Nichols Opens Up about the Cancelled Roy Jones Jr Fight

Canadian Cruiserweight Champion, Rob Nichols, says there’s politics and behind-the-scenes drama that happens in the boxing world that the public often doesn’t know about. Recently, the Fort Kent boxer was lined up to fight Roy Jones Jr in October at Rexall Place. However, the promoters, Dekada Entertainment couldn’t reach a deal with Roy Jones Jr. Nichols explains some last minute demands from Roy Jones Jr proved to be too unreasonable for any promoter to take on.

“He was wanting to get money upfront for not having to do anything,” Nichols explains the demands Roy Jones Jr had put in Dekada Entertainment. “He wanted it in the contract that for acts of God or injuries during training, or if something came up, he wouldn’t have to fight and there were no repercussions and he wouldn’t have to pay the money back.” It was a demand Dekada (and most all promoters) could not agree to. “So money for nothing.”

“Everything was going good up until Saturday. The promotional company, Dekada, had spoken to Roy Jones Jr several times on the phone and in person, everything was going good up until that point,” Nichols explains he was training and raising funds for the fight on his end when everything came to a screeching stop. “His lawyer asked for a copy of the contract and wanted to make an amendment to it. When it came back, it was just outlandish the [demands] he had.”

It was pretty ridiculous. – Rob Nichols Canadian Cruiserweight Champion

“Right after we put out the announcement that the fight is off, he’s already lining up a five fight tour, in August, where he wants to finish up his career with five fights. TMZ made the argument, and we’ve agree, he wants fights that he knows he can win. So, what does that say? You don’t want to necessarily say no to fighting me but you make these terms in the agreement that no rightful promoter would agree with, just as a way to back out of it.”

To finish your career on that note, it doesn’t say much about you. – Rob Nichols Canadian Cruiserweight Champion

Nichols says Roy Jones Jr is lining up fights against unknowns and even fighters who have yet to debut, “his last fight, before we were to fight, he fought a guy on his debut fight. You’re a world champion, a five-time champion in different weight classes, and you fight a guy, in your last fight, at 47 years old, who hasn’t had a fight? Are you just there to take pay cheques? You’re not there to take any risks now?”

Nichols says Dekada Entertainment is working on some other promotions and he will be drafting a response via social media in the near future. The fight at Rexall Place is cancelled. Dekada Entertainment is working on another evening for Cold Lake in November.

*At the time of this publication, a representative from Roy Jones Jr’s management team was contacted by LCN. However, LCN has yet to receive a response to our messages.