“MJ”  

• Ranked IBF #9, WBO #9 at 147 pounds...
• World championship fights: 0-1…
• Former welterweight world title challenger…
• Former NABA welterweight champion, seven successful title defenses...
• Former NABO welterweight champion, two successful defenses…

At the age of 29, Mike is a six-year pro. A contender at 147 pounds, he has stepped up in class of opposition in several fights and given strong performances.

He is coming off his first loss as a pro, however, in his last fight on June 9 - by 11^th-round knockout against Randall Bailey in a challenge for the vacant IBF welterweight world title challenge.

Co-manager Jim Williams said, “We’ve been working with Mike since he was an amateur. He’s a real modest guy. He’s pretty quiet. He’s a real good dad. One of his kids comes to the gym with him most of the time, because he can’t get a babysitter, and the mother has the other one. He’s a different type of guy.

“He’s got a machine gun tattooed on his arm, and that is so unlike him. I don’t know when he got that done. When I first met him, I said, ‘Does that machine gun mean anything? Are you supposed to be a bad guy or something?’ ‘No, no. Not at all,’ he says. You never hear him curse. He’s just an unusual person.”

Mike said, “I guess I got my discipline from my dad. He’s been working for a long time, putting food on the table and everything, and I’m just doing the same thing for my kids.

“I’m pretty much a boxer. I’m not a slugger - pretty much a smart boxer. Whatever I see that opens up, I attack.

“My knockouts, I basically sum it up as accurate punching. It doesn’t take a devastating puncher to get knockouts. You just got to be accurate with your shots."

Fight by Fight – 2012 – VACANT IBF W WORLD TITLE CHALLENGE - in his last fight on 6-9-12 in Las Vegas, NV, he was knocked out against former WBO jr. welterweight world champion Randall Bailey (42-7): the fight was one of the co-features with the Timothy Bradley Jr.-Manny Pacquiao main event; Mike dominated most of the fight – he boxed and moved well and built a lead on the scorecards; Bailey won the 1^st round on two scorecards and the 3^rd on one scorecard, but Mike swept every other round on all three scorecards through the 9^th round - after nine rounds, Mike led by scores of 89-82, 88-83, 90-81; but Bailey rallied in the 10^th and scored a knockdown with a right hand, then scored another knockdown with a right uppercut that bloodied Mike’s nose in the 11^th round, and he was counted out at 2:52…

2011 – on 12-3-11 in New York, NY, he won a 12 round unanimous decision against Sebastian Lujan (38-5-2): the fight was one of the co-features with the Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito II main event, and Mike dominated; he kept Lujan off-balance with movement, consistently outboxed him, and landed the harder punches; scored 119-109, 119-109, 118-110…

On 6-25-11 in Philadelphia, PA, he TKOd Raul Munoz (22-13-1): the fight headlined at the South Philly Arena – it was Mike’s first fight in his hometown in over two years, and drew a capacity crowd; Mike quickly overpowered Munoz - he hurt him with a body punch in the 2^nd round, then scored a knockdown moments later with a right hand – Munoz got up but was unsteady, and the referee stopped the fight at 2:29; after the fight, Mike said, “I took my time in the first round. I was relaxed and looked for an opening. When Munoz was more aggressive in the second round, he left himself more open. I followed our game plan of going to his body to get him to drop his hands down, then I started to go up on top. I got him with a good right. This is home. I was born and raised in Philly. It’s motivating to see all the fans out there screaming my name. I’m real happy with my performance and I’m glad to have given the fans a good show. I’ll take two, three weeks off and then start preparing for my next fight I want to finish the end of the year strong. I want a big fight. There are a lot of great fighters out there and I’ll fight any one of them. I want to fight the best.”…

On 2-19-11 in 2-19-11 in Las Vegas he won a 12 round unanimous decision in the rematch against Jesus Soto-Karass (24-5-3): the fight was co-featured with the Nonito Donaire-Fernando Montiel main event; Soto-Karass pressed forward and gave a strong effort, but Mike consistently outboxed him and landed the sharper punches; Soto-Karass was cut over both of his eyes in the 3^rd round, one from a clash of heads; scored 116-112, 117-111, 115-113; after the fight, Mike said, “I stuck to the game plan. The game plan was lateral movement, try to hit him with the jab. He was no different than the first fight and we put together a better game plan.”…

2010 – 7^TH NABA, 2^ND NABO W TITLE DEFENSE - on 11-13-10 in Arlington, TX, he won a 10 round majority decision against Jesus Soto-Karass (24-4-3): the fight was co-featured with the Manny Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito main event at Cowboys Stadium, and it was very close; Mike staggered Soto-Karass with a series of punches in the 2^nd round, then went on a nonstop attack that lasted for much of the round – Soto-Karass was rocked several times and cut over his right eye, but survived, rallied later in the round, and Mike was exhausted at the bell; Soto-Karass was cut over his left eye in the 3^rd, but pressed forward, kept a busier pace, and landed the harder punches in the middle rounds; Mike appeared to finally get his second-wind around the 7^th round – he was cut over his right eye in the 8^th, but had some rallies in the late rounds; it looked like the decision could go either way; many observers thought Soto-Karass deserved to win, and the crowd booed the announcement of the scores - 95-94, 97-93 Jones, 94-94; after the fight, Mike said, “I felt I pulled out the victory. I kind of punched myself out in the second round. After that, I had to get my legs back under me. It was all heart after that. He had a real hard head and battled. My legs got weak, but I finished strong because I knew the fight was close.”…

6^TH NABA, 1^ST NABO W TITLE DEFENSE - on 7-9-10 in Atlantic City, NJ, he knocked out Irving Garcia (17-4-3): the bout headlined at Boardwalk Hall; Garcia gave a good effort and had a few rallies, but Mike dominated most of the fight - he generally outworked Garcia, landed hard body punches, and steadily wore him down; Mike had a small cut under his right eye, but scored a knockdown with a series of punches in the 5^th round and Garcia was counted out at 1:22; after four rounds, Mike led by scores of 39-37, 39-37, 40-36; after the fight, Mike said, “I saw his legs start to buckle every time I hit him to the body, so I tried to capitalize on that. I stepped it up a little more each round, and I thought I did a good job of breaking him down.”…

5^TH NABA W TITLE DEFENSE, WON VACANT NABO W TITLE - on 4-17-10 in Atlantic City he TKOd Hector Munoz (18-2-1): the fight was on the undercard of the Sergio Martinez-Kelly Pavlik main event, and Mike dominated; he staggered Munoz in the 1^st round, rocked him several more times in the following rounds, and bloodied his mouth; Mike staggered Munoz with a right hand in the 5^th round, and the referee stopped the fight at 2:03; after the fight, Mike said, “He’s a tough guy. I didn’t want to exert myself at the beginning - I wanted to set a good pace because I was a little sluggish my last time out. I could tell he was wearing down, and I tried to counter and make my jab the offense. I wanted to keep the jab to the body. I’d just like to fight every month and half or two months. I’m ready to move.”...

4^TH NABA W TITLE DEFENSE - on 2-27-10 in Atlantic City he won a 10 round unanimous decision against Henry Bruseles (28-3-1): the bout headlined at Bally’s and drew a capacity crowd; Mike consistently outboxed and outworked Bruseles and dominated most of the fight; scored 98-92, 98-92, 97-92...

2009 – 3^RD NABA W TITLE DEFENSE - on 11-7-09 in Atlantic City he TKOd Raul Pinzon (16-3): the fight headlined at Bally’s; Pinzon gave a good effort, but Mike dominated - he consistently outworked Pinzon and landed the harder punches; Mike rocked Pinzon with a series of right hands in the 4^th round; he staggered Pinzon with a right hand in the 5^th, then scored a knockdown moments later with a series of punches – finished by a left hook to the body – and the referee stopped the fight at 1:40...

2^ND NABA W TITLE DEFENSE – on 8-8-09 in Atlantic City he won a 10 round unanimous decision against late substitute Lenin Arroyo (20-9-1): the fight headined at Bally’s, and Mike dominated; he consistently outworked Arroyo, landed the harder punches, and rocked him several times; scored 99-91, 99-91, 98-92...

1^ST NABA W TITLE DEFENSE – on 3-6-09 in Philadelphia he knocked out 1996 Colombian Olympian and late substitute Dairo Esalas (31-15): the fight headlined at the Blue Horizon; Mike scored three knockdowns in the 2^nd round – the first with a right hand, the second moments later with a series of punches - and Esalas was penalized one point for spitting out his mouthpiece – and the third with a double left hook to the body and head; the referee stopped the fight at 1:56...

2008 – on 12-5-08 in Reading, PA, he knocked out Luciano Perez (16-8-1): the fight headlined at the Sovereign Center; Perez pressed forward and gave a good effort, but Mike quickly overpowered him; Mike scored a knockdown with a left hook-right hand combination in the 2^nd round; he scored another knockdown with a left hook in the 3^rd, and Perez was counted out at 1:56...

WON VACANT NABA W TITLE – on 8-29-08 in Philadelphia he knocked out Juliano Ramos (15-1): the fight headlined at the New Alhambra, and Mike dominated; he staggered Ramos with a right hand in the 6^th round, then staggered him again with series of punches - finished by a left hook - and Ramos dropped to the canvas as the referee stopped the fight at 1:12; after the fight, Mike said, “It’s awesome. This is my first belt ever, amateur or pro.”...

On 5-9-08 in Philadelphia he won an 8 round unanimous decision against Gilbert Venegas (10-5-3): the fight headlined at the New Alhambra, and Mike dominated; he consistently outboxed and outworked Venegas, and rocked him several times; Venegas was cut under his right eye in the 6^th round; scored 80-72 on all three scorecards...

On 3-28-08 in Salamanca, NY, he won an 8 round unanimous decision against 38 year-old Germaine Sanders (27-5): the fight was co-featured with the Cornelius Bundrage-Kassim Ouma main event; Sanders moved and boxed, but Mike pressed forward, landed the sharper punches, and dominated most of the right; Sanders rocked Mike with a left hook in the 6^th round, but Mike finished the fight strongly and won by scores of 78-74 on all three scorecards...

2007 - on 11-9-07 in Philadelphia, PA, he TKOd 33 year-old former lightweight world title challenger Israel “Pito” Cardona (36-7): the fight headlined at the New Alhambra and Mike dominated; Cardona pressed forward, but Mike kept him off-balance with movement and scored repeatedly with his jab; he stunned Cardona with a right hand to the body-left hook to the head combination that cut Cardona over his left eye in the 3^rd round, then rocked him with an unanswered series of punches and the referee stopped the fight at 1:34; after the fight, Mike said, “He was a tough opponent. It took a lot for me to stop him. This was the toughest fight I had so far. I heard he’s only been stopped once. I hurt him with a hook, and everything after that was reaction. Once I saw blood I kept going.”...

On 10-5-07 in Philadelphia he knocked out Richard Hall (10-19-2): Mike hurt Hall with a left hook to the body, then scored a knockdown with a series of punches in the 1^st round, and Hall was counted out at 1:38; after the fight, Mike said, “I knew he was ready to go when I landed that shot to ribs. I want the jewelry. [note: championship belt] There’s no stopping me until I get it.”...

On 8-31-07 in Niagara Falls, NY, he TKOd Martinus Clay (12-16-2): Mike dominated the fight and steadlily wore down Clay; he scored a knockdown with a right hand to the body that dropped Clay to his knees in the 5^th round, and he was counted out...

On 7-20-07 in Philadelphia he TKOd Doel Carrasquillo (10-4-1): Mike boxed and moved effectively, and scored repeatedly with his jab and right hand; he bloodied Carrasquillo’s nose badly in the 2^nd round, and Carrasquillo did not continue after the 2^nd round; after the fight, Mike said, “I think I answered the question that Mike Jones has a chin. I’m now ready for whoever they put in front of me. They will just be my next victims.”...

On 5-4-07 in Las Vegas, NV, he TKOd Gilbert Guevara (5-1-1): at 2:46 of the 1^st round...

On 3-2-07 in Philadelphia he TKOd Francisco Maldonado (11-25-4): Mike scored a knockdown with a series of punches late in the 1^st round; he scored another knockdown with a series of punches early in the 2^nd, and Maldonado was counted out at 0:15...

On 1-15-07 in Airway Heights, WA, he TKOd Donald Fosmire (10-11-1): Mike dominated the fight and stopped Fosmire at 1:23 of the 3^rd round...

2006 – on 11-17-06 in Philadelphia he TKOd Jason Jordan (2-3-1): Mike scored two knockdowns, both with left hooks, in the 1^st round; Jordan got up but was very unsteady, and the referee stopped the fight at 1:42...

On 9-29-06 in Philadelphia he knocked out Todd Dillon (debut): Mike scored a knockdown with two right hands in the 1^st round – Dillon got up but was unsteady, and the referee stopped the fight at 1:00...

On 8-2-06 in Philadelphia he knocked out Ronny Glover (1-1): Mike scored two knockdowns in the 1^st round, and Glover was counted out at 2:44..

On 3-3-06 in Philadelphia he TKOd Chris Gray (1-1): at 2:30 of the 2^nd round...

He debuted at the age of 22 on 12-16-05 in Philadelphia and TKOd Jason Thompson (1-0): Mike staggered Thompson with a right hand-left hook combination that sent him stumbling back across the ring in the 2^nd round, then scored a knockdown with a series of punches that dropped him flat on his back and the referee stopped the fight at 0:48...

AMATEUR, PERSONAL BACKGROUND: Mike said, “I was born and raised in Philadelphia. I got one older sister. My mom works at a cleaning business and my dad is a C.O., a correctional officer.

“I was about 14 years old when I started boxing. I always liked the sports. I liked to play basketball, football, physical sports, and I wanted to do something more physical. I decided to check out boxing.

“I had about 70 amateur fights. I was about 60-10. I won a few titles, the Golden Gloves - not the Nationals, but I won the Mid-Atlantic three times and the regional championships three times.

“I’m naturally righthanded. I’m single, but I have two daughters. Myana is six, and Alyza is four. They both live with their mom, but I have them a lot.”...

Co-manager Jim Williams said, “Mike’s a serious guy. He never had anything when he was younger. We signed a contract extension with him about six, eight months ago, and at the same time, signed the papers for his house. Doc Nowicki had a house in the Frankfurt section of Philly, a nice section of town. Originally, we had a few of the Georgians living in there – Koba Gogoladze, Ramazan Paliani, and all. [note: a group of boxers from the Republic of Georgia that were co-managed by Jim and Doc] When they were done, Mike moved in there. He’s been there for  couple of years now. It’s a decent house - semi-detached, a nice backyard, new wall-to-wall carpeting. He always wanted a house of his own, for his kids. So Doc sold it to him on a lease-purchase. He pays Doc so much out of his fights ‘till he pays him back. When we left the lawyer’s office after signing the papers that day, Mike was all smiles. I said, “Man, that’s the first time I saw you smile.’ And he said, ‘It’s the first time I’ve been happy.’ Mike’s a proud homeowner now. He just wants roots - his world revolves around his daughters. We had a barbeque for him after one of his fights, and he showed up late. He said he had to get his daughters’ hair done. That came first, before anything else.

“Mike finally traded in his car, the Dodge Charger, the one with the big chrome wheels, and he got like, a soccer mom’s car - nothing like a fighter like him would be driving. But it’s easy for him to put the kids’ stuff in the back. Everything is for his kids.”…

STRENGTHS: Has good skills, speed, and movement...tall and lanky, has good punching power...a hard worker in the gym, is always in top condition...is experienced against good opposition…had a strong amateur background...

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: 27 fights...133 total rounds...

AVERAGE LENGTH OF BOUTS: 4.9 rounds...

KNOCKOUT PERCENTAGE: 73 %...

DISTANCE FIGHTS: 12 rounds – 2 (2-0)…11 rounds – 1 (0-1)…10 rounds – 3 (3-0)...