Worth the Weight: The 4 Fights That Saw Roy Jones Jr. Win World Titles

When Roy Jones Jr. was knocked out by Enzo Maccarinelli in Russia on Dec. 12, 2015, it seemed the entire boxing world winced.

It was tough to watch an all-time legend, someone who was a success in the amateurs before becoming a star in the paid ranks, get battered around a ring in Moscow.

The overwhelming sense of many was summed up in a tweet from Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix: "Someone has to make Roy Jones stop fighting. He steps up to even mediocre competition, like today, and he gets knocked out cold. Just stop."

However, asked by TMZ Sports if he is ready to retire, the four-weight world champion simply replied: "Just training fighters for now."

The Jones Jr. who stepped in the ring against Maccarinelli was a shadow of the man who was once rated the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.

So, as Junior celebrates his 47th birthday on Jan. 16, 2016, Bleacher Report has looked back at the moments when he first won world titles at each of the four different weight classes.

Feel free to add your personal memories of Roy Levesta Jones via the comments section.

Middleweight

When: May 22, 1993

Where: RFK Stadium, Washington

Against: Bernard Hopkins

Having scandalously missed out on the light middleweight gold medal at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, when he dominated South Korean fighter Park Si-Hun but lost on points, Jones Jr. turned pro in 1989.

He blitzed his way to 21-0 before coming up against Bernard Hopkins, a fellow American, for the vacant IBF middleweight belt in 1993.

Astonishingly, per BoxRec, the bout was part of the undercard for the heavyweight contest between Riddick Bowe and Jesse Ferguson.

A tactical battle unfolded and Jones Jr. won by a unanimous decision on the cards—all three judges scored it 116-112 in his favour.

Recalling the fight later for Bleacher Report in 2010, Howard Bell wrote: "Roy was awarded a unanimous decision but from my seat at ringside the judges could have easily made the same decision and given it to Bernard. I would not have blinked. It was definitely not a fight to rival Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns. I had seen better fights at the Girls & Boys Clubs located in walking distance of RFK Stadium."

A rematch between the duo always looked likely, though no one expected to have to wait until 2010 to see it.

Hopkins gained revenge in Las Vegas, winning by unanimous decision. The two fighters had a combined age of 86.

Super Middleweight

Holly Stein/Getty Images

When: Nov. 18, 1994

Where: MGM Grand, Las Vegas

Against: James Toney

Roy Jones Jr. and James Toney were undefeated when they went head-to-head in 1994.

Toney entered the bout as the reigning IBF champion at super middleweight, having claimed the title by beating Iran Barkley. He was also the favourite.

But while Jones Jr. was making the move up from middleweight, Toney had trouble getting down to the 168-pound limit.

The champion's efforts just to make weight proved costly.

He was second best throughout the fight. Junior recorded a knockdown in Round 3, although he never actually dropped his rival to the canvas.

Toney was forced to take a count for only the second time in his career after a left hook saw him needing the help of the ropes to remain upright.

The bout, billed as "The Uncivil War," ended up being a one-sided contest.

Jones Jr. couldn't find a way to finish it inside the distance but was a landslide winner on the scorecards. The judges deemed him the winner by margins of 119–108, 118–109 and 117–108.

Light Heavyweight

When: Nov. 22, 1996

Where: Ice Palace, Tampa, Florida

Against: Mike McCallum

Jones Jr.'s first fight at light heavy saw him go up against Mike McCallum, an experienced campaigner who was in the rare position of being the underdog.

But, as is often the case, the bookmakers were spot on.

McCallum—nicknamed "The Body Snatcher"—was past his prime at 39. He did battle gamely throughout the bout but found his rival too quick and too skilful to cope with.

Jones Jr. confirmed his dominance by dropping the Jamaican in Round 10, although McCallum recovered from the right hand to make it through to the final bell.

There were actually two sets of judges there to score the bout—the Florida Commission refused to use WBC-appointed officials, but the governing body put three in place on the first row of the media section.

In the end, however, there wasn't ever going to be any controversy over the scores.

The cards from the Florida judges had it 120-107 to Jones Jr., who was upgraded to full champion when Fabrice Tiozzo moved up to cruiserweight.

The American controversially lost in his first defence.

He was disqualified for hitting Montell Griffin when his opponent was down, although he responded to a first career loss by winning the rematch in Round 1.

Heavyweight

Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

When: Mar. 1, 2003

Where: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas

Against: John Ruiz

In beating John Ruiz, Jones Jr. became the first former middleweight world champion to go up and win a title at heavyweight since Bob Fitzsimmons in 1897.

Jones Jr. had dominataed at light heavy, but moving up to fight Ruiz for the WBA title was still a risk.

The champion was both taller (he stood at 6'2" compared to Jones Jr. at 5'11") and heavier. "The Quiet Man" was also experienced, following a trilogy of fights with Evander Holyfield.

However, Jones Jr. had one major advantage over his opponent—speed.

While able to launch sharp attacks, his quickness also kept him out of range. Per BoxRec, Ruiz landed just 89 of the 433 punches he threw over the course of the 12 rounds.

Mike Freeman of the New York Times wrote in his report: "While the fight, at the Thomas & Mack Center, was not a scintillating one, it did offer this lesson. A great boxer, even when fighting a physically superior opponent, can still dominate the fight."

Jones Jr.—who won by scores of 118-110, 117-111 and 116-112—never defended the belt, instead dropping back down to light heavy.

At what weight do you think Jones Jr. was at his very best? Where would you rank him on the all-time list? Bleacher Report loves a debate, so have your say via the comments section.