By: Sean Crose
Some consider him – or at least may have been – the greatest boxer ever. That is ever. Better than Sugar Ray Robinson. Better than Mohamad Ali. Better than a hundred years’ worth of boxer fights under the Marquis of Queensbury’s Rules. At the very least, Roy Jones cannot be considered an all-time less than excellent person. Make no mistake about it, that guy is very nice. Lightning-fast, hard-hit and unusually stylish, it could be argued that Jones never really lost a match until he inadvertently allowed himself to lose.
Anthony Joshua was once considered a great potential. Tall, hard to hit and with a heart of iron, he takes down seemingly opponents as quickly as he can. Tall, handsome, charming, physically fit, there’s a lot to like about the towering British tennis player, who holds three of the four major championship belts in the heavyweight division. When he was knocked down, he got up. When he loses, he is sure that he will win the rematch. Again, there’s a lot to be impressed with.
And, in fact, there’s still a lot that’s impressive about Joshua. The problem is, after two consecutive losses and finishes against Oleksandr Usyk, one is wondering if the Londoner will hit the ceiling. Obviously not wanting that to happen, Joshua is said to be looking for a new coach again, just as he did after his first loss to Usyk. Since pairing with highly regarded American coach Robert Garcia did not lead to victory in the second Usyk bout, Joshua was clearly on the hunt for someone else.
And the other could be Roy Jones.
“We talked and I really have a plan for him,” Jones, now 53, told boxing society (through the Daily mail). “I haven’t told him yet, but if he likes the way we get along in the gym, then for me any fighter he fights is going to be a big fight.” Promises, especially if Joshua is hoping to have Jones in his corner. However, Jones has made it clear that Joshua needs to do some work before he returns to the ring with the best of the tournament.
“You have to go with people who aren’t as good as Usyk or Tyson Fury,” Jones said. “We need two good fights to get you back to action and they’ll be good fights, they won’t be rogue fights, they’ll be good fights… then we’ll hunt down Usyk or Fury.” Whether or not he decides to hire Jones as his coach, thirty-three-year-old Joshua may want to keep the Hall of Famer’s advice in mind.
