Roy fought for his first title on May 22, 1993 against top contender Bernard Hopkins on the undercard of the Riddick Bowe vs. Jesse Ferguson fight. The twelve round bout for the IBF crown took place at old RFK stadium in Washington, DC., and was broadcast on HBO.
The fight itself was a showcase for the talent of Jones Jr.. Roy easily outboxed the talented Hopkins, landed jabs at will, and was in control of the match from beginning to end. He never really hurt Bernard, outclassed him, and won an easy unanimous decision.
While the scorecards gave Hopkins four rounds, I gave him two at the most. It was a whitewash, and proved what a talent the 24 year old phenom from Pensacola, Florida was. Fighters like this didn’t come along often, and the boxing world knew they witnessed something special that warm night in May of 1993.
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