In July of 2001, Roy Jones had his fight with Julio Cesar Gonzalez broadcast on pay-per-view instead of on HBO. I wouldn’t have paid for this thing for anything, and was satisfied to read about it in the paper the next day. The bout at the Staples Center in Los Angeles was a carbon copy of the rest of his fights, and I didn’t miss a thing. A twelve round unanimous decision for Jones.
Just over six months later, Jones returned to the ring to take on Glen Kelly in Miami, Florida. The overmatched Kelly was easily disposed of, this time with a right hand off of the ropes that barely grazed the side of his head. Another snooze-fest on HBO made me longing to see Roy in the ring with someone that could actually challenge him.
In September, Clinton Woods was the next guy to test himself against Jones. Roy fancied himself as a ‘rapper’, had cut albums, and took himself seriously in that role. He entered the ring to his own song ‘Mr. Unstoppable’ against Woods on September 9, 2002 in Portland, Oregon. Larry Merchant laughingly described Woods as “An apartment complex as much as a fighter.”
The debacle lasted all of six rounds, and left the audience, including me empty. Merchant questioned Roy about his future, and his need to fight a serious opponent. I questioned the same thing, and a few months later I had an answer.
In order to challenge himself, Roy signed to fight WBA Heavyweight Champ John Ruiz on March 1 in Las Vegas. Now this was something to look forward to, and it was just the thing he needed to motivate himself. For the first time in forever, I actually looked forward to a Roy Jones fight.
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