Boxing
I faced Hopkins, Toney, and Calzaghe but it was heavy-handed Dominican who hit me the hardest
Romero vs Lopez: DAZN PPV & Prime Video - Aug 22
Roy Jones Jr’s lengthy career featured some of boxing’s most memorable fights as the Florida man built an impressive record moving past elite contenders on his way to becoming boxing’s best fighter for a sustained period.
Ater missing out on Olympic gold in 1988 following a controversial loss, Jones Jr began his assault on professional glory and that saw him win world titles in four weight classes including an unforgettable performance at heavyweight against Johnny Ruiz when he won the WBA crown.
Beating Ruiz improved Jones Jr’s ledger massively and the victory was added to more star names including Montell Griffin, Bernard Hopkins , and James Toney, but after Ruiz, things quickly went downhill for Jones Jr after a return to 175lbs.
Is world champion pressure on Moses Itauma?
Watch: Star provides the latest from his training camp
BUY NOW: Watch Moses vs. Hrgovic exclusively on DAZN PPV & Ultimate Tier
Defeats to Antinio Tarver and Glen Johnson took so much of Jones Jr’s shine and the rest of his career would feature inconsistent runs as further losses to Hopkins and Calzaghe demonstrated that his run at the top was over.
Jones Jr would continue fighting until 2023 and since his retirement, he still offers his verdict on the sport and also trains fighters.
In a career that lasted over 30 years and included 76 fights, who does Jones Jr consider the best puncher he ever faced?
I was like 'wow'
The answer is Merqui Sosa, and although Jones Jr beat the Dominican in two rounds when they clashed in 1996, he was impressed by the power possessed by the New York based fighter.
“Merqui missed me with a shot that almost buckled my knees. If that had landed it would have been different,” said Jones Jr when reflecting on his career with The Ring .”
“I was like, ‘Wow, this guy’s trying to kill you!’ I went to work on him after that and got the fight over. Tarver had good punching power, but he didn’t punch harder than Merqui Sosa.”
Moses vs. Hrgovic - exclusively on DAZN PPV
Watch Moses Itauma take the next step in his unstoppable career against Filip Hrgovic on Saturday, August 29, only on DAZN.
Buy as a one-off PPV or included along with Romero vs. Lopez (Aug 22) and Canelo vs. Mbilli (Oct) PPVs with a DAZN Ultimate Tier subscription.
