By Mark Vester
Obviously looking for one final mega-payday, former champion Roy Jones, Jr. is calling WBO super middleweight champ Joe Calzaghe to fight him in July. Jones told BBC Wales that he's willing to come down in weight to 168-pounds and even give Calzaghe the homecourt advantage by making the fight in the UK.
Jones has not fought at the super middleweight limit in almost 11 years and is 1-3 in his last four fights.
"I've got July wide open and I'd fight at 168lbs in the UK or the USA. It's the right time in both of our careers to give the British people a true fight. I've still got all the skills and I'm hungrier than ever," Jones said. "Peter Manfredo Jr was way out of his league when he lost to Joe last week. Joe is a class fighter who needs someone similar - someone like me - to take him on."
It's well known in the boxing industry that Jones is one of the more diffcult fighters to deal with in terms of negotiating a fight. If you read between the lines, you can already see potential problems as Jones wants a 60-40 split of purse for the winner of the fight. While Jones is willing to head over to the UK, he is also pushing Calzaghe to come to America.
"It would make most sense for him to come to the US. The British people will watch him whatever time of night he fights, and by fighting in America he will only add on the extra numbers of US fans. But I'm the challenger now and I have to go and get the title wherever it is on offer," Jones said. "I would love to go there and face 35,000 screaming Welshmen, I'm an entertainer and that's what I do. The promoters might get in the way of the fight, but there's no reason we can't come to an agreement. If we can't agree terms, I say give 60% to the winner and 40% to the loser. That's fair, so let's go."