By Mark Vester
Roy Jones Jr. (52-4, 38KOs) and Joe Calzaghe (45-0, 32KOs) have agreed to a rematch in the event of Jones pulling off the upset on Saturday night in New York's Mecca of boxing, Madison Square Garden. Jones says the pressure is fully on the back of Calzaghe. The Welsh champion plans to retire after achieving a predicted win on Saturday. Jones would love to be the man who crumbles Calzaghe's unbeaten legacy, sending him into retirement with a loss.
“A loss for Joe would be much more significant to him than a win would be for me. Winning would be good for me but losing would really ruin his record. To lose to just one man – well, you would have to love being that one man. The pressure isn’t all on Joe because people are paying to see me fight too and I have to keep my end of the bargain. But there is definitely a lot more pressure on him,” Jones told The Times.
If Calzaghe wins, Jones doesn't see the loss hurting his legacy. He feels that he's in a no-lose situation in the fight. A win over Calzaghe would of course add to his legacy.
“Nothing that happens in this fight can take away from my legacy. I might be able to add to it if I pull off this upset but that’s the only thing that will happen to it. To have a fighter as good as Joe come out and challenge me, because he feels I am one of the best, means a lot," Jones said.
"When another top class fighter says that, it tells you that I don’t need to add to my legacy. He is telling you all about it because he already knows how good I am. Joe has said it will definitely be his last fight but he has already told me he wants a rematch if he loses. So I know it definitely won’t be his last fight.”
Send News Tips and Comments To Mark Vester @ boxingscene@hotmail.com
