At his brilliant best, Roy Jones Jr. was a sight to behold. He combined an intoxicating blend of speed and power to devastating effect.

His otherworldly skills saw him win world titles at middleweight and super middleweight before he moved up to light heavyweight and unified the division. Jones Jr. later created a piece of history when he stepped up to heavyweight where he added another title.

Jones Jr., who was the eldest and only son of four children, born in Pensacola, Florida on January 16, 1969. He endured a difficult and strained relationship with his father, a decorated Vietnam veteran and former boxer, who notably fought and lost to Marvin Hagler.

"When I was 6, [my father and I] were fishing, he was in deeper water, he looked down and saw a shark and took off running with the [fishing] pole," Jones Jr. recalled in an exclusive Interview with The Ring.

"I threw my pole down and got the hell out there. When I got to land, he asked me, 'Where's the fishing pole at?' I said, 'I threw it down.' You know what he told me? 'Go get it.' I had to or get beat. Who knows if the shark was there, I had to go out there and face it for a fishing pole. That's when I realized you don't give a f--- about my life."

Although Jones Jr. started boxing at an earlier age, it wasn't until he was 10 that he first went to a local boxing club. Although he was naturally gifted, he credits the time he spent at the gym honing his craft for his success.

"Roy Jones Jr. got more hours of training in the boxing gym dead or alive - repetition," he said speaking in the third person. "Saturday 2 p.m. until 12 a.m. Sunday morning. Several weekends like that. Seven days a week, 5 p.m. -12 a.m. God gifted but more hours of work than anybody ever had."

His time served paid off and he became a standout amateur, initially domestically claiming national Golden Gloves titles in 1986 and 1987. The following year he earned the right to represent the U.S. at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Jones Jr. marched unopposed to the final, not losing a round until he met Si Hun Park in the final. Although nearly everyone saw a Jones Jr. victory, he was inexplicably robbed 3:2 in one of the most controversial decisions in Olympic history. However, the experience didn't sully his impression of the showpiece event.

"That was the best experience of my life, even what happened [in the final] was one of the best experiences of my life," said the silver medalist. "I was representing my team, my country. My whole country was on my side.

"Everybody got on pretty good. I roomed with Andrew Maynard. [U.S head coach] Kenny [Adams] couldn't believe [the decision.][It lit] a fire underneath me, it turned me on for real."

Jones Jr. patched things up with his father and kicked off his pursuit of professional glory with second-round knockout in Pensacola in May 1989.

"I let my mom talk me into giving my father another chance," he said. "I was going to sign with Emanuel Steward. I turned pro in 1989 and by late 1991 I went with Alton Merkerson."

On his way up, Jones Jr. often fought away from the bright lights normally associated with rising stars. It did him no harm as he stopped former welterweight titleholder Jorge Vaca (KO 1), iron-jawed future middleweight beltholder Jorge Castro (UD 10) and put a marker down by becoming the first man to stop former two-time world title challenger Glenn Wolfe (KO 1), who in his previous fight had gone the 12-round distance with IBF middleweight champion James Toney.

After Toney jumped to super middleweight freeing up the IBF title, Jones Jr. won his first world title by besting Bernard Hopkins. His middleweight reign wasn't long but it what he did was clinical. In his only defense he blew away the usually durable Thomas Tate (TKO 2).

Then it was time to the feared Toney for the IBF super middleweight title in November 1994. Most expected a tough, gruelling encounter. It was far from that as Jones painted his masterpiece and dominated Toney in eye-opening fashion to become a two-weight world champion. He was later named Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year in 1994.

Jones Jr. made five defenses, notably bludgeoning the usually solid Antoine Byrd (KO 1), Vinny Pazienza (TKO 6) and Tony Thornton (TKO 3).

With little chance of unifying titles, Jones Jr. headed to light heavyweight where after some initial trouble with Montell Griffin, he continued to thrive and excel as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

Jones Jr. unified three of the sanctioning body titles and became The Ring champion. The quick-fisted Pensacola native made 11 title defenses, cleaning out the 175-pound division. He holds wins over Virgil Hill (KO 4), Reggie Johnson (UD 12) and Clinton Woods (TKO 6). The Hill win in 1998 was voted Ring Knockout of The Year

Unable to secure a fight with WBO 175-pound rival Dariusz Michalczewski, Jones Jr. dared to be great and jumped to heavyweight where he made history by beating John Ruiz (UD 12) for the WBA title.

He returned to light heavyweight, but clearly troubled by weight issues, struggled past Antonio Tarver (MD 12). In a direct rematch Tarver coldcocked Jones in the second round to score a stunning upset. Jones Jr. would lose to Glen Johnson and a rubber match with Tarver.

Alas, the brilliance we saw for many years was gone and although Jones Jr. fought on, akin to Sugar Ray Robinson decades earlier. There were flashes of greatness but he the Floridian was losing to fighters who wouldn't have got close to him in his prime.

At the tail end of his career this writer was with Jones, who at the time served as an analyst for HBO, and his former coach, Kenny Adams. And I asked him, 'At this stage of your career, what are you looking to achieve?' he looked me dead in the eye and replied, 'I want to fight in the main event, train a boxer on the undercard and commentate all on the same show.' to which I replied, 'Well, if anyone can, Roy, you can.' he placed his two hands on my shoulders, smiled and said, 'That's the whole point.'

Jones Jr. 66-10 (47 knockouts) remains active in boxing as a trainer. The recently turned 56-year-old was be inducted to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2022.

Jones enjoyed looking back on his career, reminiscing on his seven career-defining performances for the readers of The Ring.

"I remember when my best friend Derrick "Smoke" Gainer, he knew my right hand was completely gone. He said, 'Why you taking the fight now.' I said, 'If you try to wait for the perfect situation and turn it down, I may never get this opportunity again. In this world you don't always get second chances and it's not always the perfect chance but it's your time to go.' He said, 'But still your hands bad, why would you fight him with one hand?' I said, 'Truthfully, I should be able to beat him with one hand.' and I did.

"[Hopkins] had an entourage, two big bodyguards. I knew I had a hurt hand I went to him and said, 'I've been watching you, you aint bad. If you deal with my speed, you might have a chance. If you can't deal with my speed, you can't win.' He didn't have much to say, I knew I'd intimidated him because he's not used to nobody coming up to him.

"I already knew I was the best fighter in the world so for me to be on anybody's undercard was almost disrespectful to me because it was Riddick Bowe, and he was heavyweight champion and he's my friend; I was cool with it. In most cases, I wouldn't have been cool with it.

"The fight happened; he didn't know I'm one handed but I do [Laughs.] I basically beat him with one hand. That put me on the scene because now I've achieved what every former amateur wanted to accomplish when they turn pro. My goal was to world champion. One accomplishment down, plenty more to go. I didn't celebrate; I went for a run the next day."

Result: Jones UD 12

"In the lead up, my dad had rejected the fight once and that pissed me off when I found out. That's one of the reasons I separated from my father. I want James Toney, he was the best and to be the best, you've got to beat the best. He was fighting inside and outside the ring, he was doing it all. He fought Iran Barkley, and I fought Glen Wolfe [in Las Vegas in February 1992] and there was this guy talking smack, Ray McElroy, who I had beat twice in the amateurs in the Top Rank gym. I knew I had to make a name for myself outside the ring. He said some disrespectful stuff to my coach about me. He came and told me, it's before the fight because I'm edgy already, we had a long history, and I asked him what he said. He said, 'It's all business.' I said, 'It's not all business, what did you say about me?' He said, 'If I get a chance, I'm going to F~*& you up.' I said, 'OK' and slapped him right in the face. Everybody came and separated us. That was my way of letting them all know, don't play, this is not a game. Just like James, I'm the same way. If you want this problem, open your mouth. That got back to James and spread like wildfire.

"At the time James was 44-0, no fighters were calling James out too much. He was so mean and brutal they didn't really want to mess with him, he brought a persona and made them not want to mess with him but that's just what I love. I've been doing this all my life.

"Bob Arum wanted to pay me a flat $2 million dollars and I still have to deal with him after the fight. You know what I told him? 'No, give me my percentage, give me 45 percent, you take 55 percent and I'm free man. If I lose, I aint got nothing. That's how much I believed in myself

"I was there to do whatever necessary to win the fight, I was willing to die in the ring that night. I was the fastest fighter he ever fought, and I had footwork, something he was never used to and I knew he had a hard time making the weight because of his diet. He wasn't the healthiest eater in the world, so I knew the weight was going to be an issue for him. I wasn't going to standstill and fight him flatfooted like most people did. Most people standstill and fight without him having to use his legs and he doesn't have to burn any energy.

"I watched the Prince Charles Williams, and he did things I did, I knew he was copying me. So, if you're better than me, why would you copy me. [I stuck my chin out] to see if he'd copy my move, I did it again and when he copied my move because he didn't understand the move, I caught him with a left-hook and he really went down but for the ropes and that was the momentum swing I needed, from there it was plane sailing. I'm the man now, he was pound-for-pound No. 1. I just beat the man. Life changed because I became the target."

Result: Jones UD 12

"He started at 135, I started at 154, I'm the bigger fighter. It was a very important fight. I'd been watching Vinny for years, the Ray Mancini fight, the Lloyd Honeyghan fight. I knew he was a very formidable foe, and he was somebody with a real name. My second fight, we fought on the same card in Atlantic City, crazy that I was on his undercard, now we're fighting.

"Pazienza was a guy who'd been through a lot of divisions, came from 135, all the way to 168. Very active guy. I remember his father going on about him being faster than me, he was quick, but he wasn't fast, there's a difference between quick and fast.

"I didn't want to fight him because he had been in a car wreck. They kept on at me to fight him, I said, 'I don't want to fight that dude, I might reinjure that dude's neck.' I said, 'But if you get Derrick 'Smoke' Gainer a title fight on that card then it'll be worth my while because I want him to be world champion.' Best they could get him was a USBA title fight against Harold Warren, I said, 'I'll take it, that's a start, he's in line to fight for a world title.' That was the only reason I took the fight.

"After the fight, I was so devastated because I thought I hurt his neck again, I was crying. I didn't want to be the guy responsible for that, which is why I didn't want to fight him in the beginning. I did what I had to do, I knew Vinny was a tough guy, who was going to fight to the end."

Result: Jones RTD 11

"It [first fight] was an easy fight; it's just he was a counterpuncher, and I was a counterpuncher. I had a song I made before the fight, 'Patience is the virtue.' Duh. Wait him out and he's going to get tired and quit. Round 8, I told my corner, 'This is the last round.' After Round 8, I told the corner, 'This definitely the last round, he's fit to quit.' Because the referee didn't say stop, I hit the man again. All the referee had to do was say, 'Stop.' and I walk to the corner. The referee doesn't say it so I hit him again and you disqualify me? You all let Vinny Pazienza hit Dana Rosenblatt and the referee and didn't disqualify him, Ya'll let Riddick Bowe hit Jesse Ferguson twice while he was down, and you didn't disqualify him.

"The first fight was my first loss as a professional, which is something I hung my hat on. If I hadn't got that loss, I probably would never have lost.

"I could have done it the first time. He talked like he had done something; you won with your face in the mat. You're going to quit on me and say you beat me? Because they gave it to you. I was pissed, not only because you gave me a loss on some bull crap because the referee didn't do what he's supposed to do but you're talking like you beat me. In the rematch, I knew he couldn't take my punch. I didn't want to put it on him [in the first fight.] That's not how I fight. That's not going to let me have a long career. Once again, don't mess with Roy."

Result: Jones KO 1

"Everybody thought Virgil was a good fighter and puncher because he was a big light heavyweight and he was also an Olympian, a silver medalist just like I was. They called him, "Quicksilver." He was big for a light heavyweight, when I saw him, I was like, 'Damn, he's a big ole dude.'

"It was funny because I never fought a person who had a jab that felt like a straight right hand but that was his best punch, nothing comes after the jab, but his jab feels like a straight right hand.

"Him going to Germany and fighting Henry Maske and beating him, that was big stuff, I knew he was a bad boy. He had a great reputation, so, for me to step up to light heavyweight and fight that caliber of light heavyweight was a big thing. He dominated the weight for a long time. So, to stop him with a bodyshot, they didn't know I could do this. Every time I would fight, they saw something different. You stop Virgil Hill with a bodyshot, what kind of statement is that? That was definitely something special."

Result: Jones KO 4

"I dominated the light heavyweight division. Nobody was middleweight and heavyweight champion in 106-years, since Bob Fitzsimmons. Why not go change that. I felt God put me on a mission to go try. I went to see [WBA heavyweight titleholder Evander] Holyfield and he said, 'I don't want the fight, I've got nothing to gain, I've got everything to lose.' Alright, forget about it. I went to training camp and fought Clinton Woods. I get a call saying, 'John Ruiz will fight you.' He'd beat Holyfield. There it is, let's get it. It was a historical moment for me. I must say, Bernard Hopkins did motivate me to do that because he'd made history having the most defenses of the middleweight championship. That was a big thing. A lot of the names weren't recognizable names, but that doesn't matter because the numbers are what made history. I thought, 'You know what, if he can make history, I can make history. I'm going to do something that's really hard to do. I'm going to become heavyweight champion to show I'm better than him still and I did that.

"I hit him in the second round and broke his nose, he couldn't walk through me, now you've got a problem, the dude in front of you is a real dude. From there, I did whatever I wanted.

"I went to the party, Shaq [O'Neil] was there, I had a great time. I was so happy I'd accomplished something I never thought I would in my life.

"Not really [tempted to walk away] because I thought Bob Fitzsimmons had won the light heavyweight title, won the heavyweight title and went back and recaptured the light heavyweight title so to do what he did I must go back and recapture the light heavyweight title. I found out later wasn't the case."

Result: Jones UD 12

"After losing 25-pounds of muscle, I couldn't get my body right, I was never the same. It was a big sacrifice to do a big thing. Nobody has ever turned professional as a junior middleweight and become heavyweight champion of the world. When they top five weight are the most active and notable weight classes besides welterweight. Roberto Duran was a lightweight, but he made more noise at middleweight when he fought Iran Barkley and Marvin Hagler. To go all the way to heavyweight. Who else could have done it? Nobody could do what I did, but they're better than me? How are they better than me in their prime? Roy Jones wasn't just a boxer, Roy was superman, Roy was God sent, Roy aint like the rest of Ya'll.

"People saw something they'd never seen, they saw heart. I won a fight on pure heart, skill too, but my heart made me do those things. [How much of you was there that night?] Not much at all. After that Tarver fight, I wish I'd taken a year or two break and let my body get itself-back together. My body was shot after that fight, and I didn't realize."