Roy Jones Jr., an American rapper, actor and a former boxing world champion, asked President Vladimir Putin of Russia for Russian citizenship during a meeting in Crimea, according to The New York Times.
Jones, 46, told Putin a Russian passport would make things easier for him after Putin wished him success doing business in the country. The Russian president said that would not be an issue if the former boxer intended to spend significant time in Russia, The Associated Press reported.
"Your name is very well known among sports and boxing fans in Russia," Putin said. Jones is scheduled to perform at a boxing show in Crimea this weekend, according to Bloomberg.
Jones has a number of accolades under his belt, having won world titles in middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight classes and was also named "Fighter of the Decade" for the 1990's by the Boxing Writers Association of America, according to his website.
