Roy Jones Jr. vs. Tony Waddles
Roy Jones Jr 160 lbs beat Tony Waddles 156 lbs by KO at 2:02 in round 1 of 10
- Date: 1990-07-14
- Location: Bayfront Auditorium, Pensacola, Florida, USA
- Referee: Tommy Kimmons
Jones was originally scheduled to fight Dennis Johnson of Louisiana, but he was dropped after asking for a larger purse and more expense money.
It was announced that Johnson's replacement would be Derwin Richards.
On the night of July 14, 1990, Jones scored a first-round knockout before a crowd of 2,100.
At the Pensacola News Journal, sports editor Junior Ingram said it took a day before anyone realized that the fighter in the main event was not who he was supposed to be. "We checked with the real Derwin Richards," Ingram said. "He`s working as a security guard at some correctional facility in Houston. He said that he was definitely not in Pensacola on the night of the fight."
Ingram said Oklahoma fight manager Elvis Belt was approached by Pensacola matchmakers and asked if he could provide Derwin Richards as an opponent for Roy Jones.
"Elvis Belt said it would be no problem," Ingram said. "He delivered the fighter to Pensacola, and the fighter got knocked out and got paid. Only problem was, it wasn't Derwin Richards."
Ingram said it was easy to examine photographs of the real Derwin Richards and the fake Derwin Richards and come to the conclusion that they are definitely different people.
Shelly Bradshaw, an assistant to the director of the Florida State Athletic Commission, represented the commission at the fights. Two days afterwards, she discovered that prior fights listed on a background sheet signed by Jones' opponent didn't match the official record of Richards. She said she didn't check the sheet for accuracy before the bout because she was too busy handling other responsibilities related to the fight card.
State Attorney Curtis Golden and the Florida commission launched investigations.
It was discovered that Tony Waddles of Oklahoma was the boxer Jones knocked out. He told the Pensacola News Journal in a telephone interview that Belt contacted him about the fight and traveled with him to Pensacola. Waddles said he received $700 from Belt and expressed shock when told the fight contract called for $2,000. "I knew it would happen," Waddles said. "Man, he stiffed me, too."
Belt and matchmaker Gerome Peete of Tennessee were arrested and charged with grand theft by fraud, and the Florida licenses of Jones and his promoters were temporarily suspended.
Peete pleaded no contest to a lesser charge of petty theft and was placed on probation for six months.
Belt went to trial and was acquitted. He testified that everyone involved knew about the fraud and that fighting under an assumed name was common practice in his home state.
The jury returned the verdict after only seven minutes of deliberations.
Sources
Wilmington Morning Star - July 18, 1990
Ocala Star-Banner - July 21, 1990
Chicago Tribune - July 22, 1990
Orlando Sentinel - August 10, 1990
Eugene Register-Guard - March 21, 1991