There is
no doubt that Roy Jones is a future Hall of Famer. After winning world
championships in the Middleweight, Super-Middleweight, Light-Heavyweight, and
Heavyweight divisions Jones’ legacy as a great fighter is more than secure.
Although Jones has suffered some setbacks in his career over the last decade,
he has continued to fight on primarily fighting in the Cruiserweight division.
One of the
more interesting storylines in the Cruiserweight division in recent times has
been the momentum that Jones has gradually been building since suffering a
knockout loss at the hands of Denis Lebedev in May 2011. Since suffering that
setback, Jones has been regularly active facing opponents that range from
journeyman to fringe contenders winning eight straight fights and earning the
World Boxing Union (WBU) Cruiserweight world championship along the way.
As Jones
has continued to build momentum a question that some might ask is when will he
face a fighter that most would consider a top contender. It was announced
earlier this week that Jones, who recently became a Russian citizen will return
to the ring on December 12th in Moscow against former WBO Cruiserweight world
champion Enzo Maccarinelli.
What was
however, perhaps more interesting was the announcement that the fight would be
for the vacant WBA “Super” Cruiserweight world championship. For those who may
not be familiar with the designation of a “Super” champion in the World Boxing Association
(WBA), it is usually reserved for fighters who hold more than one world
championship in the same weight class.
In cases
where there is a fighter with “Super” status that fighter is considered the
official WBA world champion while one or two other fighters may hold
interim/regular champion status in the same division. Although this observer
has gone on record in the past saying that such a structure although well
intended creates confusion primarily among fans, such a procedure has ensured
that top contenders who hold interim/regular champion status do get the
opportunity to fight for the WBA world championship, even though fighters who
hold such status may have to wait a significant period of time before getting
that opportunity.
What made
the announcement of Jones-Maccarinelli being for a WBA world championship interesting
however, is that the championship that Jones currently holds is not regarded by
some as being a legitimate world championship and that Denis Lebedev, who
currently holds interim/regular champion status was not involved in a fight to
determine a new world champion in the WBA’s Cruiserweight division. Although
some may have been questioning the decision of the WBA to sanction this fight
as being for its world championship, this observer was not as critical.
After all,
Roy Jones does hold a world title. All sanctioning organizations at one time or
another have struggled for recognition among fans and media as being legitimate,
but were able to gain recognition over time. A fighter of Jones’ stature in the
sport can certainly bring exposure to the WBU if Jones were able to
successfully unify his championship.
The WBA
however, denied shortly following the announcement of the fight between Jones
and Maccarinelli that it had sanctioned the bout as being for the WBA
championship. Whether or not the fight will indeed be for a WBA championship
remains to be seen.
Although
there is some confusion as to what will actually be at stake in this fight,
perhaps the most interesting announcement of all came from the forty-six year old
Jones who has stated that this fight will be his last. Whether or not the fight
will indeed be Jones last also remains to be seen, but Jones has nevertheless
generated interest as he has continued his resurgence and it is inspiring that
a fighter who has been counted out after some setbacks by some has continued
his career and has found success in winning eight straight fights.
In regard
to the fight itself much like Jones, Enzo Maccarinelli has suffered some
setbacks over the course of his career, but did make three successful defenses
of the WBO Cruiserweight world championship before losing the title in a
unification bout against David Haye in March 2008. Following the loss to Haye,
Maccarinelli went on to win the European Cruiserweight championship as well as
the British and Commonwealth Light-Heavyweight titles.
The
thirty-five year old Maccarinelli will enter the fight with Jones having won
his last two fights, most recently against Jiri Svacina earlier this month.
Although one could make an argument that Maccarinelli is not the kind of
opponent that most would consider a top contender at this stage of his career,
the fight between him and Jones is nevertheless an interesting battle between
two fighters who one might argue are at similar stages of their careers.
Although
as of this moment there are more questions than answers in regard to whether or
not a WBA world championship will be at stake when these two meet in December, if
this will indeed be the last time Roy Jones enters the ring as a fighter it
will be a historical moment. One should remember despite suffering setbacks
over the last decade, Roy Jones was one of the most dominant fighters of his
era in the 1990s and early 2000’s. Regardless of those setbacks or what happens
when he faces Maccarinelli, Roy Jones will go down in history as a great
fighter. If this will be Jones’ last fight the question will be whether he will
be able to end his career with a victory.
“And That’s
The Boxing Truth.”
The Boxing
Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.
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