Former world heavyweight boxing champion Roy Jones Jr. picked up his Russian passport on Tuesday after earlier being granted citizenship by President Vladimir Putin, the Interfax news agency reported.
“I am Russian!” said Jones, clad in a Russian tricolor flag, triumphantly after being handed the document at the Federal Migration Service's Moscow office, according to footage by the LifeNews tabloid published online.
Jones said he would move to Russia with his family and compete in the name of his adoptive country, Interfax reported.
The handover was attended by Alexander "the Surgeon" Zaldostanov, who leads the Night Wolves bikers club. Some of the club's members joined Jones in a celebration on Moscow's Red Square after the ceremony, Interfax reported.
Jones requested Russian citizenship during a meeting with Putin in Crimea in August, saying it would make doing business in Russia much easier and could help “build a bridge” between Cold War-era foes Russia and his native United States.