By Gav Duthie: Roy Jones Jnr 61-8 (44) is hoping volume will be the key to earning a world title shot at Cruiserweight as he looks to fight 3 times within a month over August and September. It has been over a decade since Roy was considered a major player in boxing’s highest ranks but he still feels he can win a title to cement his legacy.

The schedule

The ex pound for pound number 1 is penciled in to fight on August 15 in Connecticut, August 29 in Philipsburg and September 12 in Liverpool, England. Only the Philipsburg card boasts an actual opponent at present with Danny Santiago 33-7-1 looking to spring the upset. Santiago is no mug having fought for world titles in the light heavyweight division with his losses including shared opponents with Jones Jnr in Antonio Tarver and Danny Green. In the unlikely event that Roy does fight on all 3 cards and wins he will stretch his unbeaten run to ten fights.

Finished?

Fans and media have wrongly rumored the demise of Roy twice already. He has lost 3 fights in a row twice over the last 11 years. After arguably his greatest achievement winning a world heavyweight title he lost twice to Antonio Tarver, once by 2nd round knockout and once to Glencoffe Johnson (LTKO 9) over 2004-05. He came back and scored good victories over Felix ‘Tito’ Trinidad, Omar Sheika and Jeff Lacy either side of a defeat to Joe Calzaghe. Then again over the three year period he lost 3 top level fights in a row in (2009 KO 1 Danny Green), (2010 UD 12 Bernard Hopkins), (2011 KO 10 Denis Lebedev). Both knockout defeats in this series were brutal and it looked like the end but Jones limps on. He has since won 7 in a row all be it at a low level and for a man who never left America in his prime he has now fought in Poland, Latvia and Russia in the last few years.

Motivation

Jones says there is no point in fighting if you don’t have goals. He still thinks he can be a cruiserweight champion and bridge the gap in his title haul from middleweight to heavyweight. A title win as unlikely as it is would make him a five weight champion.

1st titles per weight class

IBF Middleweight title v Bernard Hopkins 1993
IBF Super middleweight title v Antoine Byrd 1995
WBC Light heavyweight v Montel Griffin 1997
WBA Heavyweight title v John Ruiz 2003

Roy pretty much hasn’t been the same since he beat Ruiz. He dropped back to light heavyweight 175lbs immediately from his 199lb heavyweight fighting weight. He beat Antonio Tarver by narrow decision but could have easily lost. When Tarver and Johnson knocked him out he could have retired then. Is there any chance he could win a world title over a decade later. Nobody believes it even for Mr. Untouchable.