.After defeating James Toney in November of 1994 to capture the IF super middleweight crown, Roy Jones returned to his native Pensacola, Florida a conquering hero. He had his second world title in two years, and his future was only bright.
To celebrate, Roy had his first title defense scheduled for March 18th, 1995 in his hometown. HBO carried it live, but I was away at a retreat, and had to settle for a taped version of the bout on my VCR.
What I witnessed on that tape was the birth of a phenom. Jones possessed skills I had never seen before, and those feelings were echoed by Gil Clancy, the color man for HBO in George Foreman’s absence that night. His speed and power were unparalleled, and left his opponents stunned and amazed. Antoine ‘T-Bird’ was easily disposed of in one round, and the audience viewing that night knew they were watching something special.
Boxing had it’s brightest star on its landscape in years, and his name was Roy Jones, Jr..
FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM AT kensoldtimeboxingchat
