Roy Jones Jr vs Anthony Pettis Rematch Openly Agreed To
On April 1, Hall of Fame Inductee Roy Jones Jr (66-10, 47KO) faced former UFC and WEC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis (1-0) in Milwaukee. The formerly retired Jones would suffer a majority decision loss. In the aftermath of the contest, both men agreed to run it back.
At the end of their eight-round cruiserweight dust-up, one judge had it a draw (76-76), with the other scores reading 77-75, and 78-74 in favor of Pettis winning his first professional boxing match. In the post-fight interview, Jones Jr was very candid about wanting a rematch.
“I think it was a good fight. He did a great job. I thought he fought a very smart fight, and I think I educated him and taught him a lot this fight. So, I think if I fought him again, it’ll be even better because he knows a lot more now. So, I think it’ll be a really good rematch.”
In addition, the Hall of Famer shot down the notion of doing an exhibition. Furthermore, he provided a reason why the rematch should take place.
“I don’t do exhibitions, I fight real fights. If it ain’t real, I don’t want it. I’m not an exhibition guy, I’m a real guy. I want to win or I want to lose. I want to go out on my shield and be able to do it again as many times as I want to . . . He already said he’ll [Pettis] do it again because one judge had it even.”
Pettis chimed in, accepting the challenge to do a rematch.
“I’d love to do it again. Let’s go. It’ll be an honor.”
SHOULD JONES FORGO THE REMATCH AND RETIRE?
It’s clear Jones is far from the fighter that was a three-divisional champion along with being an undisputed light heavyweight champion. Nonetheless, Jones put on a subpar performance to the delight of the fans.
Yet, this author feels it’s time for him to hang up the gloves for good after losing to a boxing novice in Pettis. I know MMA fans will say Pettis has done some striking and start making comparisons between the two sports. The reality is Jones Jr looked every bit of his age, and so did his body.
His reflexes, speed, and timing are all gone. Moreover, he spent a large portion of the fight in retreat mode and his counters were way off the mark. If this was his last hoorah – great. If they go through with the rematch and he loses again, then hopefully Jones Jr fully commits to retirement.
