Roy Jones Jr. vs. Enzo Maccarinelli: Fight Time, Date, Live Stream and TV Info
Roy Jones Jr. simply refuses to give in. The legendary American boxer continues his boxing career in Moscow, Russia, when he takes on Enzo Maccarinelli in a cruiserweight matchup.
The 12-round bout will be the 71st of Jones Jr.'s career. Astonishingly, the 46-year-old made his professional debut back in 1989.
Maccarinelli, meanwhile, finds himself cast in the role of spring chicken at the tender age of 35.
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The Welshman is a former world champion at the 200-pound limit, although he has also fought recently down at light heavyweight.
The bout was originally due to be for the vacant WBA super world cruiserweight title. However, per BoxRec, no belt will be up for grabs at the VTB Arena.
When: Saturday, December 12, 11 p.m. local (8 p.m. GMT, 3 p.m. ET)
Where: VTB Arena, Moscow, Russia
TV: BoxNation (UK)
Live Stream: BoxNation (UK, subscription required)
Rolling Back The Years
It is easy to mock Jones Jr. for fighting on.
His career looked over a decade ago, when Antonio Tarver ended his aura of invincibility, but still he carried on.
When he then suffered defeats at the hands of Danny Green, Bernard Hopkins and Denis Lebedev, the time definitely seemed right to hang up the gloves.
But, since being knocked out by Lebedev in 2011, Jones Jr. has reeled off eight victories in a row. If he can extend that winning streak to nine, a crack at a world title is on the cards in 2016.
His bout with Maccarinelli will also be the first since he became a citizen of Russia.
Jones Jr.—who was born in Florida—received his new passport in a ceremony with Russian president Vladimir Putin in October.
The move is not just a publicity stunt, as Jones Jr. told Steve Bunce of the Independent: "I told the president that I was all about building bridges between the East and the West. I’m appreciated in Russia, the people are crazy about their boxing. I have never experienced anything like it."
Jones Jr. made history by becoming the first middleweight world champion to go on and win a major belt in the heavyweight division.
He also was voted Fighter of the Decade for the 1990s by the Boxing Writers Association of America, and nothing that happens now should tarnish those achievements.
Maccarinelli is a decent litmus test to see just how much someone once judged the best boxer on the planet still has left in the tank.
Perhaps, though, "Junior" should at least consider changing his nickname.
From Russia With Love
Maccarinelli (40-7, 32 KOs) is quite literally a tall order for Jones Jr.
Standing at 6'4", the Welshman will have a considerable height advantage over his illustrious opponent (who measures in at 5'11").
He also has age on his side, something he may not have expected at this stage of what has been a career full of ups and downs.
Maccarinelli was one of the brightest stars in Britain when he was WBO cruiserweight champion. Then he ran into David Haye, and everything fell apart.
A second-round TKO loss saw him in a unification bout that cost him his title, and he has never quite managed to get back to the elite level since.
Like Jones Jr., a string of damaging defeats, including a brutal knockout at the hands of Alexander Frenkel in 2010 to lose the European crown, seemed to suggest Maccarinelli's best days were behind him.
Switching to light heavyweight led to some success—he became Commonwealth champion and earned a shot at WBO champion Juergen Braehmer, only to suffer a horrific eye injury early in the contest that forced his trainer, Gary Lockett, to retire his man after five rounds.
But, Maccarinelli is not done just yet.
Back at cruiserweight again, he is ready to face a legend, per BBC Sport Wales: "He [Jones Jr.] was an amazing fighter and at one point he could probably have gone down as THE greatest of all time. But I won't be in awe of him. They call him superman and superstar, but to me he's just plain old Roy."
Prediction
A clash between two fighters past their prime wouldn't normally be so intriguing, but Jones Jr. and Maccarinelli has the potential to produce fireworks in Moscow.
Both men have question marks over their ability to take a punch, meaning the contest could come to a dramatic end at any time.
Tossing a coin might be the best way to predict a winner, although it looks fairly certain the bout won't go the distance.
Maccarinelli will be the one who lands the final punch. In what round that happens, however, is anyone's guess. Blink, and you could easily miss the finish.
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