Roy Jones Jr told a Pittsburgh TV station WTAE the following, ? I started having to work to keep my balance, and I wasn’t liking it at all. So the last 4 years I have been looking for someone to reverse the effects that the punches have had on me.?
With that said, some people ran with that quote and assumed that Roy Jones Jr has brain damage. Some even headlined articles saying Roy’s career is over due to brain damage. There were some very ridiculous headlines with no other motive other than to discredit a legend, and or garnish traffic hits to their site with bold inaccurate headlines.
Roy and this writer spoke in depth on this matter this evening. I am not just one of Roy’s fans, but I am his friend. The very last thing that I would want for him is for him to suffer any type of brain issues.
I asked Roy to go into more about what he told WTAE TV. He had the following to say regarding his quote and wanted to clear up any misunderstanding.
Roy Jones Jr – ? I did have some balance issues and I got a little paranoid. After seeing it in young fighters I got paranoid about it too. I am nowhere’s near brain damaged.?
Roy Jones Jr on balance and the misreporting by certain websites – ? I didn’t like feeling different. When I see guys falling it worries me. Then I get paranoid and feel like mines is bothering me. So I check it. When I had it checked, it was fine. After 32 years of boxing is HAS to have some effect on you. So you try to find things to combat it, even if its not there. But like I said, I will never and wont fail any test right now. Let the haters think what they want.?
Roy Jones Jr on the risks of brain injuries – ? Who wouldn’t want to look out for themselves once they really understand the effects that this could have on you? I would be dumb not to start on it before it starts on me. Being educated opens your eyes, I got educated so I opened my eyes. So I started listening and looking for ways to prevent anything negative before it starts. It’s just like aging or cancer, or anything else, that simple.?
Roy Jones on the younger fighters. – ? I was hoping to get the younger fighters to feel comfortable enough to go get themselves checked before it’s too late like most I see. That’s what my point was. With that said, I don’t wanna not do something preventative either.?
Roy and I spoke in depth on this. I pressed him hard on the brain damage issue, and he assured me that he is fine and that he can and will pass any test that anyone gives to him. He certainly has every intention on fighting again, and wants all the fans to know that he’s medically fine.
