round by round(rj vs hanshaw)

http://secondsout.com/news/index.cfm?ccs=534&cs=22360


By Paul Upham:

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[COLOR=#000066! important][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]Jones [/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#000066! important][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]Jr[/FONT][/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR] keeps telling everyone, ‘Y’all must have forgot’ the many highlights of his stellar career, but it is what the fans can remember about his brilliant pound for pound best in boxing days that tell us he is greatest performances are behind him. On Saturday night in Biloxi, Mississippi, USA, Jones won a unanimous points decision over previously undefeated Anthony Hanshaw. The 38 year-old may not be what he once was, but he still has enough as a boxer to beat plenty of upper level fighters.

“He was a very game opponent,” Jones said of Hanshaw. “He showed a lot of class. A lot of heart. A lot of determination. Nothing less than what I said when I picked him. He got a big heart. He came to fight, so I had to give him a fight.”

The pattern for the early rounds at the Coast Coliseum was for Jones, 175lbs dressed in black trunks with gold trim to allow himself to be backed into a corner or onto the ropes and defend with his gloves and arms up for large periods of each round while Hanshaw 175lbs, dressed in light blue trunks with black and white trim, worked him over. While Jones avoided many punches with his body swaying back and forth, many were landing. Jones would counter with hooks to the body and when he did fight his way into centre ring, used a lead right hand to catch Hanshaw flush often.

While his lighting hand speed was still there, Jones targeting control was rusty and his legs looked heavy and not as light as they once did. His willingness to fight with his back on the ropes suggests that he knows that he is not able to move constantly as he once did throughout a twelve round fight.

29 year-old Hanshaw, not intimidated by Jones speed, was constantly moving forward in the first half of the fight and Jones was content to pick him off as he came forward and landed some crisp uppercuts.

Jones had been caught and hit by Hanshaw in round 2 and trainer Alton Merkerson told him, “I don’t want you moving straight back.”

Jones’ reply was a precision left uppercut in round 4, which sent Hanshaw’s head skyward. He fought his way off the ropes with a right hand to the body and was aggressive in spurts, but there was swelling evident above Jones’ left eye which suggested that many of Hanshaw’s punches were getting through and that the

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[COLOR=#000066! important][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]champion[/FONT][/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR] in four weight classes’ reflexes aren’t fast enough any more to avoid all punches.

Trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr was unhappy with Hanshaw’s work after six rounds, “You didn’t do what I told you to do,” he said.

Hanshaw was wary of Jones’ right hands, but it was a left hook to the body in round 7, which visibly hurt Hanshaw for the first time in the fight. Displaying flashes of brilliance combined with his usual ‘do it my way’ method, between rounds Jones was even looking over to and speaking with his father Roy Jones Sr, who was seated at ringside near his corner.

A double left hook hurt Hanshaw badly in round 9 and the crowd cheered as Jones stalked a wobbly Hanshaw. Then Jones simply backed off again and let his opponent recover, possibly protecting his own brittle hands for big fights ahead.

In round 11, an exchange of body shots on the ropes saw Hanshaw hurt badly. A lightning left hook and left uppercut on the inside was followed by a left hook high on the head on the outside, as Hanshaw reversed and lurched backwards. A right hand and left hook were academic as he crashed backward into the ropes. Beating the count, Jones refused to follow-up and Hanshaw was able to see out the round.

38 year-old Jones put on a show in round 12, with all his signature footwork moves to the crowd’s chant of ‘Roy, Roy, Roy’.

The judges scored the fight a unanimous decision for Jones 114-113, 117-110 and 118-109. This writer had it 115-112 for Jones.

After the match, Jones 51-4 (38) revealed that he sustained a small cut in the corner of his eye during training on Monday, which required four stitches and may have contributed to the swelling on his left eye during the fight.

“You could hurt the guy, but that is not my style,” said Jones, explaining why he did not finish the fight with a knockout. “My style is to make the guy work and give the fans what they want and keep the fight going. I don’t necessarily want to knock the guy out if I ain’t got to. I want him to learn as much as he can learn. He learned a lot in that twelve rounds, you better believe it. He’s going to give someone hell from here on out. He was blessed with a great opportunity and he went to school tonight and he learned a lot, trust me. Yeah, I could have picked up the pace and taken him out but I don’t want to take him out, I need twelve rounds. I haven’t fought in a year. If I’m coming back to fight Tito (Trinidad), I need the rounds, so I had to do what I had to do.”

“Roy Jones is a legend and I put my heart and my soul into this match,” said Hanshaw 21-1-1 (14), conceding defeat. “I trained hard for this fight, but he was the better man.”

While there have been discussions about a Roy Jones Jr-Felix ‘Tito’ Trinidad fight next, Jones said he was open to any offers, except from Bernard Hopkins.

“Whoever want it, come and get it,” he said. “You understand me? I don’t duck and dodge nothing. I say Tito (Trinidad), I say

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[COLOR=#000066! important][FONT=arial, verdana, helvetica]Johnson[/FONT][/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR], I say whoever. The only person I ain’t going to take is Bernard Hopkins because he pales me too much. I ain’t fighting Bernard Hopkins. I don’t want to fight him, so don’t even call me. But everybody else, bring it on.”