This evening at the impressive VTB Arena, Moscow, two veterans squared off in a scheduled ten rounder in the Cruiserweight division. Wales’ Enzo Maccarinelli, a former WBO title holder, took on boxing legend Roy Jones Jnr.
Entering the contest, Jones had won his previous eight contests but against mainly modest opposition. In Maccarinelli, he was facing a man who still has World title ambitions.
The Gary Lockett trained Enzo won the first two rounds, while Roy pinched the quiet third. The end came in the fourth, as Maccarinelli upped the tempo and a right uppercut dropped Jones. Roy beat the count but then got battered, against the ropes, and was knocked spark out – two uppercuts doing the major damage and a right hand felling Roy. The end was brutal and sad to see a legend taken out. Enzo displayed patience and his usual excellent jab with body punching. Roy’s speed is no longer there and he is fighting from memory.
Size and age were on Enzo’s side and while he’s beaten a faded legend, he’ll still gain headlines and can move onto a title-shot. The 46-year-old Roy Jones, needs to now retire, he is many, many years from his magical prime.
After the fight the Swansea man said: “First of all I’d like to say it was an honour to share the ring with Roy who in my eyes is still a ring legend and I hope that he recovers fully from this,”
“Regarding my win, I’m over the moon with the performance and it showed that I’ve got the power to hurt anybody. This fight was at cruiserweight where I’ve held a world and I’ve also dropped down to light-heavyweight where I fought Juergen Braehmer for a world title, I’m comfortable at either and wherever the best opportunities are I’ll take them,”
“I said before the fight that I fight best when the pressure is on and coming out to Russia where Roy has become a favourite certainly put the pressure on me to perform and I did that,”
“I knew that the opening rounds might be a bit cagey, but I knew that once I sized him up and got my range that it was only a matter of time before I would take him out. My jab was good and I clipped Roy with a right hand early on which he brushed off but I knew that it hurt him. Then in the fourth I started to connect with uppercuts and he was starting to go so I knew I’d got him and then I landed the hard right to finish him off.”
“That ends the year nicely and now I want to keep busy in 2016 and get another world title shot to become a two-time world champion.”
Enzo Maccarinelli’s record is now 41-7, 33 KOs while Roy Jones Jr is 62-9, 45 KOs.
