Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times reports today that Roy Jones Jr. is attempting to get his December 2 knockout loss to Danny Green overturned, claiming that Green used excessive wrapping tape and bandages. Green stopped Jones in 76 seconds in Australia, scrapping a 2010 rematch between Jones and longtime rival Bernard Hopkins.
John Wirt, the chief executive of Jones' Square Ring Promotions, wrote that the wraps "contain an adhesive (polyamide substrate with latex coating) that allows the wrapping to be stretched and secured tightly with a hardening effect (similar to an ACE bandage) in a way that is substantially different from the effect obtained by using traditional soft surgical-type gauze bandages."
Wirt says objections to the wraps were refused on the night of the fight, and Jones was told that if he wouldn't fight, he'd be disqualified. It's really a pretty serious accusation by the Jones camp, and they better have the proof they say they do, or this is a really ugly case of sour grapes.
Right now it's just an accusation, but it seems a bit odd. Jones said after the fight that he had no excuses. If he in fact had attempted to refuse to fight Green with the wraps being what they were, why has it taken three weeks for this to be mentioned? This isn't a case where they're looking at photos from a few weeks ago and noticing something peculiar. They're saying that on fight night, they had a problem, and were told to fight or be disqualified. They probably should have said something immediately if that were the case. There's been plenty of opportunity.
It just seems strange timing on the surface, but I'm not dismissing anything.