Roy Jones Jr - When It Becomes Time to Fly the Coop
By Jason Petock, DoghouseBoxing (Dec 8, 2009)  
Roy Jones, Jr., 54-6 (40), has dazzled us all over the years with his amazing skills, natural ability, and ring generalship that often made him look more like he was participating in sparring sessions rather than participating in Championship fights. His uncanny ability to not only pick apart opponents but make them look incredibly bad when he faced them was part of Roy Jones, Jr's. mastery and genius. Any time someone would tune into a bout where Jones was involved you were sure to be entertained and privy to some of the most magical and incredible displays of boxing prowess and athletic response and muscle reflex. Jones has made his legacy concrete over the years by being faster than several of those he would face in the ring, as he would often outmaneuver them in a tactical chess match, where Roy's speed would be far too much for them to decipher. Wednesday, Dec. 02, 2009, would finally put an end to this Champions reign as father time crept up quicker on Roy Jones, Jr. than any punch or defensive tactic ever has. There is no need at this point to address his prior KO losses to Glen Johnson, 49-13-2 (33), and Antonio Tarver, 27-6 (19), because the point of this article is not to berate or tarnish what Roy Jones, Jr. has accomplished in the ring and during his respective career, but to suggest that it may just be time for “Junior” to hang up the gloves unfortunately.

The decision to retire as a fighter is one that no professional boxer ever wants to have to face. Especially when that decision is pushed by the media and other outlets who have never even laced up the gloves, let alone been in a fist fight or battle of attrition of any kind. It is so easy for “armchair quarterbacks” to tell a fighter that he doesn't have it anymore, but deep within a fighters heart they may still feel that fire and spark to fight and compete, even if their reflexes tell them something far different when they step into that squared circle. What we all must consider is that sometimes a fighter might be better off retiring just to protect their faculties and health, because once you start seeing fighters who used to dominate lesser opponents get blown out and beaten by those who they would once annihilate, then it's time to seriously look at other options. Sadly, this last performance exposing a further continuation of a gun shy and tentative Roy Jones, Jr., who used to virtually mock and play with his opponents like a lion does with its kill, might be a revelation of this type of situation.

I have always been a huge fan of Roy Jones, Jr. and his amazing style that he brought with him into the ring. He would often entertain us all with pseudo-rooster moves, as he would throw his arms out to his sides to lure in his foe and then light them up with punches from all kinds of angles, some even thrown out of order, contrary to the formula of Boxing 101, while he would break all the rules and win effectively, showing us all what natural ability and pure skill could do with two gloves and a mind for brilliance. In one of his bouts he even put his hands behind his back and still was able to rip shots when the fighter became entranced and lured in by Roy's ploy, and that fighter paid dearly for it.

It is hard to state the obvious when regarding those who we admire and idolize. No one wants to see those who are true Champions wither and fade, when we remember them at their strongest and most dominant. Time can sometimes be a cruel enemy to a fighter, and many become old overnight. Boxers like Bernard Hopkins, 50-5-1 (32), have proven this adage to be false, but then again B-Hop is one in a million. Yet, so is Roy, and all of his great fights, sensational wins, and Championship rounds and fights will never be forgotten by any of us. The important thing to remember here is to revere and remember Roy Jones, Jr. for the great fighter that he always was and not to summarize his career off of his latter losses and performances that were less than equal to the true capabilities of a prime and powerful Jones.

Thank you for the memories Roy, you were a great Champion and there will never be one to replace you. And should you continue to fight then I will keep you in my prayers. But it might just be time to fly the coop, and preserve your honor as a fighter and a man. No one wants to see you get hurt, as the risk at this point is definitely not worth the reward. God Bless.

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