Cayman Islands boxers could become instant superstars under the tutelage of former multi-weight world champion Roy Jones Jr. if the powers that be decide they are “worthy” of him.
Jones Jr. indicated in December that he was in negotiations with a Cayman Islands boxing organisation and his recent visit to D. Dalemaine Ebanks Boxing Gym suggests talks are progressing positively.
Jones Jr. confirmed he is in negotiations with Mike Lawrence and Barry Bodden, the two men spearheading boxing's return to the Cayman Islands after the sport was suspended for 31 months.
The legendary boxer said that at this point, the proposed plan is two years in the making, with titles and other details yet to be decided, but Jones Jr. confirmed that he would be willing to offer his assets to boxers in the Cayman Islands.
“[The plan] “They'll allow me to come here and train, bring some of my guys here and train, bring these guys into my gym,” Jones Jr. said. Compass.
Since retiring, Jones Jr. has made it his mission to give back to the boxing world, competing in exhibition bouts against the great Mike Tyson, coaching champion fighters like Jermall Charlo and Chris Eubank Jr., and currently working with former unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr.
Jones Jr. is considered by many to be one of the greatest pound-for-pound boxers of all time. Among his many achievements, he is the only boxer in history to start his professional career at light middleweight and then go on to win a heavyweight title.
Jones Jr. promised that if he signed a contract with Cayman, he would produce a world champion boxer from the Cayman Islands.
“If we did this, I'd win, for sure,” he said, noting that Cayman Islands fighters would have the opportunity to train and spar in places like New Orleans, Jacksonville and Atlanta, giving them a variety of perspectives.
“This is a good environment. [but] When I get back home I'll have a training session with Errol Spence and if he likes it I'll start training him. But if we get to a situation where we ask Errol to move his training camp to the Cayman Islands, these kids can hang out together, train together and know what it's like… and it'll give them the courage to get better and maybe some of them will even get in the ring with him.”
“It's costly, but it's possible.”
Jones Jr. has amassed a huge amount of wealth throughout his illustrious career, with Celebrity Net Worth estimating his net worth to be around $7 million as of 2024. For his exhibition bout with Tyson, Jones Jr.'s estimated fight money was around $3 million.
“I'm not really interested in material things in life, but I am interested in helping my family and who I can help in the world of boxing, because that's what God gave me, so my goal in life is to share my talent with as many people as I can.”
He believes the gift will be key to Cayman Islands' success in boxing, stressing that without exposure, local boxing talent will remain stagnant and there will be limitations on Cayman Islands fighters' ability to stand out.
“They're not getting the opportunities they need to go out there … so when they see it for the first time, they're going to be shocked because they've never seen it before. So if I can bring that to them, that limitation goes away.”
Jones Jr. said Lawrence and Bodden had “been negotiating hard.”
“If they can give me something worthwhile, I don't see why it wouldn't happen,” he said, adding that he brings “more to the island.”
“It will be costly, but it is doable.”
