Ringside Report Looks Back at the Late Heavyweight Title Challenger Leroy Jones
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By Donald “Braveheart” Stewart
Lost when he was just 60 years old, in 2010, Leroy Jones, 25-1-1, 13 KO’s, is possibly best known for challenging Larry Holmes, in 1980 for the WBC heavyweight crown.
But like most boxers, though, the headlines don’t always fit the story of the man who got into the ring.
His promise was noted by no less than the coach of the US Olympic boxing team for the Munich 1972 Olympics, Bobby Lewis who predicted a world title for Jones. By the time that Lewis was coaching the 72 team, Jones had been a New York Golden Gloves winner two years running – 1971 and 1972.
Duane Bobick, who went on to the quarter finals of the Olympic boxing in Munich, had beaten both Jones and Larry Holmes in the Olympic trials, but Lewis was clear in his assessment, “I knew Leroy and that other kid beaten by Bobick, Larry Holmes, were better prospects. And I still say Leroy is the best of the lot.”
By then Jones was being trained by Lewis so you can take his assessment a little by way of understanding that. When quoted Jones was about to get in the ring to face Mike Koranicki, managed by another great – Joe Frazier.
Turning professional in 1973, Jones went on a 24 win streak which had as part of his learning curves a points victory over a future world heavyweight champ – one Mike Weaver in 1978 in Las Vegas. It was an impressive beginning and with that points win over Weaver, Jones became the NABF champ – it had been vacated by George Foreman…
Jones was never to make waves in the amateur game but once he turned pro the waves came very frequently. The Koranicki fight was when he was ranked number 5 by the WBC and with some decent showings after a draw in 1976 against Pedro Lovell he put together a 7 fight winning streak that included a win against John Dino Denis, Jones was certainly making the right noises in the division.
Whilst the stats told one story, the other side of his biography was a man who from the beginning of his professional career for that first 4 year period fluctuated in weight from 228 pounds up to 271 pounds which suggested an issue – or two – with conditioning.
Down to just under 246 pounds when he challenged Holmes, he was stopped in the 8th round with an eye injury – a detached retina – that was to effectively put an end to his career.
He had battled well enough in the first few rounds but by the stoppage he was taking some punishment.
Perhaps unfairly seen as a jabbing, leaning fighter he showed for parts of the Holmes fight that he deserved his chance. He certainly did not deserve to take the title but that was taken out of the judge’s hands by the brutality of the stoppage, though some do believe that his fight was hindered by Holmes thumbing him at some point during the contest…
There was also the suggestion that despite others side stepping Jones, Holmes hand picked him because he thought he would have a relatively easy defense in front of him. No matter the truth of any of the speculation, he fought for a world title and looked like he should have been – for a few rounds – in that ring, in the iconic venue of Caesars Palace Las Vegas.
He didn’t fully retire straight afterwards and fought on once more knocking out Jeff Shelburg in the 2nd round; but by then his weight was getting dangerously high – 275 pounds for the Shelburg fight. Straight after that – he retired.
His record – 27 fights with 1 defeat and 1 draw – looks very impressive and his sudden decision to end his career and retire came as a bit of a shock. People speculated it was down to not wanting to train any more or not feeling tough enough or simply that his health was suffering a s shown by the injury in the Holmes fight or perhaps it was just down to the lack of effective weight management.
During that career he became known for his technical ability, his smoothness in the ring and as his knockout rate will testify to – that he was never that big a puncher. Standing at 6 foot 5, a lover of those big mountains for training and life he was using techniques that would help his progress throughout his career that were mixing his boxing training with working alongside other sports people including with the Denver Broncos defensive end, Lyle Alzado who was a high school friend. Despite that people had avoided him and it was said that Jimmy Young and Ken Norton turned him down prior to him getting his main chance, against Holmes. On July the 11th 2010, Jones lost his life, in Los Angeles and as we look back we see yet another 1980’s heavyweight with promise, giving us plenty to debate and talk about – and we are the richer for it.
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