Flashback...Roid Jones, Jr: The Steroid Scandal

[TeamElite]

Is this guy for real?

Bizarrely, after Roid Jones-conquerer Antonio Tarver was himself exposed as a drugs cheat in 2012, Roid - a career-long scavenger and the ultimate opportunist - took the chance to shamelessly sling a bit of mud at his adopted father Antonio in openly suggesting the now-tainted Tarver was juiced-up when he landed his apparent "lucky punch" which shattered Roid's disgraceful glass jaw back in 2004;

"You can call it a lucky punch but he did have to throw it. You can call it lucky or unlucky. The only problem I got is now that he's tested positive for steroids, it's very possible that he was on steroids when it happened. Other than that, it was a good punch, a clean punch - so I just can't go off that it was a lucky punch. But if he was on steroids, then it makes me understand on how he was able to stand there and why he was so confident to throw it, because he knows he's on steroids. Other than that, I don't complain about a lucky punch because lucky punches happen."

- Roid Jones, Jr, Jun 2012

Hmmn. I guess it takes one to know one.

[TeamElite]

Carl Froch;

'Froch was left shattered when Jones career ended in shame as a drugs cheat. The Brit said: I was very, very annoyed. I put him on a pedestal. Unbeaten, a super-middleweight moving up to heavyweight and winning world titles.

Pound of pound the best at the time, no one could hit him, he could punch, he could box, he could do everything and usually did in the ring.

He hardly ever lost a round and then to find out he was cheating on drugs was quite devastating because I was a massive fan.

You look back and you think was he that good or was he given an extra boost by something else?

Were drugs giving him thee edge on his way to the top? Was it giving him the edge in hand speed, was it meaning he could go 12 rounds easy?

Some of his fights were close late on. The guys he was fighting were looking tired and he was still looking sharp was that down to drugs?

If he was still sharp because he was cheating, then that is unfair because you never know he might have come unstuck in those final two or three rounds.'

Clinton Woods;

'Former IBF light heavyweight champion Clinton Woods says he’s not surprised that former opponent Antonio Tarver and other prominent American boxers are testing dirty. “I fought in America three times and the testing situation was always joke,” Woods told the Sheffield Star. “In three fights, I had one little test and was told it was only for marijuana. It’s always annoyed me how rife American boxing is with drugs and steroids, but at least they are cracking down on it now and people are being caught. The trouble is that people there will only get fined pocket money.”

''Me and Roy Jones didn't even get drug tested after the fight''

"When it comes to taking drugs there is no excuse, none whatsoever"

Woods continued with "I remember when I was boxing if I had a cold I used to go to the doctors and see if there was something that I could take because I knew that there were things I couldnt take; boxers know"

Joe Calzaghe;

"I would hate to fight a cheat and I don't believe in cheating in any sport. I'm not calling him a cheat and I don't know what was taken or what happened," Calzaghe told The People. "I have to remember to take my vitamin C every morning and I believe in a fair fight."

He says that even if his opponent, Jones or otherwise, took an illegal steroid, he would still beat them.

"In athletics, a cheat gets disqualified, but in boxing if you get your ass kicked and then he's found to be a cheat, it doesn't matter because you can't reverse the decision and you've still had your ass kicked.

''In athletics drug cheats get banned automatically for two years, and if steroids can make athletes run faster, they can surely help a boxer to hit harder and to hit for longer and this will enable them to inflict more punishment, which I think is repulsive. During our pre-fight medicals we get tested for drugs and it's never crossed my mind to take anything performance-enhancing. I don't have a big pot of pills that I dip into all hours of the day. In fact, I have a job just to remind myself to take vitamins.

''I would be angry if someone I fought took something that gave him an unfair advantage because this is a dangerous sport, it's not like running. In athletics it now seems almost part of the culture, just like cycling, and the who idea is to stay one step ahead of testing. I sat alongside Justin Gatlin, at the time the reigning Olympic 100m champion, on the BBC's Question of Sport about a year ago and spoke to him afterwards. We talked about the Jeff Lacy fight because he's from Florida as well and he seemed like a really nice guy and I was genuinely shocked and disappointed when he failed a drugs test last summer. Whenever I watch athletics or cycling now I have my su****ions. Some get caught and some don't but I like to think that fighters are clean. Boxing's a warrior sport and, to me, there have always been values that go along with that.

''It's cheating there's no other word for it.''

Montell Griffin;

''Roy is not close to being the hardest puncher to ever hit me. But he was so fast that his speed was power. And you know, it's out there now, so it ain't no big secret, but he tested positive for steroids. People always questioned it, but then he tested positive and failed a test and it made me think he was on steroids for all of those fights''

''Roy Jones is a great fighter—one of the greatest fighters ever, but like I said, when I found out he failed the steroid test I just lost a lot of respect for him because I just thought he was on steroids when he beat me so that’s the only way I can look at it.”

So when I took the knee, I pulled back, went down on my knee, and looked at up at the referee to start his count. By the time I looked up, the man hit me. He hit me the first time and it caught me off guard and then he loaded up and hit me the second time and at that point I could hear everything that was going on but it was like my body was paralyzed. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t do anything, I was trying to get up but I couldn’t move and I heard the referee counting and I was like, ‘Man, I can’t believe this! They’re going to count me out on this dirty punch.’ When I got up, came to, and got my faculties together I heard my brother say to Larry to disqualify Roy. Roy came over and apologized to me on like three occasions, said he was sorry. As we found out later on in his career that he failed steroid tests so I just feel that he was having roid rage. He was frustrated from what I was doing to him, he caught roid rage, he was frustrated so he hit me.''

''Like I said, when he failed the steroid test it kind of hurt me because of course me feeling like I was cheated, and because I looked up to this guy. Knowing that he cheated, it kind of took a little away from him.''

Frank Allegedly (British boxing promoter);

''I knew Jones was messing around with steroids. "It all came out into the public and since he's stopped using he's not looked the same fighter. ''

[TeamElite]

Danny Green camp label Roy Jones, Jr a "steroids cheat"

The Sunday Times
Dec 2009

DANNY Green's camp has blasted Roy Jones Jr's attempt to overturn the result of their Sydney showdown as a "cheap shot from a steroids cheat".

Jones' management team has sent a letter to the NSW Combat Sports Authority and the International Boxing Organisation requesting Jones' 122-sec KO loss on December 2 be overturned to a disqualification victory.

Square Ring Promotions claim a combination of violations regarding hand wraps meant that Green's bandaging hardened under his gloves and his fists became "a very dangerous weapon".

The newly formed Combat Sports Authority could not be contacted yesterday, but it is understood the panel will look into Jones' grievances.

Green's manager, Justin Manolikos, was fuming at the development, but was confident the controversy would not harm Green's reputation or his potential pulling power in the lucrative US market.

"He's had his hands wrapped the same way for however many years, including in the USA under their jurisdiction," an upset Manolikos said.

"He boxed there in August and there wasn't any complaints there in August.

"Coming from a steroids cheat, it's a bit of a cheap shot."

Jones was at the centre of a drugs furore in 2000 when he tested positive to anabolic steroids.

Jones was able to keep his titles and was not fined or suspended for the positive test.

[BKM-]

I got the gist of it after the first two posts. Just a few things: I believe Roy Jones was one of the most drug enhanced boxers ever despite his talent, but on the other hand it was very common and spread throughout the sport. So it's hard to say how 'unfair' it was in competition, although it was certainly a disgrace that he didn't get punished for it if the sport is so anti-PED. You even noted that his opponent got caught in the drug tests for that fight as well, I just gotta wonder if you realise that most boxers were doing more of the same.

'When I got up, came to, and got my faculties together I heard my brother say to Larry to disqualify Roy. Roy came over and apologized to me on like three occasions, said he was sorry. As we found out later on in his career that he failed steroid tests so I just feel that he was having roid rage. He was frustrated from what I was doing to him, he caught roid rage, he was frustrated so he hit me.''

Lol @ Montell.

[The Old LefHook]

Glad to finally get the full story on this. I am for "expunging," the accomplishments of cheaters from the books by way of asterisks and footnotes explaining their disinheritance. I am for a thorough house cleaning in all sports and especially boxing. No mercy. I do not like cheaters who juice or plaster. A juicing plaster man might be the absolute worst of it. No one is accusing Jones of being a juice and plaster man, just a juice man. I wonder if Margarito liked some juice with his plaster.

The first bona fide juice and plaster man has yet to come to light, am I correct? What a momentous occasion that will be. A new official low. Or has that milestone already been reached, forgotten to me?

[BKM-]

Glad to finally get the full story on this. I am for "expunging," the accomplishments of cheaters from the books by way of asterisks and footnotes explaining their disinheritance. I am for a thorough house cleaning in all sports and especially boxing. No mercy. I do not like cheaters who juice or plaster. A juicing plaster man might be the absolute worst of it. No one is accusing Jones of being a juice and plaster man, just a juice man. I wonder if Margarito liked some juice with his plaster.

The first bona fide juice and plaster man has yet to come to light, am I correct? What a momentous occasion that will be. A new official low. Or has that milestone already been reached, forgotten to me?

Well Left, I'm afraid this goes back all the way to the 60s, possibly even further. Some of the first fellas who failed the 'eye test' were Sonny Liston and Cleveland Williams.

[GhostofDempsey]

Well Left, I'm afraid this goes back all the way to the 60s, possibly even further. Some of the first fellas who failed the 'eye test' were Sonny Liston and Cleveland Williams.

Any credible sources to suggest Liston or Williams may have been juicing?

Actually, I would say Ali was more suspect than Liston. The entire 1960 U.S. Olympic weight lifting team was being injected with steroids by their team doctor.

[Anthony342]

All drugs need to be legalized anyway. Some places have done it already and it has gone pretty well. A guy even wrote a book about it.

[BKM-]

Any credible sources to suggest Liston or Williams may have been juicing?

Actually, I would say Ali was more suspect than Liston. The entire 1960 U.S. Olympic weight lifting team was being injected with steroids by their team doctor.

That's right, so why would boxers not do it. Are they that "noble"? Nope. With that much money and fame on the line they'll be like any other athlete.

[Anthony342]

Cheating has been going on since the beginning of sports and will continue until the end of time. Be it spitballs, cutballs, Red Auerbach giving visiting players gastrointestinal issues by messing with their locker rooms or fighters using PEDs, plaster, horseshoes or removing stuffing from gloves. If you want it gone, then people in charge need to get better at catching it. Only harsh punishment and vigilance ends this crap. Like these police shootings. You know they're going to continue as long as these scumbag cops keep getting acquitted. That's how the Italian mob was put to an end. With sentences of 25 or 30 to life when they got caught or witness protection. Now if government agents can be as aggressive with Triads, Yakuza and Russian mobs, maybe we can rid the streets of them too.