Roy Jones, Jr., (born January 16, 1969, Pensacola, Florida, U.S.), American boxer who became only the second light heavyweight champion to win a heavyweight title. For several years beginning in the late 1990s, he was widely considered the best boxer of his generation.
Jones was taught to box by his father, Roy Jones, Sr. Representing the United States at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, he became the victim of a scandalously bad decision in the 156-pound (71-kg) gold medal match, which the judges awarded to South Korea’s Park Si Hun. Despite his defeat, Jones received the Val Barker Award as the Games’ outstanding boxer.
Jones made his professional debut on May 6, 1989, and was quickly recognized as a unique talent—an extremely skillful boxer with great speed, exceptionally quick reflexes, and the ability to put his punches together in seamless combinations. He claimed his first major title on May 22, 1993, in Washington, D.C., when he won a 12-round decision over Bernard Hopkins for the vacant International Boxing Federation (IBF) middleweight belt. As his career progressed, Jones gradually added weight and won titles at super middleweight and light heavyweight.
