Brittney Griner detention: Boxing legend Roy Jones Jr using Russia connections to help WNBA star return to US

Jones hopes the connections he made as a fighter in Russia can help him facilitate Griner’s safe return.

WNBA star Brittney Griner has a fellow superstar athlete in her corner as she fights to return home to the United States.

Boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. is offering up his connections in Russia to help the American athlete after she was arrested at an airport near Moscow in February on charges of possession and transportation of cannabis – and she's been detained there ever since.

Roy Jones Jr. trains an aspiring fighter at his gym in Pensacola, Florida. (Lorraine Taylor/Fox News Digital)

Jones, considered by many to be one of the greatest boxers of all time with an illustrious career spanning nearly 30 years, became aware of Griner's predicament and decided he might be able to help.

"First, she’s an athlete. I have ties with Russia because of my athleticism and my athletic career," Jones told Fox News Digital. "It’s nothing political. It’s all about sports."

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Jones explained that back in the height of his boxing career, there were only two or three TV channels in Russia – and one of those channels was boxing. He said boxing became a very popular sport in the country as a result, and he was asked to train boxers to "help them up their game."

Boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. works with aspiring fighters at his gym in Pensacola, Florida. Jones hopes to help WNBA star Brittney Griner who is detained in Russia. (Lorraine Taylor/Fox News Digital)

Jones, 53, is a dual U.S. and Russian citizen. He was operating a gym in Moscow where he trained young boxers before Russia's war with Ukraine forced him to shutter his operation.