PROMOTER/FIGHTER JONES WINS AT GATE & IN RING
Pensacola, FL– In what turned out to be a rather entertaining card, Roy Jones’ Square Ring Promotions put on a first of its kind Pay-Per-View presentation featuring both boxing and mixed martial arts fights. Boxing took center stage next as BJ Flores 23-0-1 (14 KOs) won a hard fought decision over rugged Jose Luis Herrera 16-6 (16 KOs) in a ten round bout. Flores outworked Herrera as well as landing the cleaner more effective blows to win the NABO 200 lb. title.
AND THEN THERE WAS ROY! Capping off the night was the man everyone came to see; the promoter, the fighter, the legend- Roy Jones, Jr. 53-5 (39 KOs). Coming back to fight for his hometown for the first time in ten years, Jones put on a thunderous performance against the tough veteran Omar Sheika 27-9 (18 KOs). Jones dominated from the opening bell, completely overwhelming Sheika and making him look like an amateur with no answers. Admittedly, Sheika was handpicked for Jones due to his one-dimensional, come forward style.
HOMETOWN CROWD WENT HOME HAPPY!
Be that as it may, Jones had the fans in Pensacola constantly on their feet, showing many flashes of the old RJ, continually setting Sheika up for left hooks and rocking his head back with a potent, repetitive jab. The action was called off around the midpoint of round five after Sheika was cut and took several concussive blows to the head. It may have been a bit premature but Sheika was never in the fight, and he was absorbing a thorough beating.
EXPECT TO SEE MORE….NOT LESS OF ROY
Post fight, Roy made it perfectly clear he was coming back and this would not be his last fight. Jones looked very good for a 40 year old man, but he was also in against a limited handpicked opponent and only time will tell if he can still compete with the best, and that time is running out quickly for the sure fire hall of famer, Roy Jones, Jr.
MMA FIGHT FEATURED BOBBY LASHLEY
On the MMA side, it started off fast with Dennis Hallman 40-12-2 (3 KOs, 31 SUBs) submitting Danny Ruiz 5-4 (1 KO, 3 SUBs) in the first round via choke. That match was followed by another quick finish when Din Thomas 24-8 (6 KOs, 14 SUBs) knocked out the game Gabe Lemley 13-9 (4 KOs, 8 SUBs) with a vicious knee from the clinch also in the first. Next up was Bobby Lashley 2-0 (1 KO) taking on Jason Guida 17-20 (4 KOs, 10 SUBs) in a fight that went the distance and saw Lashley tested against the journeyman Guida. Lashley gutted out a UD in three by imposing his will on Guida and dominating much of the fight. Guida did have a tight Guillotine choke on Lashley in the third, but Lashley powered out of it and rolled on to the victory.
BAD MMA DECISION A REMINDER OF BOXING!
In the main MMA fight, Jeff Monson 28-8 (2 KOs, 17 SUBs) won a UD over Roy Nelson 13-4 (6 KOs, 4 SUBs) in a three round affair. I have absolutely no idea how the judges scored the fight for Monson, as Nelson did the majority of the work, scored takedowns and had an absolutely superb take down defense. It was a horrid decision in my eyes as well as the announcers and the crowd at the Pensacola Civic Center.
Matthew R. Grizzle
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