get his World Light Heavyweight title back.

Heavyweight Dreams

Jones thought about moving up to heavyweight to fight Buster Douglas. But his father advised him to stay at light heavyweight. Instead, Jones fought Virgil Hill at a slightly heavier weight. Jones knocked out Hill in the 4th round. This was the first time Hill had ever been knocked out.

Third Time as Light Heavyweight Champion

Jones then challenged Lou Del Valle for the WBA light heavyweight title. Jones won by decision. He even got knocked down for the first time in his career in this fight. But he still managed to win. Later, the WBC made him their full champion. This made him a unified light heavyweight champion.

Undisputed Light Heavyweight Champion

On June 5, 1999, Jones beat Reggie Johnson. This made him the undisputed light heavyweight champion. He was the first to hold the WBA, WBC, and IBF titles at that weight since 1983.

In the early 2000s, Jones continued to defend his titles. He won against tough opponents like David Telesco and Richard Hall. He even fought one fight with a fractured wrist! In 2001, he beat Julio César González and in 2002, he knocked out Glen Kelly. In that fight, Jones famously put both hands behind his back before landing a punch.

Becoming a Heavyweight Champion

On March 1, 2003, Roy Jones Jr. made history again. He defeated John Ruiz to win the WBA Heavyweight title. He weighed much less than Ruiz. This made him the first former middleweight champion to win a heavyweight title in over a century!

Return to Light Heavyweight

After his heavyweight win, Jones decided to go back to the light heavyweight division. On November 8, 2003, he fought Antonio Tarver. Jones won by a close decision. Many noticed that Jones seemed weaker after losing the muscle he gained for the heavyweight fight.

Tough Losses

On May 15, 2004, Jones had a rematch with Antonio Tarver. Tarver knocked Jones out in the second round. This was the first time Jones had been knocked out in his professional career.

Later that year, on September 25, 2004, Jones fought Glen Johnson. Johnson knocked out Jones in the ninth round. These losses were a difficult time for Jones.

In October 2005, Jones fought Antonio Tarver for a third time. Tarver won by a clear decision. After these losses, Jones took a break from boxing. He worked as a boxing analyst for HBO.

Comeback Trail

Roy Jones Jr. returned to boxing in 2006. He defeated Prince Badi Ajamu by a clear decision. He then beat Anthony Hanshaw in 2007.

Big Fights

On January 19, 2008, Jones faced another boxing legend, Félix Trinidad. Jones won by a clear decision. He knocked Trinidad down twice in the fight. This was a big win for Jones.

Later in 2008, Jones fought Joe Calzaghe for The Ring Light Heavyweight Championship. Jones knocked Calzaghe down in the first round. But Calzaghe took control of the fight after that. Jones lost by a unanimous decision.

In 2009, Jones won two more fights. He defeated Omar Sheika by TKO. He then beat former super middleweight champion Jeff Lacy. Lacy's corner stopped the fight in the 10th round.

More Challenges

In December 2009, Jones fought Danny Green in Australia. Green defeated Jones by TKO in the first round.

On April 3, 2010, Jones had a rematch with Bernard Hopkins, 17 years after their first fight. Hopkins won by a unanimous decision.

In May 2011, Jones fought Denis Lebedev in Russia. Lebedev knocked Jones out in the 10th round. There was some debate about whether the referee should have stopped the fight sooner.

Cruiserweight Division

After these losses, Jones moved to the cruiserweight division. He won several fights, including against Max Alexander in 2011. He also won a controversial split decision against Paweł Głażewski in Poland in 2012.

On December 21, 2013, Jones won the vacant WBU cruiserweight title. He defeated Zine Eddine Benmakhlouf by unanimous decision in Russia. He continued to fight and win against various opponents in 2014 and 2015.

In December 2015, Jones fought Enzo Maccarinelli in Russia. Maccarinelli knocked Jones out in the 4th round.

In March 2016, Jones fought MMA fighter Vyron Phillips. Jones won by TKO in the second round. He then defeated Rodney Moore in August 2016.

In February 2017, Jones won the vacant World Boxing Foundation cruiserweight title. He stopped Bobby Gunn in the 8th round. Jones hinted that 2017 might be his last year in boxing.

Retirement and Return

On February 8, 2018, Roy Jones Jr. announced his final fight in his hometown of Pensacola, Florida. He defeated Scott Sigmon by a clear decision. He also won the vacant World Boxing Union cruiserweight title. Jones retired after 75 professional fights over 29 years. He had 66 wins and 9 losses.

However, Jones made a return to the ring in 2023. On April 1, he fought former UFC champion Anthony Pettis. Pettis defeated Jones Jr. by a majority decision.

Exhibition Bout

In July 2020, it was announced that Jones would have an exhibition fight against former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson. The fight took place on November 28, 2020. It lasted all 8 rounds and was declared a draw.

Personal Life

Roy Jones Jr. was born in Pensacola, Florida. His father, Roy Sr., was a very tough coach. He pushed Roy Jr. to be the best boxer he could be. This made Roy Jr. very strong and resilient. He once said that because of his father, nothing bothers him.

In 2015, Roy Jones Jr. met with Vladimir Putin and asked for Russian citizenship. He was granted Russian citizenship in September 2015.

Jones is married and has three children.

Music Career

Roy Jones Jr. also has a music career! He started rapping in 2001. His first album was called Round One: The Album. His first song was "Y'All Must've Forgot."

In 2004, he formed a group called Body Head Bangerz. They released an album called Body Head Bangerz: Volume One. He has also made songs about Florida State University Athletics, as he is a big fan.

Albums

• Round One: The Album (2002)
• Body Head Bangerz: Volume One (with Body Head Bangerz, 2004)

Songs

• "Y'all Must've Forgot" (2001)
• "And Still" (2001)
• "Can't Be Touched" (2004, featured)
• "Battle of the Super Powers" (2009)
• "Make 'em Remember" (2019)

Film and TV Appearances

Roy Jones Jr. has also appeared in movies and TV shows. He often played himself or a boxer.

• Mad TV (1995)
• Married... with Children (1996)
• The Devil's Advocate (1997)
• The Matrix Reloaded (2003) – Captain Ballard
• Little Fockers (2010)
• Grudge Match (2013)
• Southpaw (2015)
• Creed II (2018)

Professional boxing record

Exhibition boxing record

Pay-per-view Bouts

Images for kids

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  Jones with Fred Levin, 2002

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  Jones with co-commentator Jim Lampley, 2010

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  Jones in 2006

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  Jones promoting his fight against Trinidad, 2007

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  Jones celebrating his victory over Lacy, 2009

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  Jones with Vladimir Putin, 2015

See also

In Spanish: Roy Jones, Jr. para niños