By Mark Vester
Roy Jones Jr. (51-4, 38 KOs) is continuing his campaign of landing a possible fight with WBA/WBC/WBO super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe. He recently told reporters that Calzaghe will beat light heavyweight champion if the two fighters collide on April 12 in Las Vegas.
Jones, who refused to travel overseas in the past, is claiming that he will travel to Wales to fight Calzaghe. Some of Jones' comments regarding a potential Calzaghe clash make no sense. When Calzaghe moves up to fight Hopkins, he will be leaving the super middleweight division behind. Jones says he wants to challenge Calzaghe for his titles. No stranger to weight issues, rumors persist that Jones, who in 2003 won the WBA heavyweight title from John Ruiz, is struggling to make 170-pounds for the catch-weight bout with Felix Trinidad on Jan. 19 in New York's Madison Square Garden.
The eight-time champion has not fought below the light heavyweight limit of 175 since 1996. If he were to face Calzaghe for the belts, the fight would have to take place two-pounds south at 168. Jones moved up to heavyweight in 2003 to match the accomplishment set by Bob Fitzsimmons in 1897, where the former middleweight moved up to catpture a heavyweight title. Now he wants to accomplish something Fitzsimmons was never never able to do, by moving back to middleweight to recapture the titles. Jones was never the same fighter after he beat Ruiz and then shed off 25-pounds of muscle to return to 175 to win back his light heavyweight titles from Antonio Tarver.
"The only thing left to accomplish that I've thought about is if I go down and regain the super-middleweight title," Jones said. "Bob Fitzsimmons didn't do that so I'd have one up on him. He can't come back and re-do it, and the next person to try and do it will have a hard time to do it all. For all his titles. I want Calzaghe. If I got the titles, he has to come and get it, but he's got the titles so I have to go and get it. The way I see it is that Ricky Hatton came over and fought Floyd Mayweather so it's somebody's turn to go back over there for us, to show that we're impartial, we're fair."
Joens says Calzaghe should come out on top over Hopkins. While he feels that Calzaghe will give him a shot, Jones feels that his career-rival, Hopkins, will not want to fight him after watching he demolishes Trinidad. Jones beat Hopkins in 1993 and plans for a rematch have fallen apart at least a dozen times in the last few years.
"Calzaghe's busy and that's why I know Hopkins won't beat him because Hopkins doesn't have knockout power," Jones said. "To beat Joe you're going to have to knock him out. He's far too busy to go 12 rounds and expect to get a decision (against him), especially in Wales. That's why I say it doesn't matter where you go to fight him, because you've got to knock him out wherever you go. I've got to knock him out, but Hopkins doesn't have the power to knock him out. That's why he doesn't want to go over there and fight, and I don't blame him. But I'll take the gamble."
Jones does not agree with the industry rumors, regarding the deal for Hopkins-Calzaghe not being signed because both fighters are waiting to see what he does against Trinidad.
"No, but I tell you what, if (Calzaghe) wants Roy Jones and (Hopkins-Calzaghe) ain't done by Sunday, I'm going. If I do what I feel like I'm going to do Saturday night, then come Sunday morning I'm going straight to Wales."
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