Frater Roy Jones Jr. Set to Hit the Ring This August
PENSACOLA, Fla. - Frater Roy Jones Jr., a few months after taking another title back, has signed another deal to fight again. All-time great Roy Jones Jr. (Tau-Psi, Univ. of West Florida) and former world champion Jeff Lacy continue in the search for glory facing one another in August. Lacy, from St. Petersburg, Florida and Jones, from Pensacola have not set a location, but have agreed to terms to televise the fight on Pay-Per-View.
Lacy, 25-2 (17) will co-promote the bout under his Left Hook Promotions banner, with Jones' Square Ring Promotions sharing the event. Jones, 53-5 (39) was ringside last month when Lacy out-pointed Otis Griffin, and after the 40-year-old had won his own last fight - by TKO over Omar Sheika - he talked about the possibility of facing the 32-year-old. Who will win?
It's possible the two men would give us an interesting and fan-friendly affair when they clash. "Left Hook" fights at super-middleweight, while Jones, in all but one of his last nine fights, has operated at light-heavyweight. It's possible then, that the two could meet at a catch-weight.
Jones still has flashes of his former brilliance, as he proved when downing Joe Calzaghe in the 1st round of their November 2008 contest, but he is so much easier to hit today compared to the days of his awesome prime. Some say Lacy has never fully recovered from his meeting with Calzaghe, when he was pounded mercilessly for all 12 rounds back in 2006. On balance, Jones, though the older man by almost a decade, probably has more left at this point.
On the other hand, Lacy has never been stopped; whereas Jones has twice been KO'd. Going into this fight, the former IBF 168-pound boss would likely feel a stoppage win would be a strong possibility for him. Something of a grudge-match, the mooted August showdown will surely be a big seller if it is staged in Florida.
Adapted from Eastside Boxing Press Release. If you would like to see your chapter or alumni news here, contact Director of Communication Tom McAninch.