Jones turned loss to gold

Controversial defeat in Seoul pushed boxer

Roy Jones Jr. was deprived of a gold medal in 1988, but it didn't hurt his professional career. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

The worst thing that could have happened to Roy Jones Jr. in the Olympics 20 years ago ended up being the best thing that could have happened to him.

At the 1988 Seoul Games, Jones dominated South Korean Park Si-Hun in the gold medal bout in the light middleweight division, landing 86 punches to 32. But just before the results were announced, Jones sensed that something was very wrong because South Korean boxing officials began cheering by the scoring table. A stunned referee announced that Jones had lost the controversial fight, 3-2.

"At the table they started cheering right away," said Jones. "I told my coach, 'They got me.' He said, 'No way.' The referee said, 'I can't believe this. I can't believe they are going to do this to you.' I knew they were going to rob me.

"My mama has the [silver medal]. I brought it back and I never wanted to see it again. I don't ever want to see it again."

An Olympic investigation concluded in 1997 that Korean officials wooed the three judges the night before the fight. Even so, the result stood. A new scoring system eventually was put in place in large part because of the Jones fight.

Jones is still very disappointed, and he says he has watched very little Olympic boxing.

"You can't go back and look at that tape and not say that guy basically lost," said Jones. "To not overturn the decision, something is wrong.

"You have it on tape that they robbed me and you won't give me the gold medal? Come on, dude. Why would you pay attention to it anymore?"

Jones also recalls Park telling him after the fight that Jones deserved the gold. Jones added that he has no ill will toward Park.

"It wasn't Park's fault," Jones said. "He didn't have anything to do with the judges. He just was there, like I was. I have no hard feelings toward Park."

Jones said he cried for three days after the loss. But 20 years later, he also says that much more good than bad has come it.

The incident made him a household name before he entered professional boxing. People still come up to him expressing disappointment, and he is often asked about it by the media. Jones also said it gave him strong motivation to become a boxing star, and without it, he wouldn't have been as successful.

"God does everything for a reason," Jones said. "That's the reason why [the media] is talking to me now. Honestly speaking, that situation has done more positive for me than it could have ever done bad, even though I thought it was the worst thing that could happen at the time.

"In the beginning, I couldn't see it. But in the end I realized that God loves me and everything he does, even when it seems bad, he does it for the good. And that's just what it was."

Jones, 39, has compiled an impressive résumé, in and out of the ring.

He has 52 wins - 38 by knockout - and 4 losses as a professional. He earned International Boxing Federation championships in the middleweight, super middleweight, and light heavyweight divisions and the World Boxing Association heavyweight title. He once held seven light heavyweight championships at the same time.

The "Fighter of the Decade" for the 1990s, as voted by the Boxing Writers Association of America, was very popular during his heyday, with a flamboyant and entertaining style. He also has appeared on television and in movies, made rap albums, and has been a color analyst for boxing matches.

"I feel I've had some of the best success ever because that loss drove me to be more successful than I would have ever tried to be had that not happened to me," Jones said. "That left me with something to prove. All the other guys who got the gold medal didn't show up in the professional ranks like I did because they felt like they proved their point.

"I had to go out and make a mark in a professional career. I felt like I had to prove something, and that's what I did."

Motivated by the likes of fellow boxing greats George Foreman and Bernard Hopkins, Jones isn't quite ready to unlace the gloves for good. He is slated to oppose Joe Calzaghe in a light heavyweight championship bout in New York City at Madison Square Garden Nov. 8. The fight was pushed back from Sept. 20 after Calzaghe suffered a hand injury. Adding extra motivation for Jones is trash-talking by Calzaghe.

"This Calzaghe cat said he is a legend killer and I don't take lightly to that," Jones said. "You challenge me, you're probably going to get a fight."

Marc J. Spears can be reached at mspears@globe.com.