Markus Beyer or Anderson Silva: 2 Options for Roy Jones Jr.

By JB: Former Pound-for-Pound king, Roy Jones Jr. is on the cusp of rejuvenating his career after stringing together two wins over top-25 caliber opponents, and more importantly a win in January over fellow future hall of fame candidate Felix Trinidad. However, the question is how can he best capitalize on this late-career momentum he has garnered?

Currently Mr. Jones has two well-documented options, a bout in Germany versus former WBC 168 lbs. kingpin Markus Beyer, and what would amount to an exhibition bout against mixed martial artist and current UFC 185 lbs. champion Anderson Silva of Brazil. The benefits to Roy’s bank account, fame and legitimizing his resurgence as a contender in the sport of boxing vary depending on which course of action he chooses to take.

A match against 3-time WBC super middleweight champion Markus Beyer provides Jones with a credible, yet beatable opponent against the backdrop of what would be a huge sporting event in Germany. Beyer, a crafty southpaw boxer, carries very little in the way of punching power and is physically smaller than Jones, being 5′9 and having spent his entire career at 168 pounds. This deficit, plays into Jones favor; anyone who saw Jones stalk and knockdown a smaller Trinidad in the latter half of their bout knows that this was in large part due to Jones being able to shrug off the punches of the one-time welterweight and super welterweight KO-artist. While Beyer is a left-hander, he isn’t the same sort of southpaw as Jones’ old foil Antonio Tarver, namely a tall, rangy fighter with a powerful left hand counter. In my opinion, Beyer would likely spend the match attempting to trade speedy combinations with Jones and ultimately lose via TKO in the later rounds.

A crossover showdown with current UFC and former Cage Rage 185 lbs. champion Anderson Silva could prove the far more lucrative and risky option for Roy Jones. Albeit he has little experience in actual boxing matches with a mere record of 1-1 (1 KO), Silva physically is much more imposing than Beyer. He stands 6′2 and routinely fights at a higher weight class than Jones has for most of his career. In addition, he is younger and has displayed quick, accurate punching in his UFC bouts. The only clear advantage Jones would have would be in terms of his experience in the boxing ring. The question is this: Is experience enough to guarantee a win over a younger world class competitor? Sometimes this is the case and the older more experienced fighter defeats his opponent, other times it is a case where the fighter in his prime cannot be denied victory. Fighting with boxing gloves, and boxing rules could severely limit Silva’s arsenal and timing, but there can be no mistake Anderson has enough of a background in various forms of striking combat to make for an entertaining bout regardless of the ultimate outcome.

Essentially, in regards to the actual physical challenge it is a case of either facing a skilled technical boxer with no physical advantages in his hometown, or facing a physically gifted, younger opponent with little pure boxing experience. Both situations provide credible challenges to Jones at this stage of his career.

In the end the decision comes down to this, while defeating yet another champion boxer would legitimize Roy Jones as a definite championship contender again at light heavyweight or super middleweight, it would do little to re-ignite his fame in the US and sell future PPVs. Defeating Anderson Silva in the US would make Roy Jones the hero of boxing, and boost his celebrity across the board which would translate into better paydays as he ends his career. The only drawback would be the backlash if he should lose to the talented Silva at his own game. His credibility as a boxer would be severely damaged and many would scapegoat him as the man that failed to represent his sport.

Whichever course he finally chooses, it will certainly be an interesting chapter in his career, and possibly for combat sports in the United States as well.

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