updated 2:31 a.m. ET March 22, 2009

PENSACOLA, Fla. - Roy Jones Jr. says he is still addicted to boxing. Knocking out lightly regarded Omar Sheika did nothing to convince him that it’s time, at 40, to hang up his gloves.

“Don’t you understand?” Jones said after the referee stopped the fight at 1:45 of the fifth round Saturday night. “I haven’t learned that yet. I’m going to rehab.”

A hometown crowd roared its approval as Jones captured the North American Boxing Association’s vacant light heavyweight championship.

Jones said he wants to fight again in two or three months and he’s not particular about who or where as long as he has an opportunity to seek another world title.

“I’m not going to call any people by their names, but if you’ve got a belt tied to your waist you already know,” Jones said.

He was asked if he’d like to drop down to super middleweight.

“I would like to, but if I told you I was doing that I’d be lying to you, because if somebody called me and told me they wanted me to fight for the heavyweight title tomorrow, I’d be on my way back to 199,” Jones said.

That’s one of the four weight classes Jones has dominated as an eight-time world champion.

Jones bloodied Sheika’s face with a flurry of punches, but Sheika never went down and wanted to continue. Sheika kept Jones backed up in the ropes for much of the fight, but Jones did most of the damage.

“I’m glad the referee did stop the fight before I messed him up even more,” Jones said.

It was the first title victory of any kind in nearly two years for Jones, once acclaimed as the world’s best pound-for-pound boxer.

The win was Jones’ 53rd, including 39 knockouts, against five losses. The 32-year-old Sheika of Patterson, N.J., fell to 27-9 with 18 knockouts.

The Jones-Sheika fight was the main event of a combination card of boxing and mixed martial arts fights promoted by Jones.

Jones fought for the first time in 10 years in Pensacola, where his professional career began two decades ago.

It was another comeback fight for Jones. In his last outing four months ago, he lost a lopsided unanimous decision to then-super-middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe, who retired with a perfect 46-0 record.

Before the loss to Calzaghe, Jones had put together three straight wins. They included unanimous decisions over Felix Trinidad last year and Anthony Hanshaw in 2007 to claim the vacant IBC light heavyweight title.

That string followed three straight defeats. The last, in 2005, was an unanimous 12-round decision to Antonio Tarver, who retained his IBO light heavyweight title.

In the only other championship bout, B.J. Flores of Las Vegas, Nev., won an unanimous decision over Jose Luis Herrera of Miami to win the NABO junior heavyweight title. Flores is undefeated in 23 fights with 14 knockouts. Herrera dropped to 16-6 with 16 knockouts.

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