At the age of 54, Roy Jones Jr. has been granted a professional boxing license, much to the shock of the boxing community.
The Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services issued a license to Jones, which was facilitated by former UFC fighter Jorge Masvidal through his ‘Gamebred Boxing’ brand.
Jones walked away from the sport in 2018 following his win over Scott Sigmon despite not officially announcing his retirement.
Thereafter, he took on Mike Tyson in an exhibition that generated over a million pay-per-view buys on Triller, showing just how much support Jones still had.
With that being said, Jones takes on MMA star Anthony Pettis on April 1st, 2023, in a bout of boxing. And by the looks of it, Jones is ready to make a statement.
In his comments, he said: “My game is to help put on an excellent card for the people. My goal in boxing has always been to give people what they want to see.
“I love that I fight in a place I’ve never been…We’re both freaks in the ring, so why not make it happen? When you get the opportunity, you’ve got to shoot your shot, and that’s what we do.”
Anthony Pettis expects Roy Jones Jr. to be ‘surprised’ by his boxing skill, will decide future after match (@DamonMartin) https://t.co/9L8KZ0uW9p pic.twitter.com/VdUxOHGi7K
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) March 30, 2023
Jones will have to be on his A-game since Pettis is ready to put on a show. The MMA star is keen on making a name for himself, owing to the fact that he wants to show that MMA stars can get one over boxers in their own sport.
While Conor McGregor failed to do so when he took on Floyd Mayweather Jr, Pettis is keen to right that wrong.
“I’m coming over and testing myself against one of the greats. It’s huge to get this win. It’s huge for mixed martial arts as a sport, for myself, for my coaches.
“My coaches have been busted their ass for this. I’m not going to go out there and let this fall through my fingers,” Pettis told MMA Fighting.
However, given Jones’ increasing age, coupled with the fact that boxing does take its toll on fighters in their later years, this has raised concerns over whether it is the right decision. Time will tell.