Roy Jones. Boxer and rapper Roy Jones will visit Sochi
Boxer Roy Jones Jr. is the only fighter in the world to hold gold belts in the middle, super middleweight, heavyweight and super heavyweight divisions. The athlete, who was often compared to, is also famous for his impeccable statistics: during his career he fought 74 fights, of which 65 ended in victory (47 by knockout) and only 9 in defeat.
Childhood and youth
Roy Levesta Jones Jr. was born on January 16, 1969 in Pensacola, Florida. The boxer's father, Roy Sr., was a Vietnam veteran. After his service, he worked for a short time at a naval base near Pensacola, and then became a trainer and opened his own gym. The head of the family knew firsthand what professional boxing was: the man spent his entire life in the ring. The future star's mother, Carol, was a housewife (the family owned a small pig farm).
The world owes the appearance of the boxing legend to his father, who brought his son into this sport. It is worth noting that Roy Sr. was very strict and even cruel to his child, but Jones Jr. himself later noted that this only strengthened his character. In a conversation with media representatives, the athlete let slip that his dad forced him to watch cockfights to strengthen his character. As a child, he watched as blood and feathers flew to the sides during a fight, and the defeated bird, whose sides were slashed by the opponent's spurs, still tried to fight.
When the son was tired or for some reason could not complete one or another task, the head of the family, using physical force, explained to him that life is movement, and idle time is like death. In a fit of anger, Roy Sr. could even throw a flask at the exhausted child. The father deliberately awakened the instincts of a fighter in his son. The man wanted his son’s aggression and will to win to prevail over other desires and emotions. The coach gathered children from all over the area in his hall. The guys came there because there was nowhere to go in the rural wilderness, and little Roy - because there was nowhere to run.
It is worth noting that, despite the harsh methods of education, Roy Jr. never accused his father of excessive cruelty, because the head of the family, in order to take him to competitions in other cities, worked tirelessly at several jobs.
And yet, the idyll in the family was not always there. In 2005, after losing in the third round of a confrontation with American Antonio Tarver, Jones Jr. blamed his dad for his failure and refused to cooperate with him. However, four years later, father and son resumed working together. The reason was preparation for the fight against Omar Sheik, which Jones won.
Boxing
In 1984, Roy Jones Jr. won the Youth Olympic Games, which were held in the United States. And two years later he won the Golden Gloves tournament. At the age of 19, he participated in the Olympics in Seoul. In the 1st middle weight, Roy easily dealt with his opponents. Everyone was sure that the gold would go to Jones, but in the final the judges gave the medal to Park Sihun.
Jones's first professional opponent was Ricky Randal. The meeting ended with an unconditional victory for Roy. On May 22, 1993, a fight took place for the vacant IBF middleweight title with Bernard Hopkins. At the end of 12 rounds, all judges gave the victory to Jones.
In June 1996, Jones defeated Eric Lucas and moved up to light heavyweight. In November 1996, he fought his first fight in the light heavyweight category. His opponent was Mike McCallum. Roy fought the battle quite carefully, and this tactic allowed him to win. On July 18, 1998, a unification fight took place in the WBC and WBA light heavyweight division with Lou Del Valle. At the end of the fight, all judges gave the victory to Jones.
On March 1, 2003, Roy moved up to heavyweight and faced WBA world champion John Ruiz, whom he defeated. After that, he moved back to light heavyweight. In 2003, after defeating Ruiz, the WBA appointed Jones as a mandatory challenger, but the fight did not take place.
On November 8, 2003, the athlete met with WBC world light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver. In a hard-fought battle, Jones won by majority decision. Later, Jones' professional biography was supplemented by meetings with boxers Felix Trinidad, Glen Johnson, Bernard Hopkins and.
In 2014 and 2015, Roy had 6 fights, all of which ended early. On July 26, 2014, the fighter knocked out Briton Courty Fry in the fifth round, and on September 26, he won by knockout over Hani Atiyo. In 2015, fights against Paul Vasquez and Eric Watkins ended in early victories. On December 12, Jones lost by knockout in a rating bout against Enzo Maccarinelli.
On February 17, 2017, a fight took place between Jones and Bobby Gunn for the vacant WBF world title. Roy dominated the entire fight. At the beginning of the 8th round, Gunn refused to continue the match, and the referee recorded Jones' victory by technical knockout.
Music
In 2001, Jones began work on his solo rap album, Round One: The Album. The record, containing 19 songs, appeared on the shelves in early 2002. A music video was shot for the song “And Still”. In 2004, Roy founded the hip-hop group Body Head Bangerz. In the same year, the band released their debut single and video for the track “Can"t be touched,” as well as the collection “Body Head Bangerz, Vol. 1.”
In 2015, the EP “Roy Jones Jr.” was released. Presents Body Head Bangerz." This time, 3-minute videos were shot for the songs “Load Up” and “Can"t Lose.” A year after the release, Roy starred in the film “Take the Blow, Baby!” directed by Arayik Oganesyan. The famous boxer’s colleagues on the set were actors , And .
Personal life
Despite the fact that Roy is officially married and has three children (sons DeAndre Jones, DeShawn Jones, Roy Jones III), there is very little information on the Internet about the personal life of the martial artist. The wife of the former light heavyweight world champion is Natalie. While Jones earns money, his missus keeps the house in order and raises the children.
The athlete has repeatedly said that he cannot be separated from his family for a long time, so in 2012, when Jones came to Russia as part of a sports and music tour, his sons and wife were with him. Then, at Sheremetyevo airport, the famous fighter was met by a delegation led by the leader of the Night Wolves motorcycle club and a singer.
In November, Roy and Natalie visited Yakutsk. The couple took part in the sacred rite of cleansing algys, went dog sledding, and also tasted national dishes of Yakut cuisine. Immediately after the completion of the introductory tour, a master class for young boxers was held.
Then there was a music show. Then Russian singer Anastasia Lyubimova performed on the same stage with Jones. Before leaving for the USA, the boxer gave an interview to a local channel in which he said that, despite the harsh climate, he and his family really enjoyed it in Yakutia. It is reliably known that in 2015, when the rapper returned to Russia to obtain citizenship, Natalie was next to her husband.
One of the most successful fighters in boxing history has no plans to end his fighting career anytime soon. In July 2017, Jones and Prince Badi Ajamu told the media about the upcoming fight at a joint press conference. Funds raised at this event will be donated to an organization dedicated to combating kidnapping and human trafficking. The boxing rematch comes 11 years after their first fight in 2006, where Jones secured a unanimous decision victory.
Also, the American, who officially received Russian citizenship in 2015, still hopes for a fight with ex-WBC champion Tony Bellew. True, the British coach has already repeatedly refused the fight, explaining that this confrontation will not bring any benefit to his ward.
Among other things, in September the HBO channel will air another episode of the program “Under the Lights,” in which Max Kellerman and Roy Jones will talk with boxers and about their fight scheduled for September 16.
Back in early August, the former world champion in four weight categories shared his expectations for the fight between the American boxer and the UFC champion that took place at the end of the same month, saying that no tactics of the outrageous Irishman would throw the Olympic bronze medalist (1996) out of balance. In the end, Jones's prediction came true. The last fight marked not only the end of Mayweather’s career, but also his 50th anniversary victory.
Despite the fact that in 2016 Roy started
The biography of Roy Jones is a clear example of the fact that a talented person is talented in everything. In addition to his unsurpassed boxing career, the American realized himself both as a rapper and as an actor.
Roy Jones was born in Florida. His father was unable to achieve significant success in boxing, so he set himself the goal of raising a future champion. From the age of ten, Roy began to train, demonstrating very promising results. It was clear that the boy was born to become famous. The first success came to the guy at the age of 20 in the form of silver at the Olympic Games in Seoul. Then Roy lost to the Korean in the final, and many still consider that loss to be an intentional mistake by the judges. However, this only strengthened the boxer, and in the future he was doomed to success.
Professional career
Roy Jones began his boxing career as a middleweight. In 1993, due to his incredible speed and precise strong blows, he won the championship title in a fight with Bernard Hopkins. At the end of 1994, the American won the world champion title in the second welterweight, defeating on points the then invincible James Toney. Two years later, the famous title defense took place, in which Jones spectacularly knocked out Brannon. The scene of this fight would later be inserted into the famous film starring Al Pacino, “The Devil’s Advocate” (1997).
Next was the promotion and winning of the champion title in the light heavyweight category, and then, in 2003, in the heavy weight category. Roy Jones became the first person in boxing history to be able to consistently become a champion in so many weight categories. In the 1990s, the American became the “Boxer of the Decade” according to the journalists’ association.
The decline of a boxing career
Winning the world heavyweight title in 2003 was the pinnacle of Jones' career. Later there was a return to light heavyweight, and the American did not achieve such success in boxing. However, he was able to prove himself in various creative professions. He worked as a commentator on television for about three years. In 2002 he released a rap album, and in 2004 he founded his own group. Roy also realized himself in cinema, participating in various films. The most famous role came in the second part of the legendary “The Matrix”.
Throughout his life, Roy Jones has demonstrated to the world his versatility, combining athletic and creative success. He made a huge contribution to the development of boxing, and for many remains the best boxer in all of history.
Boxing and hip-hop have always gone hand in hand - boxers went to fight with famous rappers, and hip-hop artists always tried to feature champions in their videos. We know many examples when boxing and rap music merged into one whole, and this symbiosis played into the hands of both. As part of this material, we have collected the most striking moments when these two cultures intersected, influencing each other.
50 Cent and the world of big boxing
You've probably already seen a funny picture in which, with the help of Fiftik's face, the network emphasized Floyd Mayweather's updated record (which was rounded up to 50 after the fight with Conor McGregor). But there was a time when the Queens rapper and one of the greatest boxers in history were linked by more than just funny memes. In 2012, Poltos wanted to take a step into the world of boxing promotion, enlisting the support of Floyd (remember how he took Mayweather out to fight Oscar Dela Hoya?). Although this union did not last very long (and Mike Tyson, by the way, warned!), after this event, Fifty continued his idea of moving into the world of big boxing, simultaneously throwing out easy boxing combinations in his videos.
Pay attention to an old and little-known advertisement from Reebok, in which world boxing champion Ronald Wright, known as Winky Wright, is holding Kurtis’s paws. Please note that Fifty understands perfectly what needs to be done and works perfectly with his paws. Maybe you should have entered the ring yourself, without wasting time on unknown fighters?!
Boxing match Willie D vs Melle Mel
If hip-hop started with Eminem for you, then it's quite possible that you've never heard of these two artists. But in vain... The above-mentioned guys are the pioneers of hip-hop (each in their own niche, of course), and we can say with one hundred percent confidence that without them, rap music would certainly not be what we know it today. Melle Mel co-wrote the first social rap track, “The Message,” back in the mid-eighties, and Willie D of the Geto Boys is a pioneer of southern hip-hop and one of the people who brought the Dirty South to the attention of listeners. But we are now talking not about the regalia and achievements of both, but about the boxing match that took place between these artists. In 1992, a boxing evening was organized, in which famous rappers of that time took part (one of the pairs, by the way, included Freddie Foxxx / Bumpy Knuckles and Dope E from The Terrorists), among whom there was a place for our couple. Despite the difference in size (Melle Mel has long been known as a giant among hip-hop artists), Willie D very quickly finished the fight, knocking out his opponent. Nothing sensational, because at that time the professional record of the southern rapper looked quite decent: 6-1.
DMX vs. George Zimmerman
And here we have the story of a boxing match that did not take place. It all started simply: the rapper challenged controversial policeman George Zimmerman to a boxing match. As sad as it may sound, George became famous for shooting black teenager Trayvon Martin, who, in his own words, simply “seemed suspicious.” As a result, the policeman was acquitted, and in response to this, numerous protests took place across America. The former patrolman’s email account was flooded with letters challenging him to the boxing ring, but among all of them, George chose DMX (who promised to “beat Zimmerman to a pulp”). Apparently, for the rapper himself, this phrase was simply an empty threat (moreover, perhaps made in a state of inadequate assessment of reality), and therefore he did not sign any relevant papers for the implementation of this plan. Moreover, information came from the rapper’s camp that he had no intention of entering the ring. It’s not clear why Zimmerman himself didn’t choose another opponent if he really wanted to go to a public fight, because in addition to X, Californian The Game also wanted to compete with him in gloves.
By the way, DMX himself has repeatedly mentioned the fact that he often boxed in his youth, but he never shared the details with us. And, probably, he won’t share it anymore, because the rapper could go to prison again – this time for a long 44 years. It seems that there is no trace of the story of Bernard Hopkins (multiple world champion, who became a great boxer only after imprisonment).
Zab Judah's second love
True boxing fans know Zab Judah as one of the most technical boxers of his time, who was never able to fully realize his potential. Sports journalists talk about a difficult character, tense nerves and very high self-confidence (we tend to associate the defeat of Kostya Tszyu with this very shortcoming of the American), but, no matter how ironic it may sound, the above-mentioned factors also created that very unique charisma of Judah. All these features fit perfectly into the “That Gangsta” video, which became the calling card of the New York rapper Shine. By the way, without Zab the video would not have been so authentic, and his appearance was appreciated by everyone: both boxing fans and hip-hop fans.
But if Zab’s entire connection with hip-hop was limited to one appearance (albeit a very impressive one) in Shine’s video, then he probably wouldn’t be on our list. In fact, the Brooklyn boxer is very closely associated with rap music and at one time even owned his own record label, Super Cartel, which signed little-known artists Synthero, Young Geo, Desperado, E-Money and Zion. As for this company, there was talk of signing a contract with the “big guys” from Warner, but for unknown reasons (or, on the contrary, absolutely understandable - Zab is not particularly versed in music management) the matter was not crowned with success. This fact does not change the fact that Judah will forever remain one of those boxers who is closely associated with hip-hop, because few people, for example, can call Lil Kim “sis,” agree.
Will Smith's "I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson"
Of course, it’s not interesting to make a review only from personalities, so we definitely had to remember the track that Will Smith recorded a year before the “nineties” era. Tellingly, Will, or the Fresh Prince, as he called himself then, recorded the song long before his role as Ali and training for Hollywood blockbusters. Everyone understood perfectly well that the song itself was pure bravado, but they paid tribute to Smith, because not everyone could say that Mike Tyson could be beaten (by the way, Mike himself appreciated the joke, starring in the video of the then skinny young man). This example clearly shows the importance of the world of boxing for hip-hop music, because when an artist makes a loud statement using the name of a boxer, it instantly resonates with the audience. From similar examples, we can recall Fat Joe’s statement in the track “New York” that he once killed Roy Jones in a club. But, as it seems to us, there is no more truth in those words than in the title of the clip that we present below.
The great irony in the history of this track is that a few months later the undefeated “Iron” Mike did fall in the ring in that same fight against Buster Douglas (in whose career this event was the highest achievement), but, as they like to say in such cases, Russian commentators, this is a completely different story...
Best Overall: Roy Jones Jr.
I would like to end the material on an epic note: no matter how many boxers play hip-hop and how many of them have something in common with rap music, it seems that no one will ever surpass the musical career of Roy Jones Jr. (just forgive him the restaurant performances and forget the same exit on “New Wave”). During his time as a musician, Roy managed to record a full-length solo album, “Round One: The Album,” as well as another record as part of the Body Head Bangerz group, which he himself founded (and whose members you don’t necessarily know).
A brilliant boxer, a true artist in the ring, who transferred all his passion into tracks and videos. It’s hard to even imagine the number of boxers around the world who trained to Roy’s tracks, so we are sure that this particular clip should be the last one on our list.
