Boxing legend Roy Jones Jr kept it one hundred on what it meant to him to be inducted into Boxing’s International Hall of Fame – even after all these years.
It is the pinnacle for the sport of boxing essentially. The Mount Everest of the sport that only a very rare few make it to.
Speaking to former world champion Andre Ward on his show ‘All The Smoke Fight’ this week, Roy Jones Jr said of his Hall of Fame induction all these years later:
“I was kind of like that, but a bit different. I knew the call was going to come because I went so hard when I was active. I wanted to be sure there was no question that the call would come one day. But at the same time, it took a lot out of me. When I saw them put Sylvester Stallone in the Hall of Fame, that hit me hard. I know the blood and sacrifices we go through to get there, and for them to induct a guy who was just acting like he went through all that—like, really? If he can go in the Hall of Fame for acting, then what good is it really going to do me? I wasn’t just acting, you understand me. It got to me for a minute, but some family members talked to me. They said, “This is more than what you’re making it out to be. Leave the personal part out of it. You have to understand this is what you sacrificed your life for—moments like this. Don’t be too stubborn to appreciate what God has given you, because you didn’t have to have that. A lot of people wish they could be in your position, and they’re putting you in there. Don’t look down on that blessing. It’s truly a blessing, saying a lot about what you’ve done, the sacrifices, the years of dedication, the robbing of a gold medal at the Olympics—that makes it all worth your while.” They told me not to take that opportunity for granted and to look up to it. It’s a beautiful opportunity, something people wish they could have. Everyone who did anything wishes they could go into the Hall of Fame for what they did, and I was being blessed to be there. So, they told me to hush and make the most of it. I went, made the most of it, and I think I had one of the best Hall of Fame speeches of all time. I believe my speech will go down in history as the best Hall of Fame speech ever in boxing. I got to leave my mark—a highlight that’s unreal with the greatest knockouts you ever saw.”
Lots of raw emotion and what it meant to him there, and of course, well deserved.
It shows as well how the Rocky and Sylvester Stallone phenomenon like we said recently, was and always will be powerful – in real actual fighting and boxing too.
Alas, more than well deserved the induction was for Jones actually.
Particularly after being robbed in the Olympics as an amateur, like other boxers were.
When it came to the highest level of the sport he advanced.
Roy Jones is still only one of two men in history to win a world middleweight title and a world heavyweight title.
Not many new fans are even aware of that in boxing history.
The other being Bob Fitzsimmons of the UK.
