Roy Jones Jr. Q&A: 'I love the game'
Don't call it a comeback because Roy Jones Jr. has been here for years.
At 46 and riding a five-fight win streak dating back to 2011, Jones (59-8, 42 KOs) continues his quest for a fifth title in as many weight classes when he faces Willie Williams (14-8-2, 4 KOs) on Friday in a 10-round cruiserweight bout at the Cabarrus Arena in Concord, North Carolina.
Roy Jones Jr.-Willie Williams
Where: Cabarrus Arena in Concord, N.C.
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET
Online: GFL.tv
With a victory, Jones believes he could be in line for a shot at cruiserweight titlist Marco Huck (38-2-1, 26 KOs).
Jones, who won world titles from 160 pounds all the way to heavyweight when he outpointed John Ruiz in 2003, hasn't faced top competition during his recent win streak. But he hasn't lost since dropping three straight fights from 2009 to 2011, including two by devastating knockout.
The former pound-for-pound king recently spoke with ESPN.com about his future inside the ring:
What's at stake for you in this fight?
There's a lot at stake for me. You know me, I always like to test myself to see if I'm still up to par and still have what it takes to win a title. If I feel like I didn't have that, I wouldn't waste my time fighting. I feel good and feel like I've got what it takes to be a champion again. So I'm looking at doing this and seeing how I feel. If I feel well, I will be going after Marco Huck. He agreed to fight me this year if everything goes well.
Considering you've been a professional for 26 years, how much does wisdom play a part in the fighter you are today?
I've gotten much smarter. I've been smart my whole life, but you can't help but constantly get smarter if you're going to keep fighting and keep learning things. I think it has done a great job for me. It has made me very, very efficient in what I do and the way I work. I think it has made me a lot smarter.
You have remained in tremendous shape despite your age. How old do you feel these days when you get into the ring?
I feel about 35 or 36. [He laughs.]
When boxers remain active into their 40s, critics sometimes make assumptions that it's because they need the money. What continues to bring you back?
It's as simple as this: I love the game and I don't want to leave nothing in the tank. You know when God gives you something, you want to use every drop of it to the best of your ability as he sees with everything you did and what you had before you leave here. So I've only got one life to live and I want to make sure that at the end of the day, when God says, "I gave you a talent, now what did you do with it?" that I'm going to have done way more than I should have done with it.
How different is preparing for a fight mentally right now compared to your days headlining pay-per-view fights?
No, it's not the same because when I was headlining pay-per-views there was a lot more people watching so it was a little bit different. However, it's also about knowing yourself. You're not nervous anymore because you don't care. With God's will you are just focused on trying to compete. You're not worried about what you can't control. You just control what you can and you take that with you and go to war with that.
What type of fight are you expecting against Williams?
I look for him to come out and try to bang and take me out as quick as he can. Of course, everybody wants to try to do that, to come out and hit me hard and think it will be over with. But it's not that simple. I know it's what they think, but it's not that simple. So I'm looking forward to the same old plan and the same old type of a fighter that always says, "Let's go try and take him out." But it won't be happening anymore so they can forget that.
Your past four fights took place in Europe. How much did you enjoy taking the show on the road from a personal standpoint?
I loved it. The fans over there loved me. I would be happy to go back and fight over there. People always say, "Why doesn't he fight in the United States?" Well, there's no love from the networks or the money here so that's why I do that over there. There's no reason, it ain't like I'm against fighting in the United States. But if they offer you that kind of money and they give you that kind of love and respect, you have to go if you want it. And I wanted it so I went.
You talked about a potential title fight with Huck. What type of openings do you see where you'd be able to work your way in and have success?
Well you don't really work your way in there against him, you have to deal with him. Huck is a big guy, a strong puncher, a young guy who could really crack. So he's not the type of guy to work your way in on. You are either going to deal with him or you ain't going to deal with him. There ain't a whole lot of fussing. If you go in there, he's going to be coming, he's going to be right there in front of you, and you are going to be in a war all night long.
You began to cross over into broadcasting relatively early in your boxing career. In what ways did that added perspective help you as a fighter?
All it did was make me further appreciate what I have and further appreciate what I was able to give to the fans when I was in my prime. Also, it teaches me now from what the fans have mentioned. So, because I know what they have mentioned, I know what to come back and give to them each time.
You are pushing deep into your third decade as a fighter. But are you at a point where you can look at your wins and losses from a distance and put them in the proper perspective?
I still feel like I'm in the now. Once you start looking back like that you know it's time for you to quit.
With that said, which victory stands out as having been the most special and satisfying?
The biggest win of my career is the one that nobody thought I would be able to accomplish and one that I never set out to accomplish even though God gave me the skills to go out there and go do it. That was to become the heavyweight champ of the world. And that only stands out because no person has ever turned professional as a junior middleweight and gone on to become the heavyweight champion of the world. So because that had never been done, it has to be the one that stands out. You feel me?
Have you ever wondered what would have been had you remained a heavyweight after defeating John Ruiz for the title and not moved back down to 175 pounds?
No I do not. And I'll say something else: I'm quicker now than I was then. I know it's hard to believe, but if you tune in on Friday night and you see this hand speed, you're going to say, "Goodness to gracious." I said the same thing when I was shadowboxing just a few minutes ago.
How difficult has it been preparing for your fight on Friday while also assisting Jean Pascal in preparation for his March 14 bout with Sergey Kovalev?
So far I enjoy it because it makes my mind work. It's like, how can you be good enough to fight two fights at one time? That was a thing to do and it takes a real mind to be able to mastermind two fights at once. I am masterminding two fights at once. Not just doing it, but masterminding. It's incredible.
What was your reaction to the May 2 superfight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao being announced?
I am just so happy for both guys because they finally get the chance to deliver to the world what the world has been waiting to see. So I know it's not in their prime like people say, but I tell them that when you have two superior athletes like those two, they don't have to be in their prime and it's still going to be one hell of a fight and one hell of a night. I'm so happy that they finally made that happen.
Do you get the same amount of butterflies or levels of adrenaline as a broadcaster leading up to calling a fight of this magnitude that you do as a fighter?
Never. Ever.
Are there any correlations at all between the two?
None whatsoever. Two totally different things.
What kind of statement are you looking to make on Friday in relation to where you are headed as a fighter?
[Jones laughs.] What I want people to understand is that just because a man is 46 years old, doesn't mean nothing. [Bernard] Hopkins proves it, but I got to prove that it's easy. He proved it, but I have to prove it even more so than he did.
