Roy Jones Jr. has cemented himself as one of the best light-heavyweights in boxing, but for one of his opponents, the real victory was making it to the ring at all.
Roy Jones Jr. hung up the gloves in 2018 before returning for an unsuccessful comeback fight against MMA fighter Anthony Pettis in 2023.
He finished his career at 66-10, and Jones Jr. is one of the best light heavyweights of all time.
In many of his fights, the light-heavyweight made it look easy, such as the night Jones Jr. defeated NYPD officer Richard Frazier.
It was only three fights later that Jones Jr. would face a 24-1 challenger and interim champion who had fought more than just in the ring but had fought to survive homelessness.
Roy Jones Jr. defeats former homeless knockout artist Richard Hall
At the time of the fight, Jones Jr. held a record of 41-1, whilst Hall boasted 23 knockouts to his 24 wins.
The fight started fast, with Jones Jr. knocking Hall down twice in the first round. Though this would indicate that the fight was going to be over soon, it wasn’t.
Jones Jr. seemed to carry Hall for the next few rounds and showed a clear difference in levels. He took Hall to the penultimate round before closing the show and stopping the Jamaican.
Before boxing, Hall was homeless in Jamaica but worked to turn this around and build a career for himself.
The fight was later marred in controversy, as, according to The Standard, both Hall and Jones Jr. were found guilty of using PEDs, but this was ignored by officials.
Roy Jones Jr. is open to facing Jake Paul AND Logan Paul in tag-team boxing match
Following Jake Paul’s win over Mike Tyson, many wondered who his next opponent may be, with some suggesting Jones Jr. would be the right candidate for the job.
According to The Mirror, Jones Jr. replied on social media stating: “LISTEN……… I love what Jake has done for our sport. I also love the time and effort that he’s put forth to develop his craft.
For the record- just like in my prime, I’m always JUST A CALL away.”
Notably, Jake Paul made his professional debut against Nate Robinson on the undercard of Tyson, who is known for his pet tigers outside the ring, and Jones Jr.’s exhibition bout.
Jones Jr. continued: “I would most definitely [do a tag-team match against Jake Paul and Logan Paul]. That idea sounds great to me. I’d probably choose Lennox Lewis as my partner.”
Recently, Tyson has admitted he has not yet fully recovered from the Jake Paul fight.