After his easy win over Clinton Woods in September of 2002, Roy Jones accepted a fight with WBA Heavyweight Champion John Ruiz for March 1, 2003. In order to put some muscle on for the bout, Roy hired the services of trainer Mackie Shilstone, who had worked with many fighters, most notably Michael Spinks when he moved to the heavyweight ranks to take on Larry Holmes in 1985.
At the weigh in for Ruiz, Jones weighed in at 193 lbs., but put on another 7 lbs. by the time he stepped into the ring at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. My brother came over my house to watch this one on pay-per-view, and we were rooting hard for Roy to capture the heavyweight from belt. As far as Ruiz, he was one of my least favorite fighters, and his foul-mouthed trainer Norman Stone was horribly annoying.
Jones was in control of the bout from the beginning, using movement and a stiff jab effectively, He wouldn’t let Ruiz grab and hold him, which was his custom attack, and stayed out of reach. In the fourth, Roy wobbled Ruiz with a stiff right hand, and proved he belonged in the ring that night. He was never in danger, and boxed brilliantly for the entire twelve rounds. I gave him ten of the twelve rounds, and winning easily.
One of my favorite moments that night was when late in the bout, with the decision a forgone conclusion, Larry Merchant said “One of the good things about this fight is, we’ll never have to see Norman Stone again.” Stone had been cursing at the referee all night, so much it was sickening. Jim Lampley replied “That’d be good Larry! That will be really good!’
Jones was declared the winner, and was the new Heavyweight Champion of the World. It was my favorite moment from his career, and an incredible feat. He started his professional career as a middleweight, and fourteen years later, became the heavyweight champ. In fact, I wish he would have ended his career that night in March of 2003. Unfortunately he did not, and as many greats, stick around way too long.
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