Fighting at home for the first time in a decade, legendary Roy Jones, Jr. (53-5, 39 KOs) garnered a fifth-round stoppage of 4-time world title challenger Omar Sheika.
Jones-Sheika (27-8) headlined a hybrid pro boxing/mixed-martial-arts show, presented by Jones’ Square Ring Promotions in association with Hirsch Borao Boxing, on pay-per-view live from the Pensacola Civic Center.
Jones fired a wide assortment of head and body punches that consistently landed from every conceivable angle from start to finish on the rugged but overmatched Sheika, who simply had no answers for the test given by the future Hall of Fame-bound Jones.
“I want to give thanks to Pensacola in the house,” Jones announced from the center of the ring after the fight. I felt really good. I’m ready. With my father, Coach Merk and my team I’m more comfortable. Do you want me back? (Roy asked the crowd that responded with a thunderous yes). I’ll be coming back.”
In the featured MMA fight of the night, Jeff Monson won a close three-round decision, 29-28 on three cards, in an evenly matched battle between two of the best grapplers in the world. The fight was even going into the final round, in which, Monson’s more effective striking – three clear punches – was the eventual difference.
“I wanted to go on the ground,” Monson commented. “I kept right with him. It was a big win. Roy’s a tough guy.”
Nelson didn’t agree with the final decision. “I got robbed,” he claimed. “It was a boring fight on the ground, but I was controlling the fight and that usually determines the winner. Only in Florida does Roy get robbed (referring to his controversial loss to Andrei Arlovski).”
Photo by Scott Foster
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Unbeaten world-rated B.J. Flores, improving his record to 23-0 with a one-sided, unanimous 10-round decision in a workmanlike effort against Colombian knockout artist Jose Luis Herrera (16-6, 16 KOs).
“He’s a veteran with 16 knockouts,” Flores said of Herrera. “By the third or fourth round I knew I could hurt him with some big shots, but I hit him with a left (hurting his hand) in the forehead. I used it early but not later. In the 10th I started to put it together. I went the distance with Herrera and next I want Victor Ramirez (WBO Interim junior heavyweight champion).”
“He was a little faster than me and he moved better,” Herrera agreed with the decision. “I was a little frustrated by him throughout the fight.”