(Transcribed by Michael Readman) Former 4 division world champion Roy Jones Jr is looking to return to the ring in 2014, and he has some unfinished business. At age 45, Jones is looking to get a title in the only division he has competed in and not won a major belt in, Cruiserweight.
In part 2 of my interview with Roy Jones Jr, he talks about his future plans and when he expects to be back in the ring. Roy also breaks down how a fight between himself and WBC cruiserweight champion Krzysztof Wlodarczyk would go. Additionally Jones gives his thoughts on a possible third fight with Bernard Hopkins, and also his gives view on older fighters like himself, Hopkins and Tarver competing into their mid and late 40’s. Here is what Roy Jones Jr had to say.
Jenna J: Roy, back in December you had a vintage performance, you won almost every single round that you fought against Zine Eddine Benmakhloufover in Russia. Can you tell me what your future is looking like?
Roy Jones Jr: Right now I’m looking at possibly having another tune up on June 21st in Memphis, Tennessee. If that works out well then I will go look for a bigger fish to fry maybe in July or August. I’m also talking to some people at a casino about possibly doing a deal and putting a situation together to do my last few fights with them.
I also have offers to come back to Russia. I’ve gotta call Dan Goossen back, I just haven’t returned the call because I’ve been gone but I will call him back. I do have several offers on the table, there are a lot of things shaking out, hopefully I’ll get back in and get busy for another year or two, then I’ll call it a day.
If I have to, I’m gonna wait and see what happens with this Adonis Stevenson and Bernard Hopkins situation, I’d like to see them fight. I think it would be a great fight, a fight that will be very interesting for me to see because Bernard will find out if Stevenson is really what we think he is and Stevenson will find out how much there is left that Bernard can take. That’s a very intriguing fight.
The last fighter that Bernard lost to was a southpaw in Chad Dawson. Stevenson knocked Chad Dawson out as we know so, that’s very intriguing but if they can’t seem to take care of Bernard Hopkins then I’m gonna get back in shape and go and retire the old man before I retire!
Jenna J: So you would still want to have a third fight with Bernard Hopkins? He has one win and so do you.
Roy Jones Jr: Yes, we’re one and one, why leave it like that? He’s gonna still be active and I’m gonna still be active, lets close the door, you know.
Jenna J: Roy, where do you want to campaign the most? Do you want to go back down to light heavyweight or do you wanna try win the title you never got at cruiserweight?
Roy Jones Jr: I wanna stay at cruiserweight, I’ve got the WBU championship I want the WBC title now at cruiserweight.
Jenna J: Are there any other champions out there that you are targeting?
Roy Jones Jr: Yeah, the WBC.
Jenna J: The WBC, so Krzysztof Wlodarczyk over in Poland?
Roy Jones Jr: Yes, that’s who I want for a WBC cruiserweight title right there.
Jenna J: How do you think a fight between you and Wlodarczyk would go?
Roy Jones Jr: He’s as strong as heck. He’s a very good puncher, he’s a very strong fighter. I look forward to getting in the ring and feeling that big left hook because I know I can take it and I know I’m definitely the faster fighter, I’m definitely the smarter fighter.
I’ll be looking forward to him bringing his attack all out and I know I can withstand his attack early but after that, it will be the same thing that Bernard did with Shumenov. After the 5th or 6th round it will be a boxing class.
Jenna J: Roy, could you ever have imagined that guys like yourself and Bernard and Antonio Tarver would be well into your mid forties and still be boxing when you were a young man in the ring?
Roy Jones Jr: Well I did and I kind of knew they would hang on too because when one person believes, you make everyone believe. That’s why people love having a hometown hero, because when that guy makes it from the hometown, it makes everybody feel like they can make it.
That’s what’s so big about Obama becoming President. Although he’s half black, he gave the black race hope that now that if you’re black, you can look at your son and say, “You got a chance, you can be President one day.”
Before that happened you couldn’t say that because it’s never happened before, so you couldn’t realistically look at your son and say, “Hey, one day you could possibly be President if you just live right and do the right things.” Now you can look at your son and say that because you truthfully mean it, because it has been accomplished.
When you do things like I have done, you give people hope, and Bernard gives people hope. When I knew that I was gonna stick around longer, I knew they would stick around longer. Both of those guys came up pretty much watching me, so of course they figured if I’m gonna keep doing it then they are gonna keep doing it because they are always gonna want to put themselves on the same plateau as I would.
I think they did a good job of marketing themselves and putting their names in the hat but they never reached the plateau I reached — the highlights will tell you that. If you go look at the highlights, you don’t hear people bragging about Antonio Tarver highlights, you don’t hear people bragging about Bernard Hopkins highlights but they will look at Roy Jones highlights and they come back and say, “Hot damn!” There’s the difference, it separates the boys from the men, it’s not hard to do.
With Bernard, this has been the brightest part of his career — being an old guy — because now, you don’t really expect much from him and that’s what he gives us, he don’t give as much. He gives enough to win and at forty nine years old, that’s all you expect to see from him anyway. That’s surprising — that he can give you enough to win.
That’s a prefect style because in his prime he had that same old man style and nobody wanted to see it and nobody still cares to see it unless you know him and know who he is. I like to see him only because I like to know how slick he is, I like to see him and check these guys who think they can beat him, but at the same time, there’s nothing exciting about it, you feel me?
I mean, I do give him credit because he deserves all the credit in the world for being forty nine and being able to go out there and attack these young guys and beat them, you gotta give him credit for that.
Royisgoat
…. yEah you are right rOy you hAve to settle thE score agaisnt bernArd hopkins, he is lucky becAuse he hAsnt fought a hArd hitting opponents for thE last years, the alien is calling now adonis stevensOn and i do hope stevensOn knocks his ass out. People thinks that hopkins is greAt because he’s the oldest pugilist whO still fighting now nevertheless, inside the ring he is not a superb boxer. He clinches then run, run, and run!
I’m ready for Roy vs BHop 3. And Roy vs WBC Cruiserweight Champ Wlodarczyk Let’s do this!!!