JUYJUY

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2094-2158045.html

Amateur fights- Lindell Holmes beat Mike McCallum? Don Lee beat Mike McCallum? Don Lee beat Michael Watson? Chris Eubank beat Dennis Milton? Gerald McClellan beat Michael Moorer? Gerald McClellan beat Roy Jones? Do you know if Frank Liles fought Tim Littles, if Chris Eubank fought Merqui Sosa, and if Anthony Logan beat Billy Lewis at 1986 Knoxville Golden Gloves at 165 (ring up Roy and ask him if he musta forgot, or something)?

1982 Florida Games - Gift Decision against Antonio Tarver in final 1983 Florida Jr. Olympics - Lost 1985 Florida Jr. Olympics - Lost He also Lost to Igor Ruzhnikov (Russia, 139, 1986), John Reid (Ireland, 156, 1986), Andy Liebing (Cuba, 156, 1986), Frank Liles (almost KTFO, US nationals, 156, 1988) and Gerald McClellan (US Golden Gloves, 156, 1988). Then, Jones got a gift to the 1988 Olympics when every sane person knows it should of been Gerald McClellan going to Seoul. Mediocre Richie Woodhall gave Jones a very close fight in the semi-finals. Then Park Si-Hun was Jones' 13th amateur loss. Also remember that Jermain Taylor looked better against Bernard Hopkins than Jones did and that Michael Nunn looked better against James Toney than Jones did. People should not forget the Schooling that Montell Griffin put on Jones. Let's not forget 40-year-old Mike McCallum giving Jones a really close fight. Let's not forget Lou Del Valle almost KTFO Jones. Let's not forget Antonio Tarver KTFO Jones. Let's not forget Glencoffe Johnson KTFO Jones. Let's not forget Antonio Tarver beat Jones four times - 1982 (robbed), 2003 (robbed), 2004 and 2005. Jones' best resume is the guys he avoided and ducked - Gerald McClellan, Lamar Parks, Julian Jackson, Nigel Benn, Chris Eubank, Michael Nunn, Graciano Rocchigiani, Fabrice Tiozzo, Steve Collins, Henry Maske, Dariusz Michalczewski, James Toney II, Bernard Hopkins II, Joe Calzaghe, Vassilliy Jirov, Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, the list goes on.

By PAT SHEEHAN FRANK WARREN looks set to box Ricky Hatton into a corner by adding Naoufel Ben Rabah to his stable of fighters. Ben Rabah is Hatton’s mandatory challenger for his IBF light-Welterweight title while Souleymane M’Baye is No 1 rival for The Hitman’s WBA crown. M’Baye is already under Warren’s promotional banner with Sports Network. And it looks as if Ben Rabah could be joining him. But Hatton, 27, has said he will give up the WBA title rather than box again on a Warren show

Pic Aged 7: http://www.rotherham4news.f9.co.uk/CelebritiesPrinceNaseemm.jpg Record: 62-5 (18 KO's) 1985 National U11 Light-Flyweight Champion 1986 National U12 Light-Flyweight Champion 1986 European Cup U15 Light-Flyweight Finalist (Glasgow) - Ramazi Paliani (PTS3) 1987 National U13 Light-Flyweight Champion + Ady Lewis (KOT-1) 1988 National U15 Light-Flyweight Championships, Third Place - Peter Culshaw (KOT-3) 1989 National U15 Light-Flyweight Champion 1989 European Cup U17 Light-Flyweight Finalist (Manchester) - Ramazi Paliani (PTS3) 1990 National U16 Light-Flyweight Champion 1990 England-vs-Ireland Light-Flyweight (Juniors) + Damaen Kelly 1990 European Cup U19 Flyweight Finalist (Costa Del Sos) + David Guerault + Harald Geier + Serge Poilblan - Salim Medjkoune 1991 England-vs-Ireland Flyweight (Juniors) - Damaen Kelly 1991 Junior ABA Flyweight Champion + Spencer Oliver 1992 Junior ABA Flyweight Champion + Danny Costello Notes- Ady Lewis was Hamed's first-ever KO win 14 of Hamed's 18 KO's came at Flyweight 15 of Hamed's 18 KO's came in round two Competed at Euro Cup 90 just hours before Herol Graham fought Jackson

from Eubank's autobiography - I was explaining why I wasn't speaking to Naz at this time. I had seen him on ITV saying, 'Chris Eubank stole all my moves.' Bearing in mind that I am eight years older than Naz, this seemed strange enough. He's known me since he was still a schoolkid, I was one of his hero's infact, his aunty told me that he used to watch my fights over and over again. Naz was this cheeky little chap whom I had always offered advice to, I always gave him my time, he had my mobile phone number if he ever needed me, and he regularly used to call me up for advice. He was even at my wedding. He was such a cheeky little character and I always like him for that. So when I heard this statement on television, I was very upset. It was such a snide thing to do. For a start, they were my moves, but it was knowing how considerate I had been towards him that pained me. Shortly after this, I was the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London for a charity boxing event. Naz had come to a changing room and we were talking. I said to him, 'Naz, how could you do that? Me? I don't mind, but how can you lie to the people?' I tried to pass over to him the philosophy that your boxing career is not just about how good a fighter you are, you have to be a good person too. Apologising to me didn't cut it - the apology needed to be to the ITV viewers, the great masses. He listened and then said to me. 'I don't think you want me to apologise for me, I think you want me to do it for you.' I said, 'This isn't about me, it's about you, you lied. You need to tell people your truth, explain to them that maybe you were cajoled into it, explain to them that your trainer Brendan Ingle made you say it, like you've told me. Tell them the truth. I can't accept you lying to the public at large because you will hurt yourself, can't you see that?' I was very adament about this, so I went on to give him example after example of the same principle, basically trying to show him that what he had done was underhanded and backstabbing and that things will not work out well if you live your life that way. 'In life, if you cheat,' I told him, 'you will be found out. You can't be imitation, imitation is suicide. Be yourself, you're talented enough, you don't have to put me down or stamp on my name to climb the ladder. You have to work. It's about substance, it's not about making me look bad.' Then I quoted him a small extract from the 1692 poem, 'Desiderata', which was believed by some to have been found in a churchyard in Baltimore (author unknown). One of the stanza goes like this: 'If you compare yourself with others you may become vain and bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.' I also quoted from a pop song that was out at the time, called 'Everybody's free (wear sunscreen)', whose lyrics listed a litany of guidance, one of which was 'Don't waste your time on jealousy, sometimes you're ahead and sometimes you're behind, the race is long and in the end it is only with yourself.' I was trying to pass on these real nuggets of advice to Naz but he couldn't take it on and I became quite frustrated. In the end, I spoke to him thus, 'If you don't understand or perhaps won't accept what I'm saying, especially that you should apologise to the ITV viewers, then remember this. I expect you'll make champion, and I expect you'll win all the honours. I expect you'll make your name and fame. When you do and they make you King for a day, as they will, you understand this: when you walk by me, when you see me anywhere near you, walk on by like the little runt that you are.'

For their weight? Who is it? You remember what Tommy Hearns did to Roberto Duran? You remember Bob Foster? How about Julian Jackson? Naseem Hamed? Nigel Benn? Jimmy Wilde on a p4p? Maybe even Rocky Marciano? Come on, discuss this shit right now.

Zab Judah will give Mayweather his first defeat if the fight happens at 148 or 150 next year. I said this last year. I really think Mayweather will be so much slower at 148 or 150 (considering he fought at 126 at the Olympics), whereas it would be perfect for Judah because he wouldn't have to worry about losing those last few lbs. Judah is naturally bigger and more powerful than Mayweather, and he's FASTER than Mayweather, and with Mayweather being over-confident and Judah's ability to pull away from shots I just see Judah overwhelming him with size, strength and SPEED. Judah let's punches go from alsorts of angles at times too, and Mayweather hasn't seen that shit before.

Piss off. Fucking forum sucks, why can't you delete your own topics or edit the thread title?

CAN'T TY HIM DOWN Boxing’s ultimate ‘bad boy’ Mike Tyson landed in the UK to talk about his career, Frank Bruno and pigeons Noticeably uncomfortable with the platform that he had been given to address the 400-strong audience that came to hang on his every word, ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson didn’t disappoint on the London leg of his four-stop whistle tour of Britain last week. As he took his centre stage seat, Tyson, 39, mumbled into the mic that he felt like a “schmuck”. It was obvious that the former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world was not at home in front of a jovial crowd of admirers, some of whom had consumed just a little bit too much Pinot Noir, but he had come to deliver, and deliver he did. Promoters had promised that the ‘baddest man on the planet’ would not be ducking any questions from the audience, but a clever vetting process meant the more intrusive questions that could have been asked were weaned out before they were presented to Sun columnist Steve Bunce to ask Tyson. Nevertheless, Tyson did give an incredible insight into his love and knowledge of pigeons (of which he owns 1,000); being stalked by Antonio Tarver to get back into the ring; and his most poignant memory of meeting Frank Bruno. MEMORIES It was when he was 16 or 17 that Tyson holds his most endearing memory of meeting Bruno and it might not have seemed like much of an answer to the audience at the Park Lane Hilton Hotel when Tyson explained what it meant to him. But many a black man in America would have known exactly what he was saying when Tyson explained: “It was at a gym in New York in 1983 where my earliest memory of Frank comes from. “It was a legendary gym where all of the best fighters trained and I remember wanting to go somewhere and I was a bit frustrated. Frank turned around to me and said: ‘Mike, if you can be kind enough to wait here patiently I’ll get someone to get us a key’. “I’ll never forget how he pronounced his words, I was like wow, this guy speaks so well”. Many a blank face looked at Tyson when he recalled this story with a bit of a chuckle. With the majority of the audience being white, there was an element of ‘what the hell is Mike going on about?’ written on their faces. But what many failed to understand was what this encounter meant for a then young Tyson who now vividly recalled when he was plucked from the ghetto. Seeing another black man speak so well and who wasn’t on TV gave Tyson more jokes than any ‘ya no what I mean Harry’ could have given an Englishman who loved Bruno. Chris Eubank was at the Hilton, and he spoke of his first impressions of ‘Iron’ Mike: “I was maybe 17 and it was my first day at Gleason’s Gym. The guy who got me started, Maximo Pierret, knew Bruce Silverglade and Mike’s coach. For a heavyweight, Mike was very, very silky and pound-for-pound, for a heavyweight, he was the silkiest there and had the fastest punches for his size. Seeing him hit the bag and pads was a sight to behold. He was head and shoulders above anybody else. “People have a misconception about Mike Tyson, he's maybe seen to the general public as, how can I put it? Maybe a pub bully if you get me, all steak and chips. A neandertal street brawler, that’s so wrong. I always remember how Mike struck me as just being very intelligent as soon as I spoke with him all those years ago. I was suprised that he spoke so softly for a boy so aggressive when it came to boxing, he was a real polite, mild-mannered gentleman. He was a lovely chap, a very intelligent chap. He still is.” explained Chris. One of the most interesting responses of the evening came when Tyson was asked if there was any truth in the rumour that he would fight light heavyweight Antonio Tarver. Head cocked to the side and seemingly lost for words for a split second, Tyson said: “Tarver is crazy, he has my cell phone number and keeps stalking me. LOONY “In fact I had two cell phone numbers and I got rid of one and he called the other one, abusing me and calling me names. He’s a loony tune. I’m surprised that he hasn’t got a hold of the European phone number that I am using.” Chris Eubank and Steve Collins were both asked by members of the audience if they would consider coming out of retirement to fight Tarver! “Never say never,” was Collins’ response. At one point Tyson confessed that the fight that he most would have liked to see would have taken place between Joe Louis and Rocky Marciano, both in their prime. Prompted by another question, Tyson said he regarded Max Schmeling as one of the few heavyweight fighters that he would most like to chill with, saying: “I was always a fan of his. He did good work and he was a wonderful man.” Rather surprisingly for the audience was Tyson’s revelation that the fight that meant the most to him was the loss to James ‘Buster’ Douglas, “because that is the way a fighter is supposed to lose his title, being beaten,” he said. He rated the victory against Tyrell Biggs as his finest win. The event closed with an auction of sporting memorabilia which was held to raise money for the Willow Foundation. The auction saw a pair of infamous Tyson black trunks fetch £4,000, a replica WBC belt went for £5,250 and a picture of the man everybody came to see raised a further £3,400. The night will go down as a resounding success for Tyson who was surrounded by former boxing greats Frank Bruno (who was celebrating his 44th birthday), Chris Eubank, Michael Watson, John Conteh and Steve Collins. Generally, boxing fans left the event well fed and reasonably happy with the night’s proceedings, although many felt that Tyson himself could have stayed on stage a little longer to answer more questions, but most agreed that opportunities like this come along only once in a lifetime.

Channel Five, 4:15am til 4:45am That strange fight against undefeated 1988 Olympian, Canadian Dan Sherry.

I know it's not boxing, but please just check out this handspeed! click this shit: http://www.devilducky.com/media/37308/ I find it rather disturbing. (no wonder Chris Eubank names Bruce Lee as one of his idols)

Seeing as you have the best boxing resume on this forum, I thought this might be interesting. Could you answer these Q's in honesty please man? Who do you think would win, 2000-02 Lennox Lewis or 1986-88 Mike Tyson? Who do you think would win, 1971 Muhammad Ali or 1986-88 Mike Tyson?

"Duff matched me with Dangerous Don Lee, who was one of the most avoided and feared middleweights from that period. Yes, the same Don Lee that I lost to at that dual meet in Detroit some seven years earlier. Lee was no longer the dangerman he had been in the mid-eighties, but he was still a considerable step up in class for me when we met at the Wembley Arena in February 1988. The fight was savage at times and Lee could really bang hard, but Duff had spies on Lee's sparring sessions here before the fight. He brought over sparring partner Gerald McClellan with him, and our spies reported back that they saw how Lee flinched every time he was left hooked to the body. I started to get to him and in Round Five I feinted overhand rights that had hurt him earlier in that fight, only to dig a left to the ribs. The referee called a halt to the fight. Lee's lip was badly cut and I was ready to set him up for a painful end, I'm glad the referee stepped in when he did because I didn't want to hurt him any further. I was a Top Ten contender during the era of Sugar Ray Leonard, Tommy Hearns and Roberto Duran, it was a great era to be a Top Ten contender." "I attended the Royal Albert Hall to get a close up of my possible next opponent, if I got past Benn. The winner of the fight between Herol Graham and Mike McCallum would meet either Benn or me. I bumped into Chris Eubank, and he introduced his name when talking to me about the future. This was odd because Eubank was unknown and untested, having turned professional in America. But Eubank told me that he had got the better of both Herol Graham and Mike McCallum in the gym over the previous few months and claimed that they weren't fit enough to tie his laces. Eubank was a good talker and, despite having only had thirteen fights, he was issuing challenges to Benn and me long before our fight. I had heard of him. I had read a profile about him in the first-ever edition of Boxing Monthly, which also carried a preview of my fight at Finsbury Park. The profile was a bit over the top, but it was not as bad as the preview and prediction for my fight: Benn was tipped to beat me in one round! Hearn told me that he was looking to bring Eubank into the equation somewhere down the line in fights against Nigel or me. In the weeks after winning the purse bid, I thought he was mad when he said this. To me, Eubank was a nobody - he was fighting losers, and the fans had already decided that they didn't really like his attitude or style. But I'll never forget that when pushing for a twelve round fight with Johnny Melfah or Rod Douglas, Eubank video recorded himself knocking out American journeyman Reggie Miller in thirty seconds at Ronnie Davies' gym in Brighton. He then spoke to the camera saying, `Miller went twelve rounds total with Melfah and Douglas, he didn't last one minute with me. They are running scared'. His wish was granted and he almost took Melfah's head off, that's when I knew that Eubank was a major player. Melfah had won ABA middleweight titles in 1983 and 1984, losing to Nigel Benn in 1986, he was no slouch at all before he bumped into Eubank." "The biggest names from that period, Marvin Hagler, Sugar Ray Leonard, Tommy Hearns and Roberto Duran, all had one thing in common - none of them had ever shared a ring with the `Body Snatcher'." "Hemsworth had briefly told me about one particular plan of his, and I had listened as he explained the possible route that I could take. The reporters were heating up - they wanted names and dates and schedules because back then a boxing press conference was only called to give out information. I understand it is very different now, but on that afternoon the pack wanted some facts and figures. Hemsworth took over and started to outline the next twelve months of my boxing career, beginning with a fight in October 1990 and ending with a fight in the summer of 1991. He announced that I would clear £2.5 million in total. There is nothing the boxing press likes more than a nice thick figure, and in 1990 £2.5 million was a lot of cash! `A major American boxing promoter has made the offer to us and we have put together a realistic schedule for Michael to become the number one middleweight in the world by the end of the summer of 1991. The People's Choice, The People's Champion, the nice guy of boxing will come out on top,' Hemsworth continued. Eric was with me on the top table and the pair of us just kept on smiling because we were not really sure where the conversation and the claims were going. I was asked about the American promoter and I replied that I couldn't say too much. However, Hemsworth, who was really starting to enjoy himself, said that it was Bob Arum, who at that time was promoting Nigel Benn's American fights. Arum and Don King were the giants of boxing then, a pair of untouchable men with the power to move mountains, slice open oceans and make impossible fights happen. Hemsworth told the reporters that the October fight would just be a warm-up and that in December I would meet the Boston-based Dubliner Steve Collins, who had earlier that year survived twelve hard rounds with McCallum. There was, according to Hemsworth, another easy fight planned for early January in America, and then in the spring of 1991 I would have a rematch with Benn. The final fight of the five would be a middleweight unification showdown at Wembley Stadium against Michael Nunn in the summer." "I knew I could beat Mike Nunn. I fought him as an amateur at a dual meet in Detroit in 1984, I lost 17-13 but landed the cleaner shots in the third round and almost knocked him out on a number of occasions with my right hand. He said `See you in LA' after the fight. I expected our paths would cross again, probably at the Los Angeles Olympics otherwise for the world professional title. He saw me carve up my opponent on his undercard when he won the title, the fight was stopped due to a clash of heads but I made my mark and Mike Nunn wouldn't give me a shot. I lost to Don Lee in 1981 but avenged the defeat. I thought I could do the same to Nunn, definately." "In December 2003 I was invited to the BBC's Sports Review of the Year. It was a magnificent event and I was stunned when `Marvelous' Marvin Hagler appeared on the set and presented me with the Helen Rollason award for courage and achievement in the face of adversity. Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank joined me, and for the first time ever we were gathered together in the same room. It was a wonderful end to a memorable year."

"John always said my reputation grew at a startling speed and that I was feared in the ring, particularly when we visited Berlin to fight. I knocked my first opponent through the middle rope and crashing onto the floor in 17 seconds. Then my second opponent broke his arm on the top of my head and the elbow split through the skin at an angle. Then I broke my left wrist when I knocked out my third opponent, it was a loud break. Nobody could look me in the eye. We went back there a few months later and none of them would fight me, they were too scared." "It's summertime 1986 and I'm sparring with Roberto Duran at the Fifth Street gym in Miami. A lot of boxing people there seemed to be looking amazed, commenting on my power, speed and accuracy they said it was as impressive as anything they had seen from Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler and George Foreman. When you're coming up the ranks, that's what you want to hear!" "On another night in Vegas, we met Tyson. I was with Ray and Ambrose in a black club. Tyson was sitting alone but recognised me from the televison. He saw my fights with Logan and Quinones and said he admired my style. 'Oi, Benn' so I look round and there's Mike Tyson waving me towards him with his finger. 'Alright, Mike', he said 'Yeah, your doing good, your ferocious man!', 'Thanks, Mike!'. Ray asked him if he could have a photograph taken with him and he declined saying he didn't have photos done with white guys. 'They're pussies,' he told him. Ray said he ought to feel his stomach before making statements like that. He took it as an invitation to test his muscles and hit him. I think it really hurt but he was only playing around. Great guy." "I'll fight Mike Tyson all day long, I don't care. That kind of pain goes. But the pain a woman inflicts when she twists the knife lasts for years." On Gerald McClellan fight "He was being described as the most ferocious fighter to ever hit our shores, and I couldn't wait to get out there and have a good scrap with him." "I felt all the ligaments in the side of my neck rip, and I went out of the ring!" "He hit me with a body shot in round three, I swear that I was almost on my feet. He hit me so hard with this body shot in round three that I was almost on queer street. Sick." "When McClellan knocked me out of the ring, I just thought 'Hes not beating me, no way. I don't care how hard he hits, I've been hit with everything, pickaxes, baseball bats so what? Let's see how he feels when I'm hitting him...'" "McClellan, pound for pound the best puncher in the world, the Yank who beat up Roy Jones as an amateur, was on the floor, and what made me proudest of all was this: it was a British man who'd done it"

http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/7077/splashnewsdbk061205a018yr.jpg

Do you think he could beat any or all of them, at his best pre-Honeyghan?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/default.stm# (you see a little clip of Eubank in the audience as Ricky speaks about his modesty ;) )

Let's be honest, Audley didn't want to know from the fucking opening round onwards.. he was Hurt from those little fucking rabbit punches at the start and just did not like it, Hurt from the pussy little cut, Hurt from the body shots.. FFS he almost started crying when they were rubbing vaseline on his paper cut in the corner! This guy hasn't got the guts for it, I seriously doubt that he is from the ghetto, it was all a nice story but believe me nobody who truly comes from the street lacks bottle like this guy.

My man at the weigh-in has reported back to me and told me that Danny could barely look at Audley, he had turn away while Audley got onto the scales and he apparently struggled to make eye contact with Audley. Apparently, everybody could tell just by looking into Danny's eyes that he was a scared man and wasn't mentally right. http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/6522/dannyaudley8bu.jpg

Okay guys come on, who wins this fight for bragging rights? (we should make this a sticky or something)

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In my opinion, Clinton is not a world-class fighter so move this thread to Global boxing if you like. There are certainly no Woods fans on this forum ;) He lost to Mark Baker at the 92 ABA's and Mark Delaney at the 93 ABA's (both at 165, both close and exciting fights and controversial decisions though), but he was the only Brit to beat Dave Starie in the amateurs which does hold some weight. When you think about it though, losses to Starie and Jones Jr and two close fights with Glen Johnson is not bad at all - with all the others wins and more often than not exciting to watch. He's got a nutritionist on board now and he's learning to counter-punch, if Tarver gets old overnight he could do good with him! I don't think Clinton is world-class, but I think he can do good with Tarver (who didn't look good at all against a very lacklustre Jones Jr) now that he's learning to counter-punch.. and with Tarver not getting any younger.

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What a fucking idiot! Audley may beat him more emphatically than Vitali.

Scully, how would Muhammad Ali have beaten Joe Louis? Give me your answer, then I'll tell you why it's wrong.

I've just seen his fight with Alberto Coates in 1995 (I'll try to upload it for you people within a few weeks), Hatton was picking his shots very well and showing very good variety. Coates was the reigning champion and pre-fight favourite but Hatton schooled his ass with his punch-picking and punch-placing, in round two you see VERY fast jabbing ability from Hatton ala Jones Jr on Pazienza. It opened up at the end with Coates attacking him but Coates would land one left hook on Hatton only for Hatton to respond with a triple left-hook which stretched his lead even more! The final score was 35-12. I've also just seen Hatton's fight with Lauri from a few years back, What! This kid was sick, and Billy Graham is a bloody good trainer. You evidently notice that Billy Graham took Hatton to another level when he took him in 1997, Hatton appears very elite in this fight. Obviously without Hatton's incredible skill then Graham wouldn't of had so much success with him, but fair play to Graham anyway. Ricky was throwing every custom shot you can think of at Laurie, yeah you name it - customised overhand lefts, screw uppercuts with either hand to head or body, switch uppercuts with either hand to head or body, 45's, long hooks to the body ala 89-91 Eubank, bolo punch, right hook to head instantly followed by right hook to body, it was insane to watch! Hatton and Graham would work on shots and invent moves of their own. You watch the Magee fight and Hatton shows impressive boxing skills with those in and out tactics, good brain, good composure. I just loved the head movement when he was coming in and the way he was throwing a little jab when he was backing out, and his little pause before he attacks. Great stuff, the guy had so much fucking skill. He may of wasted himself with all the binge-drinking and junk-eating, he could of been unbeatable.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=P66Y0C9T The brashness of a young Chris Eubank and elusiveness of a young Herol Graham.

ROY JONES JUNIOR In mid-January the undisputed light-heavyweight champion Roy Jones Jr, jetted into Mexico City to collect a lifetime achievement award, in the shape of a bulky Aztec calendar-style plaque. He also was presented with the first of the new-style “personalised” World Boxing Council championship belts. Jones’s belt featured portraits of Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali as well as his own likeness. In a relaxed and friendly mood at the belt presentation, the normally reclusive Jones made time for a chat with Boxing Monthly’s man in Mexico, James Blears. BM: You are the first current WBC world champion to be portrayed on their championship belt in this way. Do you feel honoured? RJ: Yes, it’s a magnificent honour. People don’t understand how important this is to me. God did not bless me to have some of the big money fights that some of the fighters have. He blessed me by showing what he can really do through me, using me as an instrument. This honour means more than any dollar could ever mean to me. BM: What is going to be your next fight? RJ: I’m going to fight Derrick Harmon in Tampa on February 24th. After that I’m not sure what I’m going to do. Whatever is best for me I’m going to do, but I won’t be giving up my title. BM: Joe Calzaghe wants to fight you, but he’s signed for a different TV network . However, your representative Brad Jacobs says nothing is impossible, and if the fight’s attractive then a deal can be worked out. Is there a possibility that you could fight Calzaghe in the future? RJ: He’s welcome to come right on. I’ll be willing and waiting for anyone who wants to challenge me as far as me being the best. My duty as the best is to take on all challengers, so if they want to make it happen, and everything is fair for me, it happens. BM: Calzaghe is a super middleweight and you’re now a light-heavyweight. RJ: I would make super middleweight for him. I’m that kind of champion. I will go down if I need to, or up to meet the challenge. BM: And would he have to come to you or would you go to Wales? Does it matter to you? RJ: Whatever is best for Roy, Roy does. Whatever situation is best for me, I do. BM: So we could see you on our side of the Atlantic? That would be cool. RJ: They been saying there’s a sports venue with 60 or 80 thousand seats in England. BM: That would be the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff. RJ: Right. BM: How do you rate Calzaghe? RJ: He beat Eubank, and Chris said that he’s never been hit so hard. That was the best super middle performance apart from Roy on Toney. BM: His win against Eubank was spectacular and we really thought that was going to be the start of something special, but his career hasn’t really kicked off like it should of done. RJ: I’m a big fan of Calzaghe. I understand he’s the home-boy like me, got screwed abroard like me too. He’s stylish with real good speed of hand and he comes to fight and so he’s good to watch. BM: You have mentioned that you might like to fight the right heavyweight in the future, for instance Evander Holyfield, one of the smaller big men. This is an interesting prospect. RJ: Yes it is, but right now the lighter prospects are looking even better. There’s Joe Calzaghe, Felix Trinidad. Those prospects are looking a lot better, so I don’t know yet. It is according to which one comes first, and which one is best for Roy. BM: Many boxers want to go up in weight. But in your case there might be a possibility you could go back down to super middle and middle and win more championships. That’s never really been done before. RJ: No it hasn’t, and that’s the way I’m going to try to do it. I don’t know if I’ll make middle, but I know that I can make super middle. If Trinidad wins the middles, we can do it at a catch weight of 168 pounds. BM: How do you rate yourself as an all-time great in the light-heavyweight division? There have been some great fighters like Michael Spinks, Bob Foster, Matthew Saad Muhammad. How would you rate yourself alongside them? RJ: I don’t try to rate myself, I’ll leave that to the people to do. Whatever they say is fine with me, I don’t mind. I only care how God rates me. And I think God is very pleased with what I do because I go out and achieve to the best of my ability, to show people what God will do for you, if you just have faith and believe. BM: In the 1970s Bob Foster tried to take on heavyweights. He got wiped out against Joe Frazier in two rounds and Muhammad Ali finished him off in eight rounds. It’s a heck of a difficult jump. Where as you could possibly hold your own against Holyfield, Lennox Lewis is 250 pounds in weight. That is a massive difference. What do you think about this? RJ: That is the only reason I would try, because I would like to be the first one to ever accomplish the mission of going from middleweight to heavyweight. BM: Micky Walker in the 1930s fought a draw against Jack Sharkey, but was stopped against Max Schmeling. Michael Spinks built himself up. What do you think? RJ: It all depends on the heavyweight as well. Look how competitive Michael Spinks was against Larry Holmes, but look what happened when he fought Mike Tyson. Holmes was bigger than Tyson, but he wasn’t as powerful as Tyson. So it all depends on what heavyweight you are going to take on. BM: Your amateur career ended when you were robbed of the gold medal in the Olympics. And then against Montell Griffin you were disqualified. Those two things took perfection away. You are a diamond, but because of that there are two tiny flaws. Does that disappoint you? How do you overcome that? RJ: Those flaws only show how truly beautiful this diamond really is. When they robbed me in Korea, it made me stand up and show the person I really am. After the Montell Griffin situation happened, it made me come back to show what I can do when I’m motivated. It shows why I’m still truly pound-for-pound the best fighter in the world today. BM: You didn’t hang around in the second fight did you? RJ: I didn’t come to hang around. And I don’t come with that attitude often, but that time I came with the attitude to not hang around. BM: One guy you haven’t fought yet is Dariusz Michalczewski, do you plan on beating him before you retire or before you move up so that you can say you cleared up at light-heavyweight? RJ: The German isn’t much of a proposition, nobody wants to see him fight. You got to knock them out to get a draw over there, and he won’t come over here. BM: What is your X Ingredient, which makes you the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world? RJ: My mind. BM: What does a fighter have to do to be best pound-for-pound fighter in the world? RJ: For one, when you say best pound-for-pound fighter, you mean he is the most skilled at doing everything. That is what people fail to realise. A lot of people say because Shane Mosley beat Oscar De La Hoya, Mosley has the title. That’s one fight, against one opponent. Can he beat five left handers in a row like I did? Can he beat the James Toneys and Virgil Hills, who were the best our country had in their division for years? Can he move up and beat fighters who he is not supposed to beat, like I did? When you are the best pound-for-pound, you are the best at moving up, or if you have to, move down. You are the best in every situation. You are the best body puncher, the best head puncher, you have the best offence, the best defence. You give James Toney a left hook and Virgil Hill a body shot, and nobody can land enough punches on you. You are the best all-round fighter, and nobody can top you for that. BM: Is it sometimes a challenge not to become bored. And is it sometimes difficult to motivate yourself? RJ: Very difficult. And that’s why I try to be careful who I fight and I like to fight people who are difficult, because I know they are dangerous. That makes me want to get ready for just in case the guy is tougher than I think he is. BM: Your father was a boxer, and you have other relatives who have boxed. But none made it all the way to the top. What makes you different? RJ: It is all about when God touches you, and you accept that God is there. A lot of them didn’t realise until they were older that God was there. With God all things are possible. Most likely they didn’t have it together, because they didn’t have God. When you have God in your life and at the right time, as early as you can understand, then your chances are better. BM: What are the challenges that now lie ahead of Roy Jones? RJ: I want to knock out everybody this year, and I have a family to raise - three little boys. I want them to come up and have the opportunities that I had and more, to be beautiful people.

Warren's 25th anniversary, he has given us his top five fights and top five fighters in that time. Top Five Fights 5. Bruno vs McCall (most emotional night) 4. Hamed vs Kelley (Naz american debut at MSG) 3. Hatton vs Tszyu (perfect timing) 2. Benn vs McClellan (best fight ever saw, good and bad reasons) 1. Barrera vs Morales Top Five Fighters 5. Joe Calzaghe (most underrated fighter in world) 4. Naseem Hamed (best young prospect ever saw) 3. Frank Bruno (hardest worker ever saw, biggest national treasure ever in sports) 2. Nigel Benn (his buzz second to none) 1. Ricky Hatton See what I mean? Firstly Barrera-Morales, WTF, Warren didn't promote that did he? And Ricky Hatton as his top fighter?? I thought they fell out bigtime or was I dreaming?