Former four-division world champion Roy Jones Jr. was a true-fan favorite fighter who faced the best of the best.
From Jones Jr. knocking down Joe Calzaghe to an exhibition boxing match with Mike Tyson, there are plenty of notable moments in the fighter’s career.
Remarkably, within the first 50 fights of Jones Jr.’s career, he was only bested on one occasion. The defeat also came under bizarre circumstances.
Roy Jones Jr.’s first loss came as a result of disqualification
After defeating Bernard Hopkins for the vacant IBF World Middleweight title in 1993, Jones Jr. was just 24 years old as he became champion.
The win was the 22nd of Jones Jr.’s career, as he would go on to have another 12 victories in a row. After becoming a 34-0 fighter, Jones Jr. became the world light heavyweight champion after having his interim status upgraded by the WBC.
Looking to defend his light heavyweight title for the first time, he would face fellow American Montell Griffin. Competing in Atlantic City in March 1997, Jones Jr. aimed to hand Griffin his first loss after 27 fights.
However, in an unpredictable result, Jones Jr. would taste defeat for the first time.
The close bout would seem to be moving in favor of Jones Jr. in round seven, as he was able to score a knockdown on the challenger.
In the ninth round, the bout would end after Jones Jr. scored a knockdown on Griffin. However, the champion did not retain his title. As Griffin took a knee after the blows, Jones Jr. landed another two punches on the challenger.
Griffin fell to the floor following the second illegal punch, with the bout being called off. The referee disqualified Jones Jr., who relinquished his title.
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Roy Jones Jr. reclaimed world title against Montell Griffin with first-round KO
Due to the bizarre circumstances in which Jones Jr. lost his world title, he was given an immediate rematch with Griffin.
In August 1997, in Connecticut, Jones Jr. made quick work of the then-champion to reclaim the WBC World Light Heavyweight title.
In the opening 20 seconds of the bout, a thundering left hook would send Griffin down across the canvas. Continuing with his aggression, Jones Jr. would put his rival out of the fight later in the round.
Another looping left hand would find the champion, putting Griffin down and out. Despite attempts to return to his feet, Griffin was still too dazed to stand.
Speaking on the PorterWay Podcast, Jones Jr. said he was angered by Griffin ahead of their rematch, which encouraged him to cause damage to his opponent. “Now I wanna do something bad to you.”
The former champion said he didn’t care about minor details involving the rematch negotiations, all he wanted was an opportunity for revenge.