Roy Jones Jr., born as Roy Levesta Jones Jr., is an American-born professional boxer who is widely regarded as the best boxer of his generation from the late 1990s into the early 2000s. He was born on January 16, 1969, in Pensacola, Florida, United States. Jones holds dual American and Russian citizenship. He was born into a boxing family; his mother is Carol Jones, and his father, Roy Jones Sr., is a Vietnam War veteran who was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for heroism and was also a professional middleweight boxer.

Roy Jones Jr. was introduced to boxing at a very young age by his father. Representing the United States at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, Jones became the victim of one of the most controversial decisions in boxing history. In the 156-pound (71 kg) gold medal bout, judges awarded the victory to South Korean boxer Park Si-hun despite Jones clearly dominating the fight. Although he received the silver medal in the light middleweight division, Jones was honored with the Val Barker Trophy as the best boxer of the Olympic Games.

Jones began his professional boxing career on May 6, 1989, and competed professionally from 1989 until 2018. Over the course of his career, Roy Jones Jr. won world championships in four different weight classes: middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight. He remains the only boxer in history to begin his professional career at light middleweight and later capture a heavyweight world title.

Known for his extraordinary speed, lightning-fast reflexes, and the ability to throw punches in flawless combinations from unconventional angles, Roy Jones Jr. was considered one of the most naturally gifted fighters the sport has ever seen.

Jones captured his first major world title on May 22, 1993, in Washington, D.C., when he defeated Bernard Hopkins by decision over 12 rounds to claim the vacant IBF Middleweight Championship. As his career progressed, Jones moved up in weight, capturing world titles at super middleweight and light heavyweight.

In 1999, Roy Jones Jr. unified the WBA, WBC, and IBF light heavyweight titles to become the undisputed champion of the division. He made boxing history again in 2003 by winning the WBA Heavyweight Championship, becoming the first former middleweight champion in 106 years to capture a heavyweight world title.

As of February 2018, Jones held the record for the most victories in unified light heavyweight title fights in boxing history. Ring Magazine named him Fighter of the Year in 1994, while the World Boxing Hall of Fame honored him as Fighter of the Year in 2003. He won the ESPY Award for Best Boxer three times (1996, 2000, and 2003), and the Boxing Writers Association of America named him Fighter of the Decade for the 1990s.

On August 19, 2015, Roy Jones Jr. met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sevastopol, Crimea, to request dual Russian-American citizenship. He stated that he frequently visited Russia for business purposes. Jones was officially granted Russian citizenship on September 12, 2015, a decision that subsequently resulted in him being banned from entering Ukraine.

Throughout his professional career, Roy Jones Jr. fought a total of 75 bouts, winning 66 and losing 9. His achievements across multiple weight classes cemented his reputation as one of the most versatile and dominant fighters in boxing history.

Roy Jones Jr. is married to Natlyn Jones and has three children: DeAndre Jones, Roy Jones III, and DeShaun Jones.

On November 26, 2024, following Jake Paul’s victory over legendary heavyweight Mike Tyson at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Roy Jones Jr. issued a public challenge on December 25, 2024, expressing his desire to face Jake Paul in the ring.

Source: Biyografiler.com