Ugh…………boxing families!!!
You could search the entire globe and watch every soap opera and Dr. Phil episode in search of the world’s most dysfunctional family, but generally, all you’d have to do is take a peek at the Sweet Science to see some of the strongest bonds of dysfunction in existence. In boxing, there always appears to be a reason to hate your dad or to blame your son, or hell, even accept a higher payday to train someone to fight your son (shame on you Floyd Sr.)! The relationship between Roy Jones Sr. and Jr. has been no exception to the general dysfunction in boxing families. Father trains son, son becomes good, their bond grows tighter, son becomes GREAT……and then things change…….
Through the many years of Junior’s career, it appeared as though Big Roy was always there for Jr., always at his son’s beck and call when Little Roy needed him. But it seemed that Junior didn’t need him as much as Senior would have liked. On Wednesday’s conference call with Big Roy, he deflected accusations that his relationship with Roy was troubled over the years, and he blamed most of it on the media:
Did you resolve your problems with Roy Jr.?
BIG ROY: The only time is when it came to the media that it was said we had a problem with our personal relationship. We never had a bad personal relationship. I’ve always allowed him to be the person that he is. When he got grown I stood back and watched. Either way it goes I had my eyes on him. When he became a man, I had to treat him like a man. I just had to remind him of the consequences. I am proud of Roy and he made his decision and that was his decision.
I think that pretty much sums up my opinion on the matter. Big Roy did his best to raise Junior, but when it came time for Roy to be a man, and to learn some hard lessons, he let him learn them. But he never turned his back on Roy, he just patiently waited until Roy needed him again. That chance came in the Fall of 2005 for Roy’s third fight against Antonio Tarver in Tampa, FL. Coming off of two consecutive brutal knock-out losses to Tarver and Glen Johnson, Roy turned once again to his faithful father for help. I can’t help but hearing the words, “HELP! I’m Roy Jones Jr., I’ve fallen and I can’t get up”, the words a homeless man yelled to me on Beale Street in Memphis, TN the day after Glen Johnson knocked out Roy Jones Jr. I’ve never forgotten that guy, hell, I even took a picture of him. I hope he’s doing OK. Roy turned to his father to help him get back on his feet. Big Roy was happy to once again be in his son’s corner for the fight. Round 5 of Jones/Tarver III still rings clear in my mind. Roy Jones was fighting with his hands at his side, bobbing and weaving, hitting Tarver with every punch that he had in his arsenal, at will. His footwork was phenomenal, and when Tarver finally caught him with the only meaningful punch he threw during the round, Roy laughed, grabbed the rope and did his version of the Ali Shuffle. It looked as though Roy Jones Jr. was BACK! He easily won the round, he hurt Tarver, the crowd went ballistic, and then something happened…………….
Roy stopped fighting almost immediately. I left the fight shrugging my shoulders, wondering what happened. It was a couple of weeks later when the story came out about how Roy stopped fighting because he didn’t want his father to get the glory from him beating Tarver. I could only think, “huh”? Wasn’t Junior the one who asked his dad back into camp? Isn’t he the one who conceded that he needed his father’s help in his most desperate hour? The details of what happened in the corner are still very grey, but I heard from an anonymous source within Roy’s camp that Big Roy got into a heated argument with Alton Merkerson, and ended that argument with a big “Blank You”!
Roy stopped fighting, and lost the fight over the later rounds. His next trip took him to Boise, Idaho to fight Prince Badi Ajamu, without his father in his corner. While in Boise, I heard the story from the anonymous but reliable source about what happened in the corner that night in Tampa.
With all of the information we have on Roy and his father, it appears that their relationship is more MISUNDERSTOOD rather than bad, or troubled. There seems to be no clarity as to what Big Roy’s role is exactly. This was confirmed by both Junior and Big Roy during the conference calls the past two days:
Who is the head trainer in the gym?
BIG ROY: Merk is there but I don’t pay attention to all of that. I just play to role that he asks me. It’s to help him. I am not concerned about anybody else but him. I work in my own gym with Roy. It’s my gym in the afternoon and Roy’s gym in the evening. I go to the gym to prepare him for the fight. I work with him in both places.
Who will be lead trainer in the corner?
BIG ROY: I haven’t really thought about it. As far as I am concerned it can be Merkerson. I don’t care about that. I am only concerned about getting him ready. He can take anybody into the corner that he wants. I just want him to be prepared and be ready.
When Junior was asked the same question yesterday, a similar response was given. Roy rambled on a bit, and eventually said that his dad would be in his corner, and that Coach Merk would be his Chief Second, but it sounded as though there was a little ambiguity in his voice, hinting that even he was unsure of his father’s role in this fight.
On Wednesday’s call, Big Roy blamed Junior’s loss to Calzaghe on a lack of mental preparation. When I heard him say that, I asked him the following question:
Big Roy, Calzaghe is one of the biggest names in boxing if not THE biggest name. If Roy could not get mentally prepared for a fighter like Calzaghe, how can you help him get mentally prepared for Sheika, who is a B fighter?
His response was long, filled with “umms” and “you know what I means”, but I got the gist of it. He said that “fights are won and lost in the gym,” and that Roy needed to elevate his training again, that Roy got away from some of the things that he used to do in training, and needed to get back to basics, and to be PUSHED again. I could not agree more. Physically, Roy looks great. The hand speed is there, the power is there, the conditioning is there. The confidence is NOT, his ring generalship is gone, and Big Roy said as much. He added that confidence is not lost over night, so it takes time to get that back, but that ultimately it starts in the gym.
I couldn’t help but ask the same question to Roy Jr. on Thursday’s call. I told Roy what his father said, how he blamed the Calzaghe loss on Roy’s lack of mental preparation. I asked him if there was any truth to that, and if so, how can he become more mentally prepared for this fight? Roy denied the lack of mental preparation. He said that after he knocked Calzaghe down in the first round, he couldn’t make up his mind on whether to try and take Calzaghe out or stick to his original gameplan, which was to box. To me, that sounds like a lack of mental preparation.
The first words that came out Junior’s mouth in response to my question are the words that bothered me the most, kept me up all last night, and basically sum up all the lack of communication and clarity between Roy and his father. He said in response to my question, “You should probably ask him about all of that because I don’t always know what his answers are”, and he laughed a bit.
Roy, I slept on it. I thought about what you said. I already DID ask your father, and I already received his answer. You’re the one that invited him into camp, the one that sought his professional advice. So, Roy, I want you to take your own advice. Your father is there for you, he always has been, and always will be. You should ask him, Roy…………he’s waiting to give you the answer.
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