BoxRec

What is Roy Jones Jr doing, fighting Omar Sheika ?

Jones is now a 40 year old fighter, with nothing left to prove or achieve in boxing and yet he has lined himself up to fight Omar Sheika at super-middleweight on the 21st March. Jones is now a shot fighter and we all saw that in his fight with Calzaghe, so the the possibilty of setting himself up for another world title challenge or big money super-fight is slim at best and more probably non-existent....

So why is he taking this fight ?

Omar Sheika is a decent fighter, who beat Glen Johnson some years back, lost to Calzaghe and more recently lost decisions to Jeff Lacy and Markus Beyer. But Jones would gain no true recognition or rehabilitate his fighting reputation if he beat Sheika and it would'nt erase his dire performance against Calzaghe from the minds of the public and nore would it lead to any title shot or big pay day....

So is Jones taking the fight to prove something to himself ? Is Jones taking the fight, so that fans can remember his last performance with some pride, given that he wins the contest or does Jones genuinely believe that he has one last shot at the big time ? Is Jones trying to gain a shot at Kessler (168lbs) or maybe Chad Dawson (175lbs) or even trying to lure Hopkins into a re-match, all by making himself look marketable once again, in the hope that he can lure the tv networks into purchasing any future fight ?

I personally can't see why Jones is taking this fight, other than for some personal redemption or to stage a home town "goodbye and thank you" fight. In my opinion he is shot and past it, has'nt got a hope in getting another big time fight and should retire, certainly after this next fight...

What do you guys think ?

hopefully its a goodbye to his hometown fans. hopefully he is not going to box on like holyfield. sometimes boxers just dont know when to stop.

i think this card has some mma bouts on the undercard. i hope thats not the way boxing is going to go. mixing the two.

Obviously looking for a win!!

Quixall wrote:What is Roy Jones Jr doing, fighting Omar Sheika ?

Making money the easy way.

Are you sure it's at super middleweight? Boxrec have it down as a light heavyweight bout.

The man is delusional or broke.

If Jones wins, and it is such a crying shame I am typing IF against Omar f*cking Sheika... then I only hope the Calzaghe fans will not comment that "Jones wasn't that shot" - Omar Sheika has been in semi retirement for the last few years.

if it is a farewell fight.....then it is one that is hard to begrudge, for both the great fighter, and his adoring Pensacola fans.......if Jones beats Sheika in flashy fashion....then i just hope that it doesn't lead to further deluded aspirations to box at the highest level once again

adamiw wrote:if it is a farewell fight.....then it is one that is hard to begrudge, for both the great fighter, and his adoring Pensacola fans.......if Jones beats Sheika in flashy fashion....then i just hope that it doesn't lead to further deluded aspirations to box at the highest level once again

Jones hasn't scored a KO since 2002. I'd be surprised if he manages one now.

Asterix wrote:

adamiw wrote:if it is a farewell fight.....then it is one that is hard to begrudge, for both the great fighter, and his adoring Pensacola fans.......if Jones beats Sheika in flashy fashion....then i just hope that it doesn't lead to further deluded aspirations to box at the highest level once again

Jones hasn't scored a KO since 2002. I'd be surprised if he manages one now.

.......so would I

I hope its just a chance for RJJ to hang em up with a win.

His performance after rd 1 v Calzaghe was beyond dire. The man has nothing left in the tank at top level.

Roy just can't let it go. He should have retired after Tarver 1. I just hope his intention is to go out with a win against his home town fans. He is risking permanent damage at this stage of his career though - if Sheika decides to come in in brilliant condition and make a fight of it he could spoil the party, given Roy's current state of shot-ness.

he wants a win again

overhand_right wrote:I hope its just a chance for RJJ to hang em up with a win.

His performance after rd 1 v Calzaghe was beyond dire. The man has nothing left in the tank at top level.

Even his performance during round 1.... Calzaghe was hurt quite badly.

Asterix wrote:Are you sure it's at super middleweight? Boxrec have it down as a light heavyweight bout.

I did wonder about that Asterix....

You could well be right and i initially was suprised that it was at super-middleweight. I think i read it somewhere and maybe this journalist thought it was at 168lbs because of the Lacy and Bayer fights that Sheika had a short time back...

I agree with all your sentiments about Jones, that hopefully it's a farewell fight to his fans and he ends on a good performance and a win. I just hope that Roy does'nt have delusional ideas that he can somehow replicate Hopkins and keep going for a few more years.......Please retire Roy !!

The guy finally needs to rematch Hopkins or retire

observer1 wrote:The guy finally needs to rematch Hopkins or retire

Do you think that is likely ?

Especially when Hopkins could secure a fight with Dawson.

I just can't forget about the Trinidad fight. Cynical, money making, name laundering of the highest degree. Trinidad was never anything more than a middleweight at the very most and trying to sell the fight as a legendary event was sickening.

steve689 wrote:I just can't forget about the Trinidad fight. Cynical, money making, name laundering of the highest degree. Trinidad was never anything more than a middleweight at the very most and trying to sell the fight as a legendary event was sickening.

Right in Don King's territory

Getting a payday

I always expected RJJ would get out before he got old and slower. He seemed smart. He was close to (and extremely affected by) the Gerald Mcclellan injury. He just didn't seem to take unnecessary risks.

Wrong. I guess he has that addiction.

Who will ever forget the greatest night in British boxing history ?
18th July 1998 Ponds Forge Sheffield.

Tony Booth WPTS 8 X 3 against ?

Omar Sheika.

Omar Sheika still disputes that loss.I really don't know how.SHows what sort of talent Tony Booth had

big lennox wrote:Omar Sheika still disputes that loss.I really don't know how.SHows what sort of talent Tony Booth had

Or -- the opinion I've always held -- that the Yanks who bigged Sheika up from the beginning of his career (didn't Kevin Rooney train him for a while? Or was it Teddy Atlas?) were actually farking delusional.

Agreed.Misplaced confidence from him and his team