Boxing
Dan Rafael, ESPN Senior Writer 10y

Roy Jones Jr. to fight in Latvia

Boxing

Former pound-for-pound king and four-division titleholder Roy Jones Jr. is scheduled to fight again.

Jones, who is 45 and about a decade past the end of his run on top, told ESPN.com on Thursday that he will take on 39-year-old British journeyman Courtney Fry (18-5, 6 KOs) in a 12-round cruiserweight bout on July 26 in Riga, Latvia.

"I know he'll give it all he got, which is what I want from any opponent," Jones said. "I want to go out and do my thing and take what I've been doing in the gym to the boxing ring."

The fight is the main event of a card that is also scheduled to feature long-faded heavyweight James Toney (76-9-3, 46 KOs), Jones' one-time rival and a former three-division titleholder. They met in a 1994 super middleweight world championship fight that Jones won by one-sided decision to claim the 168-pound belt.

Toney, 45, is scheduled to fight 6-foot-9, 330-pound Evgeny Orlov (15-12-1, 11 KOs), 35, of Russia. KP Promotion, which is putting on the card, initially wanted to match Jones with Toney in a rematch, but Jones said he had no interest.

"I'm not doing that. For what reason? What do I gain from that? What am I gaining from that fight," Jones said. "I already beat him and beating him again does nothing for me. Besides, I want to fight for the cruiserweight title. I ain't interested in going up to heavyweight again."

Since suffering three consecutive losses to Danny Green (a first-round knockout), Bernard Hopkins (a lopsided decision) and Denis Lebedev (a brutal 10th-round knockout) between 2009 and 2011, Jones has defeated three low-level opponents in a row.

He will be seeking his fourth consecutive win against Fry, who has lost two fights in a row.

Jones last fought in December in Moscow and scored a knockdown and won a 12-round unanimous decision against Zine Eddine Benmakhlouf.

Jones (57-8, 40 KOs) said his reason for accepting the fight next week is to "knock off the rust, win and hope I get a bigger opportunity. I want to go for a cruiserweight world title. I'm an entertainer but I still fight and I still love to fight. You got to keep active and win and you will get a shot."

Many have called for Jones to retire, but he said he is not ready to do that yet.

"You do think about it but it's hard to leave when you know you still got it. I know I still got it," he said. "I'm very much looking forward to [going to Latvia]."

Jones has not recorded a knockout victory since stopping former super middleweight titlist Jeff Lacy in the 10th round in August 2009.

"I will get one this time," Jones said.

Jones is the lead analyst for HBO's boxing telecasts but he is leaving for Latvia on Sunday and will miss the network's July 26 broadcast of the Gennady Golovkin-Daniel Geale card at Madison Square Garden in New York.

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