JUNIOR JONES: GREATEST HITS
Junior Jones had a fan-friendly, go for broke style, that win or lose resonated with boxing fans and helped him win world titles in two-weight classes in the early-mid 1990s.
Jones, who was one of four children, was born in Brooklyn, New York on December 19, 1970. He began boxing at 10 years old.
"My older sister used to beat me up a lot," Jones told
The Ring. "I went to boxing to defend myself. I was always skinny and small. After a while nobody in the neighborhood would fight me. I got respect.
"The was a young kid who was 18, 19, who messing with my friend's son. He told me, "I'll give you $3 if you fight this kid for me." He was an older kid, too. He gave me $3, drove me to fight the kid, I won, and he drove me home."
Jones also played Football and Baseball for Bushwick High school and was a good all-rounder, but boxing was his chosen path.
As an amateur, he went an impressive 150-9, notably winning the Golden Gloves in 1988.
He had aspirations of representing his country at the 1988 Olympics, but they were curtailed when he narrowly lost in the semi-finals of the Olympic trials to Kennedy McKinney, who went on to claim gold at the summer games.
The New Yorker turned professional down the road in Atlantic City with a first-round knockout of George Young in June 1989.
Jones stayed very active in the first couple of years as a professional. He fought nine-times in 1990 and seven times in 1991.
In his penultimate fight of 1991, Jones met former IBF flyweight titleholder Rolando Bohol. The veteran Filipino hung tough and took Jones the distance in what was a good learning experience.
"Junior Jones was a great fighter and he was in his prime when I fought him, but it was a great fight," said Bohol. "He did impress me, and I knew one day he became a world champion. [He was] still young and [had] lots of great opportunity ahead of him."
Next up, Jones claimed the USBA 118-pound title by stopping Dadoy Andujar in nine-rounds in Atlantic City in December 1991.
Jones continued to stay active beating the likes of former IBF bantamweight title challenger Eddie Rangel (TKO 7), former WBO junior bantamweight titlist Jose Quirino (KO 3) and former world title challenger Francisco Alvarez (TKO 12) while waiting for his own world title shot.
It came against unbeaten WBA titlist Jorge Eliecer Julio (26-0, 22 KOs) in Atlantic City. Although the formidable defending champion but up stern resistance, Jones was able to win a 12-round unanimous decision.
Jones posted a near shut out decision over teak-tough Colombian Elvis Alvarez in his maiden defense and looked like settling in as a long-reigning titleholder.
He was matched with John Michael Johnson, who he had beaten five-years earlier, when both were relative novices, for what was supposed to be a showcase defense on the undercard of Evander Holyfield-Michael Moorer in Las Vegas in April 1994.
It proved anything but. The two fought at a frantic pace, which suited Johnson and saw Jones give up some of his advantages. The Texan dropped Jones in Round 4 and the two fought on near even terms until Johnson overwhelmed Jones in the 11th round for one of the biggest upsets of the year.
Just six-weeks later, Jones rebounded to beat Orlando Fernandez (UD 10). However, that good work was undone when he was stopped by dangerous gatekeeper Daryl Pinckney in three-rounds in October 1994.
Unperturbed, Jones reeled off nine consecutive wins, notably beating former long-reigning bantamweight titlist Orlando Canizales.
He was called up to face rising star Marco Antonio Barrera for the WBO junior featherweight title. The defending champion was expected to beat Jones, but the American lived up to his nickname "Poison" and found a home for his vaunted right hand several times early in the fight before he caught the Mexican with a huge right hand that dropped him heavily onto his back. Barrera made his way to his feet with blood coming from his left eye. Jones quickly pounced and had Barrera covering up on the ropes late in the round. Barrera's cornerman jumped into the ring and the fight was called off at 2:59 of the fifth round. The official decision was a disqualification win for Jones, but it appeared that Barrera's corner's intervention prevented him from being stopped.
The two met in a rematch five-months later. This time there wasn't the fireworks of the first fight but again Jones had Barrera's number and claimed a close 12-round unanimous decision.
Jones was back in the big-time and his reward was a fight with former amateur rival Kennedy McKinney as one half of a HBO double-header in his hometown, that also saw Naseem Hamed's American debut against another New Yorker Kevin Kelley in December 1997.
The HBO top brass had hoped to match the winners, but Jones was never sold on it happening: "That was the idea going in but I knew Hamed didn't want to fight me."
Jones entered the fight with a chip on his shoulder and fought angry.
"I had no respect for him, he had no class, he was very disrespectful," he said. "He really got under my skin.
"When I did touch him, I didn't really hit him with my best shot. I grazed him. [Then I] hit him with a good shot and thought he was more hurt than he was and shot my load.
"I was beating him for four rounds - easy and I took him for granted and that happened [Editor's Note: McKinney countered Jones and stopped him in Round 4.] I broke the hearts of the home crowd when the referee stopped the fight."
Looking back McKinney credits that as his best win: "I would have to say Junior Jones. The fact was I had lost to Barrera, and he had beat Barrera twice. They called me up and I ended up knocking him out."
After some time out Jones headed south of the border to face another rising Mexican, Erik Morales, for the WBC junior featherweight title and was stopped in four-rounds.
Jones doubled down and beat former featherweight titlist Tom Johnson and scored a come-from behind stoppage over Richard Evatt (TKO 11) in Manchester, England, that helped reestablish himself.
"I was losing," Jones said of the Evatt fight. "He was better than what I thought the whole fight and I knocked him out."
A win over former two-division beltholder Tracy Patterson (MD 10) earnt him a shot at IBF 126-pound titlist Paul Ingle on the undercard of Lennox Lewis-Michael Grant at Madison Square Garden, New York in April 2000.
The defending champion was down in the ninth-round and fight was in the balance. Jones was ahead on one scorecard and only narrowly behind on the other two but succumb to the pressure, wilting in Round 11.
It was a bitter pill to swallow and after a year off, Jones came back and though he fought four more times he never mixed in world class again before retiring with a record of (50-6, 28 knockouts), after dropping a decision to journeyman Ivan Alvarez in the fall of 2002.
His old manager, Gary Gittlesohn, spoke glowingly of his former charge.
"Of the many great boxers I've had the pleasure of knowing and managing, Junior Jones is a standout," said Gittlesohn, who managed a slew of champions including Tony Tucker, Prince Charles Williams, Luis Alberto Perez, Fernando Montiel, Brian Viloria, Rosendo Alvarez. "As a bantamweight, he was the best I ever saw. Mickey Duff once told me he thought Junior was a reincarnation of Jeff Chandler. Junior had extraordinary height and reach … I remember an HBO executive comparing his stature to a smaller version of Tommy Hearns remarking that, "You could land a plane on his shoulders!"
"Junior needed challenges to perform at his best, and his two bouts with
Marco Antonio Barrera were classics."
Jones, now 54-year-old, still lives in Brooklyn. He is divorced and has two children and two grandchildren.
"I train fighters, not as many as I'd like but I hope to do so on a regular basis," he said of his life today.
Jones enjoyed looking back on his career, reminiscing on his six career-defining performances for the readers of The Ring.
JORGE ELIECER JULIO
October 23, 1993, Sands, Atlantic City, New Jersey • Titles: WBA bantamweight
"We tried to get a world title fight for so long and nobody would fight me, every time we'd get a No. 1, and he'd fight someone else. None of the champions would fight me. I made an offer to the Japanese fighter, who was the WBC fighter, Joichiro Tatsuyoshi, he turned it down. We offered [IBF titlist Orlando] Canizales [a fight] and they turned it down.
"I was in training camp with Joey Fariello at Gleason's in New York. I was sparring with Arturo Gatti. I did a 10-week training camp.
"That was one where I was more nervous than people thought because it was my first world title fight and he was undefeated also. I had only seen bits of his fights. I didn't know what style I was going into. I saw two tapes with two different styles. I had to figure out what style he had. He was better than I expected. That fight taught me a lot.
"He dropped me, the first time ever, in the fifth round. I had to keep my composure, not to get nervous, not to get frantic, one round was bad but finish the fight like I trained.
"After I won, I really didn't celebrate, I spent time with my wife at the time and family and friends."
Result: Jones UD 12
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7Qg327Ipas
ORLANDO CANIZALES
March 23, 1996, Madison Square Garden, New York • Titles: None
"I wasn't mentally prepared after losing the title [to John Michael Johnson TKO 11.] I was distraught. Taking that fight [with Darryl Pinckney] I took it totally for granted [and was stopped in three-rounds] and I learnt a big lesson.
"[Canizales] was still pretty much on top, he was a legend going into the fight. He broke the record and made 16 defenses [of his bantamweight title.]
"He was very cagey, I was stronger, but he was one of the best fighters I ever fought. They called it a split decision, but I beat him 11-rounds to 1. It wasn't close. They gave him some leniency.
"It definitely rejuvenated my career. If I hadn't beaten Orlando, I was done. Fighting someone like him, so tough but the rebound was so good, it was something you wouldn't do but I had to do. Fighting Orlando, I was on point.
"After beating him I proved I was the better champion. Orlando was a great fighter; I rank him better than [Marco Antonio] Barrera."
Result: Jones SD 12
MARCO ANTONIO BARRERA
November 22, 1996, Ice Palace, Tampa, Florida • Titles: WBO junior featherweight
"I had a good training camp; they kept bringing the sparring partners and I was very sharp. I have no complains. I was at my best. The fights I lost, I was winning, I just lost focus and got caught.
"That was the truth [I had to win or get a day job.] Also, people don't know, I told HBO that this was a five-round fight, they thought I was crazy. They said, "You know who you're fighting, right?"
"The first couple of rounds were easy. I tried to silence the crowd, stuck to the plan and won every round. [Editor's Note: Barrera was ahead on the official scorecards.] I learned that, they were very biased. I know for a fact I wasn't behind, but I also know I had to stop him.
"They called it [a disqualification] but he was out; there was no way, they jumped into save them. He was definitely out, he was in no shape at all to continue.
"[After the fight] I was with my family, it was very joyful."
Result: Jones DQ 5
MARCO ANTONIO BARRERA II
April 18, 1997, Las Vegas Hilton, Las Vegas, Nevada • Titles: vacant WBO junior featherweight
"My training camp was in Houston, Texas. We brought some sparring partners who could box and punch.
"I knew I wasn't going to knock him out, so I didn't even try. He showed he's a great boxer; he was definitely a better boxer than the first fight. I had go from boxer to stalker.
"I was prepared for a guy who was going to try to get me out of there. I was surprised how good he boxed.
"People doubted me and told me Barrera would knock me out. Everyone thought [the first fight] was a fluke.
"In the second fight, I had no clue he could box like that. It threw me off a little. It took me three rounds to adjust."
Result: Jones UD 12
ERIK MORALES
September 12, 1998, Bullring by The Sea, Tijuana, Mexico • Titles: WBC junior featherweight
"I wasn't worried about Morales. I shouldn't have gone to Tijuana in the first place, but I knew I had no choice. I had to build myself up after the McKinney loss, I lost to a guy I should never have lost to. I was trying to reestablish myself.
"I let the crowd go against me. I was beating Morales and lost focus and heard the crowd.
"I could have got myself back together but I'm not going to argue with the stoppage. I gave it my best shot."
Result: Morales TKO 4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thvjX1sm2Yg
TOM JOHNSON
February 17, 1999, Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan • Titles: None
"It was on a [Floyd] Mayweather undercard in Grand Rapids. I never focused on Floyd, I knew he would be a champion for a while, but I never focused on the things he'd done.
"[I had lost to Kennedy McKinney and Erik Morales] it was important, I had to win that fight.
"He had been [featherweight] champion for like 5/ 6-years. I knew him, we used to have the same trainer, Joey Fariello, we sparred a few times. So, I knew going into the fight with him, I had to be at my best because he was very slick, very cagey and very illusive.
"I hurt him pretty bad [in Round 7], he was one of the smartest fighters I ever fought. I beat him. It was a unanimous decision."
Result: Jones UD
Questions and/or comments can be sent to Anson at elraincoat@live.co.uk and you can follow him on X @AnsonWainwr1ght.