Guillermo Jones

Guillermo Jones, born May 5, 1972, is a Panamanian former professional boxer active from 1993 to 2017. He owned the WBA cruiserweight title between 2008 and 2012, and twice fought for the WBA super welterweight championship in 1998. Jones climbed through four weight divisions, finally winning a world title as a cruiserweight two decades after his first pro fight. At that point, he was both the heaviest and the oldest Panamanian boxer ever to claim a world championship, becoming his country's 28th world boxing champion.

Jones began his career as a welterweight in 1993, winning his first 21 bouts in Panama. In September 1997, he was stopped in two rounds in Venezuela by Trinidad and Tobago's David Noel, but avenged the loss two months later in Panama with a first-round knockout. Under promoter Don King, he faced Laurent Boudouani for the WBA light middleweight title in 1998, drawing once and losing the rematch by split decision, both over 12 rounds.

Moving up to cruiserweight in 2002, Jones challenged Johnny Nelson for the WBO cruiserweight title, earning a 12-round draw in his third world title attempt—most observers felt he had done enough to win. After a split-decision loss to future champion Steve Cunningham in 2005, he rebounded that same year with knockouts of Kelvin Davis and Wayne Braithwaite.

On September 27, 2008, Jones stopped Firat Arslan in the tenth round to win the WBA cruiserweight title. After claiming the belt, he sparked controversy by remaining champion through a two-year period of inactivity. In August 2010, the WBA threatened to strip him unless he defended, leading to his first defense in October 2010, when he stopped Valery Brudov in the eleventh round in Panama City.

A second defense against undefeated Ryan Coyne was scheduled for June 25, 2011, but Jones withdrew days before, citing a back injury from training. He then announced a mandatory defense against Yoan Pablo Hernández, set for August 27, 2011, in Germany, but that bout was canceled without explanation. Jones next defended his title against Mike Marrone on November 5, 2011, in Florida, winning by sixth-round TKO.

After more than a year of inactivity, he was declared champion in recess when he backed out of a defense against Andres Taylor. Denis Lebedev won the interim WBA title and then the vacant full title after Jones refused to fight him. Following 18 months without a fight, Jones traveled to Russia to face Lebedev and settle who was the legitimate champion.

On May 17, 2013, Jones cut and closed Lebedev's left eye in the first round, then knocked him out at 1:54 of the eleventh round. The bout was the first WBA title fight featuring two defending champions of the same belt. Jones inflicted severe damage to Lebedev's right eye, possibly ending his career for medical reasons. Observers believed the fight should have been stopped early, but the Russian Boxing Federation allowed it to continue, forcing Jones to knock out Lebedev in hostile territory to keep his title.

In October 2013, Jones was stripped of his title for failing a drug test related to the Lebedev fight; Lebedev was reinstated as full champion, and a rematch was ordered. Jones again tested positive and was stripped, though later allegations of Russian tampering with drug testing cast doubt on the findings. In December 2013, the WBA reinstated Jones as champion in recess.