By Norm Frauenheim-
PHOENIX – About his status as an all-time great, there are no doubts. About his future, there are plenty.
Roy Jones Jr., the world’s best fighter for about a decade, did the expected Sunday in a pay-per-view on line event that had to leave its audience wondering why-oh-why it spent $11.99 for a look at the future Hall of Famer.
He beat somebody named Vyron Phillips, making the mixed-martial arts pro look like the random fan that the Arizona State Boxing and MMA Commission said Jones’ foe could not be.
Jones stopped Phillips with a sweeping right hand, one of the few punches he threw at 2:30 of the second round.
In the aftermath of the predictable finish to a URShow.tv production, Jones said thanks to Phillips, who would have collected $100,000 bonus if he had beaten the legend in a bout scheduled for six rounds. He thanked a sparse crowd at Celebrity Theater. He said a lot. But he didn’t say goodbye.
“I haven’t got anything planned,’’ Jones said before the URShow.tv card, which included wrestling, MMA, and rap, all in an elevated ring surrounded by three ropes instead of the usual four.
Nothing, Jones said, is planned, including retirement, despite fans and media calling for him to quit since he suffered a brutal knockout on Dec. 12 in Russia.
Even Phillips would be happy to see him retire.
“I’d like to see him go away from this,’’ said the 33-year-old Phillips, who idolized Jones when he was a kid. “Maybe, coach. I don’t want to see him get hurt.’’
But Jones, 47, wasn’t ready to announce his retirement Sunday.
“We’ll see what happens,’’ said Jones, who appeared to carry Phillips through most of the first until he rocked the former amateur boxer with combination in the round’s closing.
Jones weighed 201.7 pounds and Phillips was at 194.6 for the event with specifics such as glove size still uncertain a couple of hours before opening bell.
Jones told the Arizona commission that he wanted to use 14-ounce gloves, according to Matthew Valenzuela, executive director of the state’s regulatory agency.
However, Phillips balked, saying he wanted to fight with 10-ounce gloves, the version used by boxing pros in heavier weight classes. The 14-ounce pair primarily a training glove. As a 185-pound MMA fighter, Phillips wears a four-ounce pair.
“Just give me a chance to show what I can really do,’’ Phillips said after Saturday’s weigh-in. “That’s all I’m asking.’’
When told that Phillips wanted the smaller gloves, Jones said okay, according to Valenzuela.
“Roy said that’s what he’s been wearing all along as a professional,’’ Valenzuela said. “He said if he wants the 10-ounce, that’s fine.’’
Valenzuela said he and Jones wanted to use the bigger gloves to ensure safety. As it turned out, Phillips might have regretted the smaller gloves. But though he never had an ounce of a chance anyway.
In marketing the event, the Canadian-based URShow.tv advertised that Jones would fight a fan, often described as “random” in subsequent headlines. Phillips was selected to fight Jones about 12 days ago by a vote on Facebook. Arizona licensed him Friday. He’s not exactly a random fan. But he wasn’t a seasoned pro either. From The Ring to MMA, you won’t find his name in any top 10.
Phillips, a former basketball player at Algoma University in Canadian Ontario, was 6-1 as an amateur boxer with his last fight in 2014. He said power was his strength, both in MMA and as a boxer.
“I train with my hands,’’ said Phillips, who thought smaller gloves would augment his power. “Striking is my best weapon.’’
The power, Phillips said, would surprise Jones.
On a night with no surprises, it didn’t.
