New respect for Roy Jones, Jr.

Yes, Roy got rolled, and he got "out Roy-ed" by Joe Calzaghe, but I have new respect for Roy Jones.

He had very little tonight, and after the first 3 minutes he didn't take one single round on any judges' card. He was seriously cut for the first time in his career. He's old, and was fighting a whirlwind. He had a pathetic 'cutman' who did nothing to help him. He was booed by the crowd.

But he didn't quit.

He could have gone 'No mas' at any time and simply blamed the cut. But he fought on, even though he has to know every passing minute was painful for his many longtime fans who remember the athletic freak who was RJJ.

That's what it's all about. Never give up, and don't hang your head if you gave your best.

Roy did all he could tonight, and he handled the adversity of the cut. He didn't quit or try to look for an easy way out when the going got tough, in an attempt to protect his very-secure legacy.

Big props.

I wanted Joe to win and picked him to win, but I have even greater respect for Roy Jones -- the man and the fighter -- than I had before tonight. His body might be faded, but his pride, dignity and ability to handle a tough situation is as good as it ever was.

 

Terrific post, Barber-ian. Thank you. :thumbsup

Roy Jones showed the world tonight the one quality he was always ripped for supposedly not having: Heart.

Roy Jones = True champion

 

As any fighter on the board will tell you, the worst feeling in the world is knowing that the guy across from you has more than you have. Especially when you realize that early in the fight and you have round upon round still to go.

Roy could easily have given up, but he respected himself, Joe and the fans too much to take the easy way out. Roy showed as much tonight as he ever has, in my opinion.

 

Props, dawg! :thumbsup

I know this is a tough night for a lot of people, and I wanted to give Roy the respect he deserves. He showed what being a champion is all about tonight, and he should get credit for the mental strength and guts he displayed.

Roy is an icon for millions of people. Even though the fight didn't go his way, he went out on top. I'm really glad to see that and it's a terrific example of what athletics, and life, is all about.

Thanks, Roy.

 

I know Kellerman was saying the same thing, but RJJ didn't have much left and he didn't want to get laid-out while lunging at air. He was trying round after round to land but his eye was closing and he was missing badly.

I definitely understand what you're saying here, but I'm not going to jump on Roy for this. Just my own feeling.

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Guys, thanks for all the comments. Many of us have been watching Roy since '88 and I'm really happy to see he went out with heart and pride tonight. He didn't have to fight Calzaghe, but he did and he gave it his all, and do so while overcoming adversity.

I used to rip Roy for cherrypicking, etc, but he put it on the line tonight against an excellent fighter. And when it didn't go his way, he stood tall like a man and went out on top.

Can't ask for anything more than that, IMO. Not bad for a 39 year old.