Roy Jones Jr. turned pro in May of 1989, and started to impress immediately. He had 11 wins under his belt by the close of 1990, and was slowly stepping up the quality of his competition. Four more wins closed out 1991, and he was set to fight on pay-per-view on the undercard in January of 1992.
I was housesitting for my younger sister that weekend, and got to see the card. I vividly remember running 6 miles that weekend, twice what I normally ran.
The main event of the January 10th card was ridiculous, with Iran Barkley easily clobbering Darrin ‘School Boy’ Van Horn. Barkley had won another belt, this time the 168 lb. belt from a totally outclassed Van Horn.
What was more impressive to me was the way Roy knocked out Jorge Vaca in the first round so easily. A left hook from Jones Jr. ended the bout, and you could sense greatness emerging from the fighter that fought out of Pensacola, Florida.
Roy may have been robbed in the Olympics, but there was no doubt in my mind that when the time came for him to fight for a championship as a pro, no one could stop him.
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