Many emotions were visible, a mixture of emotions, some cried, some were happy, some were sad but no matter what, respect and admiration was shown to the legend Roy Jones Jr.
Jones always kept calm in his temper and a smile every so often and above all a lot of serenity and gratitude for everyone who came to him.
Frases de Boxeo (fdbplus.com) was present at the post-fight press conference of Roy Jones Jr. and we shared with you what his last words were as an active boxer from the native of Pensacola, Florida.
“When I got hurt (biceps) during training, I said ‘you know what, it’s time to quit (active boxing)’ It was very frustrating, when you start having so many injuries, every time something happens you hurt yourself, then your body does not hold up anymore, so it’s time to stop.”
“Doing things the way I wanted to do them, I wanted to go back and forth along the path I wanted.”
“Doing things the way I wanted to do them was the way I started, that’s the most important thing. I thank God for that, I’m not a guy who gets out of fights even if I get my biceps injured, that’s the way I am. I go harder with the other hand. “
“All my fighters will tell you when they come to me in the gym and they tell me they have an injured hand, I say, ‘What about the other one?’. I do not like to deal with excuses, I’m not that guy If I am injured, it is what it is, it is part of what I do to earn a living.”
He was questioned about the possibility of facing the MMA legend Anderson Silva and Jones answered firmly and without hesitation:
“Without a doubt,” Jones said. “We were the first to plan to do it, a cross between boxing and MMA (hybrid fight), it would be stupid not to do it, it gives my biceps time to heal, but it depends on how I feel.”
“The risk is worth more than the reward, if it’s not big, there’s no sense in doing it.”
What is next? Jones will continue a role as a boxing television analyst and he will continue training boxers in his private gym. One of those boxers, Ikram Kerwat, dazzled on Thursday when she won the UMC women’s lightweight title on the Island Fights 46 card.
“She is my first real world champion that I have trained.” Said Jones. “I came in a way, coming out differently, I have too much in my brain, too much in my heart to not give back to the boxing world.”
Your legacy is assured. Jones will be remembered as a boxer who got robbed at the 1988 Olympics for a gold medal, and then became one of the best in the history of the sport.
At its best, more than 20 years ago, Jones had power and drilling speed like no one in his generation. Jones’s defensive skills were as good as his combinations.
“I really do not care what people say, because everyone has an opinion,” Jones said. “But it’s something simple: a man turned pro as a junior middleweight and became a heavyweight world champion (after defeating John Ruiz in 2003).
“I cannot think of many other people who did so well in their lives.”
In fact, no fighter in the last 106 years has moved from the world middleweight champion to claiming a heavyweight title.
“It’s been a long road … more than 20 years and I am extremely proud of you,” said his wife, Natlyn, who spoke at the press conference after the Thursday night fight. “I’m glad he did it his way, like Frank Sinatra.”
“I feel like you’ve done everything, you’ve accomplished a lot and you have nothing more to prove, we started in Pensacola, we ended up in Pensacola.
Jones did not want to leave the ring on Thursday night while the crowd stayed. There could not be a more appropriate scene in his career.
“There was a lot to be proud of,” he said. “I made the last walk, I did it, I knew one day it had to come to an end, I can now give it back in different ways, I’m happy with that.”
