After his knockout loss to Glen Johnson in September of 2004, many people, including me, thought Roy Jones should retire. After taking almost upwards of a year off, Jones decided to fight Antonio Tarver for a third time on October 1, 2005 in Tampa, Florida. I ordered the pay-per-view with apprehension, since I really thought Roy was shot.
The fight itself was a joke, with Roy fighting cowardly, never taking any chances, and sitting on the ropes for long stretches. I wondered why he even showed up that night, and regretted wasting money on the stupid thing. Tarver won an easy unanimous decision, with the only thing Roy having done well that night were his chicken moves. It may have been the worst pay card I ever paid for as a boxing fan.
The following summer, on July 6, Jones decided to go on a comeback tour, and took on an unknown boxer from Camden, New Jersey named Prince Badi Ajamu in Boise, Idaho. No other venue wanted the crappy fight, and I ordered the pay-per-view out of curiosity more than anything. Jones won an easy unanimous decision against an overwhelmed opponent, to put himself back in the win column for the first time in almost three years.
A year later, Roy traveled to Biloxi, Mississippi to fight a guy named Anthony Hanshaw. I didn’t waste my money on this one, another easy decision win for the ex-champion. Jones talked of challenging for another title in the boxing magazines, but I compared it to Sugar Ray Robinson, who fought well beyond his prime. The difference was Sugar Ray was broke, and fought simply for the money, while Roy was hanging around for pride. Where this comeback tour would take him, only time would tell.
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