Print

Mail

wiki links

Roy Jones Jr wins battle of former champs

Roy Jones Jr knocked down Felix Trinidad twice en route to a 12-round unanimous decision victory on Saturday in a battle of former world champions at Madison Square Garden.

Jones, 39, improved to 52-4 with 38 knockouts. He knocked Trinidad down in the seventh and 10th rounds to earn the decision, with two judges scoring the bout 116-110 in his favor while the third made it 117-109.

The fight between the legendary ex-champs, trying to prove they remain relevant among today's top fighters, was fought at a catch-weight of 170 pounds (77kg).

Both were hoping to demonstrate they had shaken off the rust of inactivity and past disappointments.

Trinidad, fighting for the first time in almost three years, was sharp in the early going. But Jones sent him to the canvas with a right to the head in the seventh and continued to press thereafter, flooring him again at the end of the 10th.

The victory may have bolstered Jones' chance for a title bout.

Before the fight Jones called out unbeaten Welshman Joe Calzaghe, the undisputed super-middle weight champion who is due to take on Bernard Hopkins

"I had a great training camp and great sparring partners, and I'm pretty much `Mr. Unstoppable,'" Jones said. "I'll fight anybody, anywhere, anytime, and if Hopkins-Calzaghe finishes how I think it will, I'll even go to Wales and fight. I don't care."

Trinidad took the initiative early on. He had Jones backed into a corner late in the third, and when Jones taunted him he respond with a series of body shots.

Trinidad continued to press in the fifth, although the American scored with a strong right that snapped back Trinidad's head.

Jones sent Trinidad to his knees in the seventh with a right to the head.

Trinidad survived the round, but Jones gradually took control with an effective jab and repeated rights.

Jones floored Trinidad again at the end of the 10th, rocking him with a left jab to the chin and following up with another right.
This story has been viewed 2850 times.