“Yall must’ve forgot!”
Roy Jones Jr.
If you wanted to get sentimental and Jones was your favorite fighter (or maybe he still is), watching his one-round evisceration of a cream cake named Paul Vasquez last night may have rekindled a few memories.
Fans may have even decided to break out a cassette tape and listen Jones’ classic song. Our attempts to play the copy on hand during a private home viewing of the former pound-for-pound champ’s exhibition in Pensacola wouldn’t work. Actress Meg Ryan, who was a mystic in the 90’s hit “Sleepless in Seattle” when Roy was da man, would probably call that a sign.
We can never really go back to who or what we were, despite any cosmetic appearances or accessories. But for one night in 2015, Jones was able to thrill a massive crowd that turned out to watch him at the Pensacola Bay Center in the area he was raised. It felt good to see Jones get such a reception, considering how great he once was.
But it was deception, and WBO cruiserweight boss Marco Huck will remind him of what he no longer is (or ever will be again).
Roughly 23 days ago Jones stopped a rather pedestrian Willie Williams, as he continues on his Bernard Hopkins-like quest for advanced age glory. The problem is, the Jones game was predicated on supernatural speed, reflexes, agility and uncanny athleticism. All have left him; Roy could never be the patient, methodical and technical virtuoso with grimy tendencies that Hopkins has proven to be while applying for AARP perks.
Williams, Vasquez and the 6 other opponents Jones has vanquished recently is one thing – Huck is another.
“They was good fighters, but they wasn’t killers like this guy… He’ll knock ya to tomorrow, Rock!”
Mickey, getting on Rocky’s ass for wanting to fight Clubber Lang
Perhaps Roy should send Sylvester Stallone a text. Better yet- maybe he should receive one.
Maybe Jones has spent too many delusional nights training with Jean Pascal, who probably reminded him of how great he thinks he is everyday. Or perhaps he chatted up Steve Cunningham, who beat Huck back in 2007 with a lot of athleticism. But he’d even be hard pressed to do that now. Huck was last beaten, he was challenging Alexander Povetkin for the WBA heavyweight belt and lost a very close decision. The wrong kind of flattery will get you flattened.
When Jones was annihilated by Antonio Tarver and then comprehensively beaten by Glen Johnson way back in 2004 (then Tarver again in 2005), he was a still a very athletic 35 years old, but it set the tone for horrible stoppage losses to Danny Green and Dennis Lebedev a few years later.
All Huck will be is a 2015 replica of those two.
As a fan of Jones and all he’s accomplished in the sport, it’d be painful to see a repeat episode of travesty. Roy has earned the right to talk about massive knockouts on HBO with the dignity of the late Emanuel Stewart. For all that he was, he doesn’t deserve to get Huck’d up.
