Word is out that Roy Jones Jr. is going to fight his fellow Floridian, Jeff Lacy, on August 22nd. Now, let me just say it now so we don't have any confusion in the future: Roy Jones is my favorite fighter. Ever. In his prime, he was a fighter that had everything- handspeed, power, timing, and a knack for good game cock imitations while in the ring. But now.. now?? Roy Jones Jr. is just a shadow of what he used to be... And it pains me to see him continue to fight on. I was one of the many fools who had some hope going into the Joe Calzaghe fight. I thought that maybe he'd been replenished after a few good (not amazing) wins under his belt, and that he'd be able to give ole' Joe a run for his money.It turns out that this image was the last glimpse of greatness that we may ever get from Roy:
That knockdown in the 1st round of their fight was the only noteworthy thing that Royaholics like me could latch on to for comfort. Because the rest of the fight... well, lets not get into that. I don't feel like breaking out the tissues and calling my mother to comfort me right now.
My point is: I'm saddened, everytime I see Roy fighting out there. And I that as a fan I could communicate to him just how little it adds to his legacy to continue fighting. It only stands to detract from it. Because there is no way that Roy will be able to make it back into the upper echelon of boxing- the ONLY place where he should ever fight. I feel like it's undignified for a legend to have to carry on like this. I don't want him to end up like the rest of the fighters who couldn't make it out of the sport- the Durans, Holyfields and Joe Louis' of the world. He's already going down that path.. and I just hope that he'll get a satisfying win that will appease him into retiring, after having "ended on the right note".
No matter what happens, I and all of Roy's fans will remember the Roy Jones who avenged his first loss like no other. The Roy who stopped Virgil Hill with a single punch. The Roy who reigned as p4p number one.
Check out my Roy Jones video, highlighting his stellar reign at Super Middleweight:
Pointless fight for Roy, meaningful fight for Lacy. If Lacy wins over Roy, even this version of Roy, you know his name will get thrown right back into the mix. I'm pretty confident that Roy will win this fight though. Lacy's never been the same since the Calzaghe fight (and maybe just wasn't that good to begin with).
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