Wladimir Klitschko thought he was holding Roy Jones Jr. to account over his ties to Russia at the recent Boxing Hall of Fame ceremony.
However, according to those in attendance, Klitschko’s two-minute video was watered down to remove any mention of the Jones callout.
Klitschko had stated regarding his 2021 induction: “Thank you, fans and officials. When I was 14 and started my journey in boxing I’ve never dreamed of being among all these champions in the Hall of Fame,” said Klitschko.
“All of us here have a huge responsibility. It is up to us to build the future of boxing.
“Thank you, fans. I never ever dreamed of getting that far in the sport. Amazing. Boxing just made me a better person, period. Even if it was a bit scary in the beginning, I started to enjoy it later. You know how it is.
“It taught me a lot. Contrary to the popular expression, every punch I ate made me smarter.
KLITSCHKO ROY JONES
“Unfortunately, the Russian aggression and the war in Ukraine have prevented me from sharing in person this ceremony with you.
“I am super happy to be able to address all of you tonight. Well, almost all of you. There is one person for whom I have a real question. One person broke Ukrainian law by going to the occupied peninsula of Crimea through Russian territory.
“That person is Roy Jones. So Roy, whose side are you on? – I really respect you as a fighter, but I really question your moral compass.”
IBHOF officials made the decision to take out the RJJ part of the relay from Ukraine, which would have been very important to Klitschko for him to make his point.
Jones later found out through social media what Klitschko had actually said.
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