They say you can’t stay on top forever. Someday, someone who is younger, faster and hungrier will eat your food right off of your plate. They say the great ones never know when to bow out. They always seem to go one more fight, one more album, one more game too long. When Michael Jordan collected his last ring, they said he should have left the game. When Jay-Z dropped The Black Album, they said that was the perfect finale to a wonderful career. When Roy Jones Jr defeated John Ruiz to become the first fighter in over 100 years to win world titles from middleweight to heavyweight, they said he had nothing left to prove.

Leave the game before it leaves you.

But you couldn’t tell that to Roy Jones Jr. Not to a man who once had a stranglehold on the pound for pound best fighter in the world title for years. Not to a man who dominated an unprecedented four different weight classed en route to eight world titles. You can’t tell Superman that one day he’ll wake up a hair slower and a day older. But soon enough, that day will arrive and it surely arrived in tragic fashion for Roy Jones Jr.

May 15th 2004 was the day Roy Jones’ dreamland of a career got a brutal rude awakening courtesy of Antonio Tarver’s kryptonite that turned Superman into a mere mortal. It started as another day’s work for Jones as he got comfortable pawing away at an opponent who gave him his toughest contest ever just months before. Right when Jones lunged in during the 2nd round with his usual right to the body followed by pulling his head back (a boxing no-no) to set up another attack it happened. He went to sleep on May 14th still as Superman and woke up on the 15th older, slower and human.

It was as if everything he had ever accomplished was wrung right out of him. For a boxer who broke all of the sport’s rules with his superhuman athleticism anchoring his monstrous resume, his lack of fundamental boxing skills reared its ugly head. It wasn’t a fluke either, as journeyman Glen Johnson duplicated the feat on September 25th in a fight most thought would be a cakewalk for Jones. Jones followed that with a loss in 12 rounds to Tarver on Oct 1st 2005 – this time Jones remained on his feet but his legacy was definitely tarnished.

"The knockouts did not change me as a fighter. I was more of a boxer as a heavyweight,” Jones reflects on those dark days over the phone. “The problem was when I came back to light heavyweight, I lost all of the muscle and I lost all of the energy. I was going for the knockout because I didn't want to go the whole 12 rounds because my body was tired. I couldn't understand why my body was tired and it didn't dawn on me until now.”

Sure, the weight fluctuation took a toll on Jones’ body, but the fact that he is past his prime doesn’t bode well for a fighter who leaned heavily on his physical specimen to dominate his opponents. How could you tell Superman to use his jab when his spit could knock you out? How can you tell him to protect his face when he sees punches coming at him before they are thrown? You don’t insult Superman like that. Even if you do know there will soon be chinks in his armor. After being mentally and physically dismantled, reality set in. Now a mere mortal, it was easy to tell Jones to finally quit.

But Jones went back to the well and trained hard to not let his legacy end on a sour note. Two wins later and now we find ourselves staring at a Jan 29th date between he and the other fighter who, if paired 7 years ago, would have made for the fight spectacle of the decade. But he too lost his luster in dominating fashion – Felix Trinidad. But before we get into the fight, Jones addresses his past.

“If I beat (Tarver & Johnson) I probably would have walked away,” Jones says. “He (God) knows what He wanted, not me. But I would have cheated the world out of a whole lot of blessings that He gave me. I feel like there is a lot more entertainment for me to give this sport than I had let them see already…Had I won, He knew I probably would have quit. But I didn't win, so He wouldn't let me quit.”

An interesting philosophy on why Superman has come back to fight as Clark Kent. His gifts are still head and shoulders above many, but those gifts aren’t simply a part of him anymore, they are the product of hard work. That’s what happens when you are still boxing at 39 years old. You have to work hard to keep in shape but Jones doesn’t seem to mind the age at all.

“Yes, and let me tell you why,” Jones begins when asked if he saw himself boxing at this age. “That is the reason why I never wanted to drink and I never wanted to smoke. Because I wanted to be able to perform at any time and at any age if I had to. I wanted to keep my options open because I didn't know what would happen in my career. But I don't know because it's really not my call and I don't know when I am going to leave.” Continued on page 2 »