Roy Jones: Chin dented, legacy intact

If you were up well before the sun Wednesday morning (I was), and if you could find a functioning live stream (I couldn't), then you might have seen Roy Jones Jr's career come to an ugly end against Australian cruiserweight Danny Green.

And if you missed it live (like I did), or simply slept through it (like sensible folks), then you might have caught it on YouTube.

All of it.

Didn't take long.

Yeah. Ouch.

An impressive victory for Green, and though he didn't conquer "the U.S. and the world," like the (slightly biased) Australian commentators said he did, at least proved he's capable of squashing a washed-up future hall-of-famer. 

And a crushing loss for 40-year-old Jones, who had viewed this fight as a tuneup for a first-quarter 2010 rematch with 45-year-old Bernard Hopkins. (No, boxing hasn't started a seniors' tour. These two have been putting off a rematch since 1993). Instead, Green further exposed him as an aging fighter with dwindling skills and a glass ear.

But let's understand one thing:

This loss does nothing to tarnish Jones' legacy.

Nothing.

Does Jones' precipitous decline provide an object lesson for fighters thinking about sticking around too long?

Of course it does.

I would have loved to see him retire after schooling John Ruiz to claim the heavyweight title in 2003, or even after gutting out a 12-round decision over Antonio Tarver in his next fight. 

Instead, he fought on, racking up five losses in his final 10 bouts.

But Jones' final 10 fights -- which include savage knockouts by Tarver, Glen Johnson and now Green -- won't set his legacy. Unless we're prepared to say Muhammad Ali is less of a legend for having lost to Trevor Berbick, or that Ray Leonard's legacy lost lustre when Hector Camacho defeated him in 1997, we can't say Roy Jones' late career failures diminish his greatness.

In thinking about how far Jones has fallen we shouldn't forget how high he climbed.

This, after all, is the fighter whose three-round beatdown of Park Si-Hun in the 1988 Olympics, and subsequent robbery by corrupt judges, prompted amateur boxing to overhaul its entire scoring system.

This is also a blindingly fast master of improvisation. He had the best left hook in the game, and enough power in his right to stop world-class opponents with a single shot, either to the body...

or to the head...

Granted, he's the worst rapper since Floyd Mayweather, but he's also a four-division champ who started his career with 49 wins and a single highly disputed loss -- one he avenged in a manner both brilliant and brutal.

So when I look back on Roy Jones' career -- which I pray has finally ended -- I'll think about the titles and the speed, the spectacular knockouts and the shuttling between light-heavy and heavyweight to claim and defend titles. That type of greatness is tough not to remember.

And if you think he's anything other than an all-time elite and first-ballot hall-of-famer, then he you're the folks he was talking about in that nearly unlistenable hip-hop track.

Y'all musta forgot.

 

Comments

[Wall $treet]

Morgan,

Great stuff! Finally a home for us TRUE fight fans to come to & drone on ad nauseum about the Sweet Science, in all of its flawed & grotesque, at times, beauty!

Poor Roy Jones, Jr. Please stop now! We love you & don't want to see you get your eggs scrambled any further!

Knowing when to say goodbye to all that you know is hard...Saying goodbye permanently, not that I know from experience, seems like it would be a far worse fate for a future HOFer & young man like yourself! We didn't forget, Roy...but you may soon with one more punch!

Canastota is calling...Be awake & aware to answer, Roy!

[Fuzion]

VERY nice addition to The Star.. will definitely be tuned in.. Mr. Campbell, you've earned my respect w/ these posts.. i agree that nothing he can do from this point forward will stop him being a 1st ballot HOFer.. while i dislike seeing him go out like this, i'm hoping that this is his last fight.. even still, i remember RJJ for the reasons that you've stated, and also from those videos.. That's the Roy i will always remember..

Please don't allow the RJJ vs BHop fight to happen.. matter of fact, please start a petition to stop all talk of this match!!

[Vince]

Welcome Morgan, and consider The Star ignored boxing for decades, it's nice to have someone who cares about it writing about it.

Jones was a great fighter, and will be a great trainer. Here's hoping that he hangs up the gloves for good. Every warrior goes out on his sheild.

Roy Jr., is going out on his.

[bodyheadbanger]

As a huge Roy fan, I hope for his health that he walks away now.

He can continue to fight B- fighters, and it won't do anything to enhance his legacy. It will only feed the fans who still love him and want to see the once superhuman fighter in action one last time. But, whether he wins or loses those bouts will do nothing to alter his legacy.

There aren't many athletes in any sport, in any era, who can they they were undeniably the best at what they did. Especially in boxing, with so many weight classes, during his prime, they was no argument that anyone other than Roy was the top dog.

He's a first ballot hall of famer and one of the greatest fighters of all-time. At times he was criticized for not taking on the toughest opponents, or that he didn't have a "signature win," but the argument will always linger: Was Roy so good, that he simply made everyone he faced look inferior?

[Doug]

I agree with your points Morgan. RJJ will always be one of the greatest fighters in my book. But it begs the question as to what he, and other washed-up fighters should do with their lives. This certainly wasn't a good video of RJJ. But neither was his rap album. Nor was Floyd Mayweather's appearance on WWE. These guys are still young and still are great athletes (just not fighting shape). The only sad thing is that these guys haven't really figured out a new career for post fighting. That may be part of the formula. Nobody said boxers didn't have glaring character flaws.

That was a mean body blow Roy put on Virgil Hill.

[omar]

Yall must of forgot..What a horrible rapper. However the man could fight and was pound for pound king for years.I think a lot of athletes will continue to get locked into the spotlight of being seen or heard from. Its not like acting where even when youre old you can remain in the spotlight. picture being only 36 or 37 and be putting out to pasture so to speak...During his prime I dont think he fought inferior fighters I think he just destroyed his division like any donimant athlete does to their sport.Btw, congrats on the blog Morgan long overdue