Roy Jones Jr. vs. Virgil Hill
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| Date | 25 April 1998 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Venue | Mississippi Coast Coliseum, Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tale of the tape | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Result | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jones defeats Hill by 4th round KO | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Roy Jones Jr. vs. Virgil Hill was a professional boxing match contested on 25 April 1998.[3]
Background
[edit]Following his August 1997 victory over Montell Griffin, Roy Jones Jr. was linked to his WBC mandatory Michael Nunn.[4][5] However, in November 1997 he vacated his belt to move up to heavyweight with a $6,000,000 deal to face former undisputed champion Buster Douglas on the table.[6] Ultimately however Jones's father convinced him to stay at light heavyweight, telling him he was "risking his life" by fighting Douglas.[7] Instead Jones signed to fight former light heavyweight champion Virgil Hill in a 12-round non-title fight at a 177 1/2 lb catchweight. HBO had been set to broadcast a bout between Ike Quartey and Pernell Whitaker, but following Whitaker testing positive for drugs, Jones agreed to face Hill to replace it.[8]
Hill had been out of the ring since his loss to WBO titleholder Dariusz Michalczewski in June 1997.
In March Graciano Rocchigiani defeated Michael Nunn to win the WBC that Jones vacated, with its president Jose Sulaiman installing Jones as his mandatory challenger.
Jones was a 6–1 favourite.
The fight
[edit]Hill started the fight as the aggressor, but would be hit with accurate counters to the head from Jones. In the second round Jones landed a sharp right hand to Hill's chin over a jab. In the fourth round, a counter right to the body sent Hill down to canvas clearly in pain. He rose at the count of 8, but referee Fred Steinwinder III waved it off giving Jones a KO victory.[8][9][10][11]
Aftermath
[edit]Hill was taken to a hospital after the bout, as the ringside physician suspected that a rib might have been broken. Speaking in the ring Jones said "I hope Virgil is O.K., I don't do this to hurt anybody" before adding "Virgil came out up for the fight. He was bouncing around. His legs were strong. In the third round he started breathing hard. I knew then that I had him. I thought coming into the fight that I would go a few rounds and let him get tired. Then, I'd catch him with what I wanted to catch him with. I don't know anybody who can stand what I dish out."[12][13]
In May the WBC demoted it's light heavyweight champion Graciano Rocchigiani to an "interim champion" after inexplicably claiming its references in promotions and contracts to the Rocchigiani-Nunn fight as a championship bout, and to Rocchigiani as the champion in its rankings, had been "typographical errors".[14] Jones was made "champion in recess" and would sign to challenge WBA champion Lou Del Valle.
Undercard
[edit]Confirmed bouts:[15]
Broadcasting
[edit]| Country | Broadcaster |
|---|---|
 United States |
HBO |
References
[edit]- ^ "WBA Ratings". squaredcircle.com. Squared Circle. 31 December 1997. Archived from the original on 12 February 1998. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
- ^ "IBF Ratings". squaredcircle.com. Squared Circle. January 1998. Archived from the original on 12 February 1998. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
- ^ "Roy Jones Jr. vs. Virgil Hill". boxrec.com. BoxRec. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
- ^ George Albano (8 August 1997). "Jones finishes business". The Norwalk Hour. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ^ "Jones Ko's Griffin To Take Back Crown". Reading Eagle. 8 August 1997. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ^ Jay Heater (3 February 1998). "Jones Jr. Busting Into Heavyweight Class". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ^ "PLUS: BOXING; Jones-Douglas Is Off". New York Times. Associated Press. 5 February 1998. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ^ a b Timothy W Smith (26 April 1998). "BOXING; Remember Roy Jones? Virgil Hill Is Likely To". New York Times. Archived from the original on 28 May 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
- ^ Christie, Matt (February 21, 2017). "Roy Jones Jr's desire to fight on is understandable but he must retire now to be remembered as an all-time great". Daily Mirror. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
- ^ "Roy Jones-Virgil Hill Report". cyberboxingzone.com. Cyber Boxing Zone. Archived from the original on 3 May 1998. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
- ^ "KO of the Day: Roy Jones Jr vs Virgil Hill". Bad Left Hook. 3 December 2014.
- ^ Timothy W Smith (27 April 1998). "BOXING; Jones Sends A Reminder With One Huge Blow". New York Times. Archived from the original on 27 May 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
- ^ Lidz, Franz (May 4, 1998). "Will He Be A Tyson Chicken? After nailing Virgil Hill, Roy Jones wants a big-bank shot against a heavyweight". Sports Illustrated. Time Inc. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
- ^ Thornton, P.K. (2011). Sports Law. Jones & Bartlett Learning. p. 78. ISBN 9780763736507. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
- ^ "BoxRec - event".