Posted on 03/11/2021
By: Hans Themistode
It’s been a long time since Roy Jones Jr. officially entered the ring. It’s been even longer since he held a world title.
Regardless of that, Jones Jr. feels like a new man ever since he took on former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson during an exhibition match late last year. Their contest may have officially ended in a draw, but Jones Jr. has spent most of his time since then working the rust off.
After one of his more recent gym sessions, a drenched in sweat Jones Jr. took the time to give the boxing world a bit of a warning.
“Y’all gonna make me mess around and come back and become champ again. I’m trying not to but y’all pushing me.”
In the opinion of most, Jones Jr.’s championship aspirations would appear to be farfetched. The last time the former four-division titlist had a world title draped around his shoulders was nearly two decades ago in 2003.
While he would continue to fight for 15 years, Jones Jr. was a shadow of his former pound-for-pound self.
Outside of his exhibition showdown with Tyson, Jones Jr. has kept busy by training younger fighters with title dreams of their own. Amongst the many he is currently training, is WBA interim middleweight champion Chris Eubank Jr.
After suffering several knockout losses during the latter portion of his career, Jones Jr. decided to hang up his gloves for good in 2018.
Yet, his boxing itch has struck again. Instead of kicking his feet up and enjoying the fruits of his labor, Jones Jr. spends his time training his now 52-year-old body.
Despite his reflexes slowing down considerably, the future first-ballot Hall of Famer appears to be as focused as ever. In fact, the Florida native even took the time to offer advice to anyone that would be willing to take him on.
“See where I’m from it’s called dedication,” said Jones Jr. “If you ain’t dedicated to taking on a legend, then you ain’t ready. You gotta be dedicated, so dedicated that you willing to take over the nation.”