Roy Jones Jr. knows all too well about coming in and out of retirement.
If the price is right, the Hall of Fame fighter turned coach, commentator, and promoter just might come out of retirement once again at 56 to fight the likes of Jake Paul.
Jones advises Gervonta Davis, who announced that 2025 would be his last year in boxing, to stay in shape even when he’ll be on the sidelines.
“Tank has to do what makes Tank happy,” Jones told The Ring in an interview. “Nowadays, you can retire and wait and let the money simmer and fights get even better – just don't get out of shape. When you retire, it gives them even more incentive to try to make you come back. Stay in shape, because they’ll look for an opportunity to sneak up on you when you're not ready for it. They'll pay you a lot of money. Stay ready, even in retirement.”
Next on the docket for Davis (30-0, 28 KOs) is a WBA lightweight title defense against Lamont Roach Jr. (25-1-1, 10 KOs) on Saturday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on Prime Video and PPV.com.
"After next year, I'm out of it. Yeah, out of this sport," Davis said during the December press tour announcing the Roach fight. "Sh!t is trash. This sh!t is trash, garbage. Fed up. I'm fed up with the whole sh!t ... I just want to be able to make money and stay out of the way, that's it. I want to be living without being seen.”
On Tuesday, Davis posted a workout video on X with the caption: “Life is better when you’re gone and I don’t need ya.. #TheONE”
Davis turns 31 in November.
Manouk Akopyan is a lead writer for Ring Magazine. He can be reached on X and Instagram @ManoukAkopyan.