This Thursday, UFC dips their toes into the boxing waters by presenting their first ever boxing event on Fight Pass. And while it’s not exactly a huge card, it is a notable one, as it features the alleged retirement fight of the legendary Roy Jones Jr.
For today’s casual fans, Jones may be more of a myth than a fighter actually seen in his prime. Now 49 years old and sporting a pro record of 65-9 with 47 KOs, Jones is perhaps best known today as an analyst for HBO Boxing – to MMA fans, he is likely best known as the guy Anderson Silva keeps talking about fighting. But make no mistake about it – Roy Jones is a legend.
Jones got his start competing at the 1988 (yes, 1988) Olympics where he won Silver in one of the most controversial Olympic boxing fights of all time. He turned pro after that and took a few years to make the adjustment to the pro ranks, building up his resume. His first major fight came in 1993 when he defeated Bernard Hopkins to claim his first world title. From there, he started moving up, claiming titles at Super Middleweight (in an amazing win over James Toney) and Light Heavyweight. He suffered his first official loss in 1997 when he was disqualified against Montell Griffin, but he quickly avenged that loss, and most thought of him as still essentially undefeated. In 2003, Jones amazingly moved all the way up to Heavyweight, claiming a world title in his fourth weight class.
In November 2003, Jones met the opponent who would come to define this era of his career: Antonio Tarver. Jones won a close decision, but then lost a rematch – the first true loss of his career. That loss sent Jones on an 0-3 skid that included a 2nd loss to Tarver. He would bounce back with some decent wins, including a big win over Felix Trinidad, but Jones’s feeling of invincibility had been broken as he went on a 5-4 run. Recent years have seen Jones fighting on small shows, often in Europe, almost solely against overmatched opponents. He was defeated in December 2015, and is 3-0 since, with his last fight coming one year ago.
At his peak, Roy Jones was among the very, very elite of the sport. He moved like few others, combining offense and defense to make him a destructive opponent. And he was a showman too, famously putting his hands behind his back at times to goad his opponent in. There were few like him.
Today, that Roy Jones is long gone, as you would expect from a 49 year old. He gets one last chance to show a glimpse of his Hall of Fame skills in Thursday’s fight. The opponent will be Scott Sigmon, a 30-11-1 fighter who has been fodder to a fair number of solid opponents in his career including Kelly Pavlik, J’Leon Love, and Caleb Truax. He is obviously a hand-picked opponent, but given Jones’s current skill level, no fight is a guarantee at this point.
While this is being billed as Jones’s retirement fight, we all know those don’t always stick in the world of combat sports. We will just have to wait and see if Jones truly is done, or if that Silva fight will materialize. Jones vs. Sigmon takes place in Jones’s hometown of Pensacola, FL, where he has long said he plans to end his career. Also of note here – the UFC has talked openly about their plans to enter into the boxing world. This fight could be a good chance for them to gauge interest and experiment with boxing without the extra pressure of being the promoter.
Jones vs. Sigmon headlines Island Fights 46, a mixed boxing/MMA card, and airs live on Fight Pass this Thursday, Feb. 8 with a fight time of 8:30 p.m ET. Bloody Elbow will have live fight night coverage, and you can check out the full fight card below.
ISLAND FIGHTS 46
Fight Pass, Thu. Feb. 8, 8:30 p.m. ET
Roy Jones Jr. vs. Scott Sigmon
Max Mustaki vs. Socrates Pierre
Devin Cushing vs. Tommy Bryant
Michael Davis vs. Montreal James
Ikram Kerwat vs. Angel Gladney
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