Post by d1rtyfeet on Jun 19, 2006 20:18:47 GMT -5
By Tim Smith
This being a gathering of boxing writers, and being that they were waiting for Roy Jones, Jr. to show up, there was an over-under on how long it would be before Jones showed up or whether he would show up at all.
An hour late was the most popular bet. That he wouldn't show up at all was popular among the veteran scribes who had been on the short end of a promised Jones appearance in the past. Plus, he had stiffed the press in Boise, Idaho at a press conference there to announce his fight against Prince Badi Ajamu on July 29. So what made this motley group at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis so much better?
Jones showed up 45 minutes late, 15 minutes under the most popular bet. And he was full of revelations. The cynic in me says that he was so revealing because he was trying to sell a pay per view show (let's face it no one is going to fly to Boise to see Jones fight Ajamu). The less cynical part of me said here was a fallen superstar who is facing doubts and obstacles that he has never faced before.
Either way it was a compelling session.
Jones said he made a conscious decision to lose the third fight against Tarver because he didn't want his father, Roy, Sr., to get any of the glory if he won. Jones revealed that it took his body a year and a half to recover from going up to heavyweight and then dropping 25 pounds of muscle to move back down to light heavyweight. And he predicted that Floyd Mayweather, Jr. would beat Oscar De La Hoya if they fight and if Floyd, Sr. is training De La Hoya.
Jones is refusing to acknowledge that time has taken its toll on his reflexes and slowed him down. He believes that his losses to Tarver and Glen Johnson were due to his having to drop back down to light heavyweight after going up to heavyweight to beat John Ruiz.
"I knew going in that I was making a sacrifice that would hurt me the rest of my career,'' Jones said. "It shocks your whole body. Even the Glen Johnson fight I was dehydrated after the fight. My body was still hadn't re-adjusted to it. It takes a long time.''
Jones' body may have re-adjusted by the time he fought Tarver for a third time, but his head was a mess. He had hired his father again as his trainer after a 12-year split. It was the move of a desperate man reaching back for something that once provided security for him. Jones knew his father could get the best out of him, but the price would be enormous.
During the fight, there was bickering in the corner as Big Roy tried to squeeze out Jones' longtime trainer Alton Merkerson. Jones said his father tried to push Merkerson off the ring apron between rounds so that he could move one of his friends into camera range. About the fifth round of the fight, Jones said he decided that he wasn't going to win the fight.
"If I had won the fight my father would have gotten all the glory and he didn't deserve it,'' Jones said. "If I had knocked out Tarver they would have said it was because of him. My father don't deserve this. Where were you the last 12 years? He's a sharp guy. Having him was more bad than good. He's a good boxing guy. He taught me. But he's not good for me.''
Jones is saying that he deliberately lost a fight to spite his father. I don't believe that's the case. I believe if Jones could have knocked Tarver's head into the 10th round he would have. He lost the fight, now he has rationalized a way to make the loss more palatable to himself. I don't know anyone who hates their father so much that they would imperil themselves or deny themselves something as gratifying as winning a boxing match. What about all that hard work he put in? Down the tubes so the old man can't gloat. The old man didn't throw any punches.
Jones and his father didn't have the typical father-son relationship. It was based on Big Roy transforming Jones into a world champion. And it was abusive. Jones would not relate the extent or the details of the abuses, but he made it clear that he and his father aren't going fly fishing anytime soon.
Jones thinks that father-son, boxer-trainer, dynamic will play out in the Mayweather-De La Hoya match, if and when it is made. Floyd, Sr. will be in De La Hoya's trainer for the match and that will work to the undoing of De La Hoya, Jones believes.
"He's going to beat Oscar,'' Jones said. "If my daddy had brought me anyone he would have gotten him killed. If Floyd has to run 100 miles a day to beat Oscar that's what he'll do because his daddy is in the other corner. This ain't got nothing to do with Oscar.''
It was the kind of insight and analysis that Jones used to offer as a commentator on HBO's "World Championship Boxing.'' But he was canned earlier this year because he didn't want to show up for fighting meetings where the participants were interviewed by the HBO commentators. Jones wanted to show up on the Friday before the fight. HBO wanted him there on Thursday. He said he doesn't miss it.
"HBO got it confused,'' Jones said. "They thought I was supposed to tell you when this guy got married, whether he has a girlfriend, when he got to this country, whether he just got out of jail. I don't need to know all that. I thought I was getting paid to tell you what was happening in the ring.
"I don't have no hate for anybody. I deal with it when it comes. I don't even hate my father and I just told you what kind of a son of a son he is.''
Just like with his father, it was not an amicable split. Jones may never fight on HBO again. It may have more to do with the fact that his skill level isn't what it used to be and there aren't that many attractive matches in his future. But Jones said he isn't ready to quit yet, though he is 1-3 and has lost two by KO since his victory over Ruiz for the WBA heavyweight title.
In hindsight Jones said he probably should have stayed at heavyweight. He said he tried to make the fight with Holyfield after winning the title, but Holyfield wouldn't make a deal with his promoter Don King.
After fighting a string of washed up heavyweights who weren't fast enough to test his chin, Jones would now be considered one of the best heavyweights in the game. Even now he talks about challenging WBC champ Hasim Rahman.
"Looking at Rahman-Toney, I could beat Rahman,'' Jones said. "He's good, be he didn't look like a student of the game. James is a good student of the game, but he won't get himself in shape.''
Jones said after he beat Ruiz he felt like he had accomplished everything in boxing that he could. Now his challenge is different. He wants to prove wrong all those who believe he doesn't have enough left to compete at the upper echelon of boxing.
"When people doubt me that's when I can do something,'' he said.
Jones may be deluding himself as all the great ones do at the end of their careers when he said he will know when to hang 'em up.
"It's certain things I have to see in myself if I'm going to continue or I won't continue,'' Jones said.
Of course he won't tell us what those things are ahead of time so we can look out for them as well. But he promised that he will tell us after he fights Ajamu if those things were not present. Even if Ajamu whips him the same way that Glen Johnson did, I don't think Jones will say he's had enough. He will still be chasing something. The same thing that Evander Holyfield is chasing.
"I'm supposed to go through this guy (Ajamu),'' Jones said. "If I don't go through this guy then it's time for Roy to stop.''
And if he beats Ajamu?
"The next fight will be World War III no matter who it is,'' Jones promised.
This being a gathering of boxing writers, and being that they were waiting for Roy Jones, Jr. to show up, there was an over-under on how long it would be before Jones showed up or whether he would show up at all.
An hour late was the most popular bet. That he wouldn't show up at all was popular among the veteran scribes who had been on the short end of a promised Jones appearance in the past. Plus, he had stiffed the press in Boise, Idaho at a press conference there to announce his fight against Prince Badi Ajamu on July 29. So what made this motley group at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis so much better?
Jones showed up 45 minutes late, 15 minutes under the most popular bet. And he was full of revelations. The cynic in me says that he was so revealing because he was trying to sell a pay per view show (let's face it no one is going to fly to Boise to see Jones fight Ajamu). The less cynical part of me said here was a fallen superstar who is facing doubts and obstacles that he has never faced before.
Either way it was a compelling session.
Jones said he made a conscious decision to lose the third fight against Tarver because he didn't want his father, Roy, Sr., to get any of the glory if he won. Jones revealed that it took his body a year and a half to recover from going up to heavyweight and then dropping 25 pounds of muscle to move back down to light heavyweight. And he predicted that Floyd Mayweather, Jr. would beat Oscar De La Hoya if they fight and if Floyd, Sr. is training De La Hoya.
Jones is refusing to acknowledge that time has taken its toll on his reflexes and slowed him down. He believes that his losses to Tarver and Glen Johnson were due to his having to drop back down to light heavyweight after going up to heavyweight to beat John Ruiz.
"I knew going in that I was making a sacrifice that would hurt me the rest of my career,'' Jones said. "It shocks your whole body. Even the Glen Johnson fight I was dehydrated after the fight. My body was still hadn't re-adjusted to it. It takes a long time.''
Jones' body may have re-adjusted by the time he fought Tarver for a third time, but his head was a mess. He had hired his father again as his trainer after a 12-year split. It was the move of a desperate man reaching back for something that once provided security for him. Jones knew his father could get the best out of him, but the price would be enormous.
During the fight, there was bickering in the corner as Big Roy tried to squeeze out Jones' longtime trainer Alton Merkerson. Jones said his father tried to push Merkerson off the ring apron between rounds so that he could move one of his friends into camera range. About the fifth round of the fight, Jones said he decided that he wasn't going to win the fight.
"If I had won the fight my father would have gotten all the glory and he didn't deserve it,'' Jones said. "If I had knocked out Tarver they would have said it was because of him. My father don't deserve this. Where were you the last 12 years? He's a sharp guy. Having him was more bad than good. He's a good boxing guy. He taught me. But he's not good for me.''
Jones is saying that he deliberately lost a fight to spite his father. I don't believe that's the case. I believe if Jones could have knocked Tarver's head into the 10th round he would have. He lost the fight, now he has rationalized a way to make the loss more palatable to himself. I don't know anyone who hates their father so much that they would imperil themselves or deny themselves something as gratifying as winning a boxing match. What about all that hard work he put in? Down the tubes so the old man can't gloat. The old man didn't throw any punches.
Jones and his father didn't have the typical father-son relationship. It was based on Big Roy transforming Jones into a world champion. And it was abusive. Jones would not relate the extent or the details of the abuses, but he made it clear that he and his father aren't going fly fishing anytime soon.
Jones thinks that father-son, boxer-trainer, dynamic will play out in the Mayweather-De La Hoya match, if and when it is made. Floyd, Sr. will be in De La Hoya's trainer for the match and that will work to the undoing of De La Hoya, Jones believes.
"He's going to beat Oscar,'' Jones said. "If my daddy had brought me anyone he would have gotten him killed. If Floyd has to run 100 miles a day to beat Oscar that's what he'll do because his daddy is in the other corner. This ain't got nothing to do with Oscar.''
It was the kind of insight and analysis that Jones used to offer as a commentator on HBO's "World Championship Boxing.'' But he was canned earlier this year because he didn't want to show up for fighting meetings where the participants were interviewed by the HBO commentators. Jones wanted to show up on the Friday before the fight. HBO wanted him there on Thursday. He said he doesn't miss it.
"HBO got it confused,'' Jones said. "They thought I was supposed to tell you when this guy got married, whether he has a girlfriend, when he got to this country, whether he just got out of jail. I don't need to know all that. I thought I was getting paid to tell you what was happening in the ring.
"I don't have no hate for anybody. I deal with it when it comes. I don't even hate my father and I just told you what kind of a son of a son he is.''
Just like with his father, it was not an amicable split. Jones may never fight on HBO again. It may have more to do with the fact that his skill level isn't what it used to be and there aren't that many attractive matches in his future. But Jones said he isn't ready to quit yet, though he is 1-3 and has lost two by KO since his victory over Ruiz for the WBA heavyweight title.
In hindsight Jones said he probably should have stayed at heavyweight. He said he tried to make the fight with Holyfield after winning the title, but Holyfield wouldn't make a deal with his promoter Don King.
After fighting a string of washed up heavyweights who weren't fast enough to test his chin, Jones would now be considered one of the best heavyweights in the game. Even now he talks about challenging WBC champ Hasim Rahman.
"Looking at Rahman-Toney, I could beat Rahman,'' Jones said. "He's good, be he didn't look like a student of the game. James is a good student of the game, but he won't get himself in shape.''
Jones said after he beat Ruiz he felt like he had accomplished everything in boxing that he could. Now his challenge is different. He wants to prove wrong all those who believe he doesn't have enough left to compete at the upper echelon of boxing.
"When people doubt me that's when I can do something,'' he said.
Jones may be deluding himself as all the great ones do at the end of their careers when he said he will know when to hang 'em up.
"It's certain things I have to see in myself if I'm going to continue or I won't continue,'' Jones said.
Of course he won't tell us what those things are ahead of time so we can look out for them as well. But he promised that he will tell us after he fights Ajamu if those things were not present. Even if Ajamu whips him the same way that Glen Johnson did, I don't think Jones will say he's had enough. He will still be chasing something. The same thing that Evander Holyfield is chasing.
"I'm supposed to go through this guy (Ajamu),'' Jones said. "If I don't go through this guy then it's time for Roy to stop.''
And if he beats Ajamu?
"The next fight will be World War III no matter who it is,'' Jones promised.
