I spoke with John Wirt, the Chicago-based attorney/promoter who is CEO of Jones? Square Ring Promotions?
He is 46 years old. He has been boxing professionally for over a quarter century. He?s a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame. He?s got a cushy job with HBO. His record is 62-9, with 5 of those losses coming by way of knockout.
His name is Roy Jones Jr., and he doesn?t know when to quit.
Some thought he might retire in 2005 after he lost three in a row, twice to Antonio Tarver (once by TKO) and once to Glen Johnson (by knockout).
They were wrong.
After going 5-1 in the next three years, Roy lost three in a row a second time, to Danny Green by TKO in 2009, a UD to Bernard Hopkins in 2010, and a horrific KO loss to Denis Lebedev in 2011.
It was time to quit again, this time for real, but Jones decided to soldier on.
He won his next eight fights, against fighters no one knew, which led to last week?s beheading at the hands of Enzo Maccarinelli in Moscow.
This time he would get the message for sure, right?
Wrong.
Having just gotten Russian citizenship, a curious maneuver in any case, Roy feels he has an obligation to the Russian people.
?This first fight as a Russian will not be the last,? he said, to the surprise of no one. ?This is just the beginning. I said I wanted to finish my career, but now I feel a responsibility to re-enter the ring. I want to continue my work in boxing. I plan to do business in Russia, to open several boxing gyms. I will pass on my experience to the young Russian generation. To do this in Russia has excellent possibilities. I?m not saying that I?ll hang up the gloves. Time will tell, and most importantly, health.?
That?s the bad news. And there?s no good news to counter the bad.
I spoke with John Wirt, the Chicago-based attorney/promoter who is CEO of Jones? Square Ring Promotions and asked what he thought about Roy continuing to fight.
?It?s crazy,? he said.
I asked if he told as much to Roy. ?Of course? replied Wirt, ?but he won?t listen.?
I said that unlike Hopkins, who has been able to rely on elevated boxing skills and being canny, when Roy?s reflexes eroded his career went south.
There?s no way this can end well.
?You should see his balance,? Wirt told me. ?He can?t walk in straight line. I can drink a bottle of vodka and walk in a straight line. Roy can?t do it sober.?
Wirt looked frustrated. He looked unhappy. He also looked angry.
?Do you know how he won his last eight fights?? he asked. I shook my head. ?He fought bums. But Maccarinelli is a real fighter, a real puncher, and we saw what happened.?
So why does he keep doing this?
?Vlad Hrunov offered him a shitload of money, that?s why. I?d like to strangle the guy.?
