Roy Jones, Jr. (born January 16, 1969) is an American boxer. He was named "Fighter of the Decade" for the 1990s by the Boxing Writers Association of America. He is often regarded as being one of the best pound for pound fighters of all time.
As a professional he captured IBF championships in the middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight. He also won the WBA heavyweight title in his only fight in this weight class. He is also noted for holding the WBC, WBA, IBF, IBO, NBA, WBF, and IBA light heavyweight championships at the same time.Jones had already sparred with many professional boxers in the gyms including NABF champion Ronnie Essett, IBF world champion Lindell Holmes and all-time great Sugar Ray Leonard. Jones began as a professional on May 6, 1989, knocking out Ricky Randall in two rounds in Pensacola at the Bayfront Auditorium. For his next fight, he faced the more experienced Stephan Johnson in Atlantic City, and beat him by a knockout in round eight.
Jones built a record of 15-0 with 15 knockouts before stepping up in class, when he met former world welterweight champion Jorge Vaca in a Pay Per View fight on January 10, 1992. He knocked Vaca out in round one, to reach 16 knockout wins in a row. After one more knockout win, Jones went the distance for the first time, against future world champion Jorge Castro, winning a ten-round decision in front of a USA Network national audience.
Three more knockouts in a row followed, after which Jones was given his first opportunity to fight for a world title: on May 22, 1993, he beat future undisputed world middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins by unanimous decision in Washington D.C., to capture the IBF's vacant middleweight title. All three judges scored the fight 116-112. For his next fight, he fought another future world champion, Thulane "Sugar Boy" Malinga, in a non-title affair. Jones beat Malinga by a knockout in six. Jones finished the year with another non-title fight, beating Fermin Chirino by decision.
In 1994 Jones beat fringe contender Danny "Popeye" Garcia by a knockout in six in another non-title bout, then retained the world title against Thomas Tate in two rounds at Las Vegas on May 27. By this point in his career, Jones was considered one of boxing's top four "pound for pound" fighters. On November 18, he and IBF super middleweight champion James Toney, another member of the "pound for pound" contenders, met in an anticipated bout at Las Vegas Jones dropped Toney in round three, won virtually every round, and secured a unanimous decision to win the IBF super middleweight title. His impressive year in the ring was tainted when shortly after his fight with Tate, he was caught by police in the Bahamas and accused of carrying a gun at Nassau's airport.
In 1995, Jones defended his IBF super middleweight title successfully three times, knocking out Antoine Byrd in round one, former Lightweight and Junior Middleweight World Champion Vinny Pazienza in round six, and Tony Thornton in round two.On March 1, 2003, at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Roy Jones would defeat John Ruiz by a 12-round unanimous decision for the WBA heavyweight championship. Jones officially weighed in at 193 lb (88 kg) and Ruiz at 226 lb (103 kg). Jones became the first former middleweight title holder to win a heavyweight title in 106 years. Jones also became the first fighter to start his career as a jr. middleweight and win a heavyweight title. Jones decided to keep campaigning as a light heavyweight and eventually relinquished the WBA heavyweight title without ever defending it.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Michael Johnson
Michael Duane Johnson (born September 13, 1967) is a retired American sprinter who holds world records in the 200 meters, 400 meters and 4 x 400 m relay. He also has run the fastest 300 meters of all time, an event not recognized by the IAAF. He won five Olympic gold medals and was crowned world champion nine times. He is the only male sprint athlete in history to win both the 200 meters and 400 meters events at the same Olympics, accomplishing the feat at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, and the only man to successfully defend his title in the 400 meters at a Summer Olympics competition.Michael Johnson was born in Dallas, Texas and attended Skyline High School.
A 1990 graduate of Baylor University, where he was coached by Clyde Hart, Johnson won a number of medals at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships during his collegiate career. Johnson's entrance at the world stage came in 1991 when he won the World Championship 200 meters title in Tokyo.
A month before the 1992 Summer Olympics Johnson contracted food poisoning, which resulted in him consequently failing to reach the 200m final, not before successfully qualifying in the Quarterfinal Heat 1 with second place (First place: Marcus Adam, GBR, 20.43; Third place: Neil de Silva, TRI,20.66). Nevertheless, he was able to race as a member of the 4 x 400 m relay team, which won a gold medal and set a new world record time of 2:55.74.In 1997 Johnson began performing television promotions in which he billed himself as "the world's fastest man" as a result of his 200 meters world record, despite the fact that the 100 meters world record holder, at the time Canadian Donovan Bailey, was typically given that unofficial title. (Officially, in one of Johnsons 200m runs the previous year, he was speed tested and proven to be the fastest man to have ever lived, clocking in excess of 43 km/h). In a publicity stunt during June of 1997, he raced against Bailey in a 150 meters race at the Rogers Centre (then SkyDome) in Toronto. The 150 meters consisted of 75 meters of curving track and 75 meters of straight away, a configuration that was unique to this unsanctioned event. The race was billed as a competition for the title of "World's Fastest Man", but failed to live up to expectations when Johnson pulled out with an injured quadricep, while Bailey led him at the half-way mark. Bailey easily won the race (and the $1.5 million prize). That same year, Johnson won his third 400 meters World Champion title.
In 1999 he was plagued by injury, and his following season was troubled with two injury scares that limited him to just four 400 meters races before the World Championships in Seville. Were it not for the IAAF's policy of allowing defending champions automatic entry, he would not have raced in Seville, since he failed to compete in the USA trials due to his injury. He recovered and won his fourth 400 meters World Champion title with a new world record time of 43.18 seconds. He later ran the last leg of the 4 x 400 m relay, adding a ninth World Championship gold medal to his collection.
A 1990 graduate of Baylor University, where he was coached by Clyde Hart, Johnson won a number of medals at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships during his collegiate career. Johnson's entrance at the world stage came in 1991 when he won the World Championship 200 meters title in Tokyo.
A month before the 1992 Summer Olympics Johnson contracted food poisoning, which resulted in him consequently failing to reach the 200m final, not before successfully qualifying in the Quarterfinal Heat 1 with second place (First place: Marcus Adam, GBR, 20.43; Third place: Neil de Silva, TRI,20.66). Nevertheless, he was able to race as a member of the 4 x 400 m relay team, which won a gold medal and set a new world record time of 2:55.74.In 1997 Johnson began performing television promotions in which he billed himself as "the world's fastest man" as a result of his 200 meters world record, despite the fact that the 100 meters world record holder, at the time Canadian Donovan Bailey, was typically given that unofficial title. (Officially, in one of Johnsons 200m runs the previous year, he was speed tested and proven to be the fastest man to have ever lived, clocking in excess of 43 km/h). In a publicity stunt during June of 1997, he raced against Bailey in a 150 meters race at the Rogers Centre (then SkyDome) in Toronto. The 150 meters consisted of 75 meters of curving track and 75 meters of straight away, a configuration that was unique to this unsanctioned event. The race was billed as a competition for the title of "World's Fastest Man", but failed to live up to expectations when Johnson pulled out with an injured quadricep, while Bailey led him at the half-way mark. Bailey easily won the race (and the $1.5 million prize). That same year, Johnson won his third 400 meters World Champion title.
In 1999 he was plagued by injury, and his following season was troubled with two injury scares that limited him to just four 400 meters races before the World Championships in Seville. Were it not for the IAAF's policy of allowing defending champions automatic entry, he would not have raced in Seville, since he failed to compete in the USA trials due to his injury. He recovered and won his fourth 400 meters World Champion title with a new world record time of 43.18 seconds. He later ran the last leg of the 4 x 400 m relay, adding a ninth World Championship gold medal to his collection.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Taekwondo
Korean martial art and combat sport. Taekwondo is the national sport of South Korea and sparring, kyeorugi, is an Olympic sporting event. In Korean hanja, tae (跆) means feet or kicking; kwon (拳) means hands or striking; and do (道) means art, path, way, or method. Hence, taekwondo is loosely translated as the way of the foot and fist.
Taekwondo's popularity has resulted in the divergent evolution of the martial art. As with many other martial arts, taekwondo is a combination of combat techniques, self-defense, sport, exercise, and philosophy.
Although there are great doctrinal and technical differences among taekwondo organizations, the art in general emphasizes kicks thrown from a mobile stance, using the leg's greater reach and power to disable the opponent from a distance. In sparring, turning, front, reverse turning, and side kicks are often used, as well as the backfist and reverse punch; advanced kicks include jumping, spinning, sliding, and skipping kicks, often in combination. Taekwondo training generally includes a system of blocks, punches, and open-handed strikes and may also include various take-downs or sweeps, throws, and joint locks.(sweeps, throws, and holds are considered illegal in sparring)
Taekwondo's popularity has resulted in the divergent evolution of the martial art. As with many other martial arts, taekwondo is a combination of combat techniques, self-defense, sport, exercise, and philosophy.
Although there are great doctrinal and technical differences among taekwondo organizations, the art in general emphasizes kicks thrown from a mobile stance, using the leg's greater reach and power to disable the opponent from a distance. In sparring, turning, front, reverse turning, and side kicks are often used, as well as the backfist and reverse punch; advanced kicks include jumping, spinning, sliding, and skipping kicks, often in combination. Taekwondo training generally includes a system of blocks, punches, and open-handed strikes and may also include various take-downs or sweeps, throws, and joint locks.(sweeps, throws, and holds are considered illegal in sparring)
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