Roy Jones Jr. bounced back from his first career loss with a vengeance, scoring the fastest knockout of his career. The man known as 'Captain Hook' needed just 151 seconds to settle the score with Montell Griffin in 1997.
Jones started his pro career on fire, racking up 34 wins and picking up belts at middle, super middle, and light heavyweight along the way. But his undefeated streak came to a controversial end during his first defense of the WBC light heavyweight title against Griffin.
In their first fight, Griffin frustrated Jones early on and led on all three scorecards. The ninth round saw Jones find his groove and look to take matters into his own hands. He stopped Griffin with a right hand, but as Griffin took a knee to recover, Jones landed a right-left combo on his defenseless opponent. The referee initially ruled it a stoppage win for Jones but later disqualified him for the illegal blows.
Griffin later explained the situation to On The Ropes Boxing Radio:
"He caught me with a good right hand behind the head and I was a little dizzy. I knew what was going on so I just told myself, 'Montell, it's the ninth round. You got three rounds left. You got to be winning this fight. Take a knee! Take a knee, clear your head, and we'll just come out and we got to win 10, 11, and 12'. So when I took the knee, I pulled back, went down on my knee, and looked at up at the referee to start his count. By the time I looked up, the man hit me. He hit me the first time and it caught me off guard and then he loaded up and hit me the second time and at that point I could hear everything that was going on but it was like my body was paralyzed. I couldn't move, I couldn't do anything."
Six months later, Jones got his shot at redemption. He wasted no time making his mark. In the first 20 seconds, Jones landed a lightning-fast left hook that sent Griffin staggering into the ropes for a knockdown. With about 40 seconds left in the round, Jones unleashed his trademark leaping left hook. Griffin hit the canvas hard and couldn't beat the count.
Referee Arthur Mercante Sr. waved off the fight, and Jones reclaimed his WBC light heavyweight title. The win put Jones back on top, and he wouldn't lose again for another seven years.
Jones' career saw him rack up 47 knockouts in 75 fights, but none came faster than this revenge mission against Griffin. It's a moment that boxing fans still talk about today, as evidenced by this tweet from @b0xingfan on August 7, 2022:
#OnThisDay – In 1997, Roy Jones Jr. defeated Montell Griffin by KO in round 1 of 12 to win the WBC light heavyweight title.
Jones' lightning-fast victory over Griffin stands as a testament to his incredible skill and power, cementing his place as one of boxing's all-time greats.
