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Cordial behavior goes out the window against Calzaghe on Saturday
By Roy Jones; Interview with Dan Rafael
Roy Jones Jr. challenges light heavyweight world champion Joe Calzaghe on Saturday night (HBO PPV, 9 ET) at New York's Madison Square Garden in "Battle of the Superpowers," a showdown between two of boxing's biggest stars. Throughout his training camp, and up until fight night, Jones has been keeping in touch with Dan Rafael and providing an exclusive blog.
Fight week is in full swing here in New York and I'm really looking forward to getting in the ring and doing my thing against Calzaghe on Saturday night. It can't get here quick enough.
Battle of the Superpowers
TV lineup
The schedule for Saturday's HBO PPV card (9 p.m. ET) from Madison Square Garden in New York:
• Light heavyweights: Joe Calzaghe (45-0, 32 KOs) vs. Roy Jones Jr. (52-4, 38 KOs), 12 rounds, for Calzaghe's world title
• Welterweights: Zab Judah (36-6, 25 KOs) vs. Ernest Johnson (18-2-1, 7 KOs), 10 rounds
• Junior welterweights: Dmitriy Salita (28-0-1, 16 KOs) vs. Derrick Campos (17-5, 10 KOs), 12 rounds
• Junior welterweights: Frankie Figueroa (19-2, 13 KOs) vs. Emanuel Augustus (38-29-6, 20 KOs), 10 rounds
We had our last news conference on Wednesday and we're both ready to go. At least I know I am ready to go. I'm just ready to get down. I'm looking forward to making weight at Friday's weigh in.
That won't be a problem, trust me. I'm not having a hard time making the weight. I'm a couple of pounds over (175) and that will be no problem to take off.
One thing I've been asked by some folks this week is about my ring entrance. I've been known to have some pretty sweet entrances. I've danced and rapped and always tried to give the fans something to remember when I come into the ring.
But for this fight I'm not planning anything too elaborate. This time I am more about doing what I need to do in the ring. It's all business this time. I know how important this fight is, so it will be all business. I'll deliver plenty of showmanship, but it's going to be inside the ring, not outside, so I have nothing special planned. Of course, I could still change my mind at the last minute. You know how I am.
I've had some crazy walkouts before, but I just haven't thought about that for this fight. I have been thinking only about the fight. There were times when I did things before the fight besides an elaborate ring entrance just to keep myself interested in the fight. There was the time I played a semi-pro basketball game the day of one of my fights. People went crazy about that.
Fight Credential
Calzaghe-Jones
For all the stories, podcasts, videos and news on Joe Calzaghe's showdown with Roy Jones in New York, visit the Fight Credential.
I know not all of my fights were really big ones like this one. So when they weren't so big, I needed to add something to it to make it more interesting or make it more of a show for my fans. But this fight with Joe is so big, it doesn't need any of that. So all I want to do is focus on the fight and on putting on a great show inside the ring.
One of the things that makes this fight so big for me is that my promotional company, Square Ring, is promoting the fight along with Joe's company, Calzaghe Promotions.
That's the fun part. Neither of us have to question where the money is. We are doing this ourselves, with our people, and we are in charge. That is the best part of the whole thing. Both of us worked hard to get into this position where we could control our own fights, so that is a wonderful thing.
We don't have someone who owns us or who tells us what to do. We're doing it ourselves. It's really gratifying that we can be our own people and make a fight happen. We didn't need a mediator to make the fight. We don't need a mediator to keep us apart. Now, when we get to the fight, we might need a mediator to get me off of him.
Sure, there have been a few bumps along the way during the promotion, but I want Square Ring to become a major promoter. I love to work with fighters and I'm happy I can give exposure to some of the fighters we work with like Zab Judah, Dmitriy Salita and Frankie Figueroa, who are going to fight on the undercard.
A lot of people think I'm just doing this promoting thing while I am an active fighter. But I'm telling you, after I am done fighting I'm still going to be a promoter. Saturday night, though, Roy Jones will be all fighter.
By Roy Jones; Interview with Dan Rafael
Roy Jones Jr. challenges light heavyweight world champion Joe Calzaghe on Saturday night (HBO PPV, 9 ET) at New York's Madison Square Garden in "Battle of the Superpowers," a showdown between two of boxing's biggest stars. Throughout his training camp, and up until fight night, Jones has been keeping in touch with Dan Rafael and providing an exclusive blog.
Fight week is in full swing here in New York and I'm really looking forward to getting in the ring and doing my thing against Calzaghe on Saturday night. It can't get here quick enough.
Battle of the Superpowers
TV lineup
The schedule for Saturday's HBO PPV card (9 p.m. ET) from Madison Square Garden in New York:
• Light heavyweights: Joe Calzaghe (45-0, 32 KOs) vs. Roy Jones Jr. (52-4, 38 KOs), 12 rounds, for Calzaghe's world title
• Welterweights: Zab Judah (36-6, 25 KOs) vs. Ernest Johnson (18-2-1, 7 KOs), 10 rounds
• Junior welterweights: Dmitriy Salita (28-0-1, 16 KOs) vs. Derrick Campos (17-5, 10 KOs), 12 rounds
• Junior welterweights: Frankie Figueroa (19-2, 13 KOs) vs. Emanuel Augustus (38-29-6, 20 KOs), 10 rounds
We had our last news conference on Wednesday and we're both ready to go. At least I know I am ready to go. I'm just ready to get down. I'm looking forward to making weight at Friday's weigh in.
That won't be a problem, trust me. I'm not having a hard time making the weight. I'm a couple of pounds over (175) and that will be no problem to take off.
One thing I've been asked by some folks this week is about my ring entrance. I've been known to have some pretty sweet entrances. I've danced and rapped and always tried to give the fans something to remember when I come into the ring.
But for this fight I'm not planning anything too elaborate. This time I am more about doing what I need to do in the ring. It's all business this time. I know how important this fight is, so it will be all business. I'll deliver plenty of showmanship, but it's going to be inside the ring, not outside, so I have nothing special planned. Of course, I could still change my mind at the last minute. You know how I am.
I've had some crazy walkouts before, but I just haven't thought about that for this fight. I have been thinking only about the fight. There were times when I did things before the fight besides an elaborate ring entrance just to keep myself interested in the fight. There was the time I played a semi-pro basketball game the day of one of my fights. People went crazy about that.
Fight Credential
Calzaghe-Jones
For all the stories, podcasts, videos and news on Joe Calzaghe's showdown with Roy Jones in New York, visit the Fight Credential.
I know not all of my fights were really big ones like this one. So when they weren't so big, I needed to add something to it to make it more interesting or make it more of a show for my fans. But this fight with Joe is so big, it doesn't need any of that. So all I want to do is focus on the fight and on putting on a great show inside the ring.
One of the things that makes this fight so big for me is that my promotional company, Square Ring, is promoting the fight along with Joe's company, Calzaghe Promotions.
That's the fun part. Neither of us have to question where the money is. We are doing this ourselves, with our people, and we are in charge. That is the best part of the whole thing. Both of us worked hard to get into this position where we could control our own fights, so that is a wonderful thing.
We don't have someone who owns us or who tells us what to do. We're doing it ourselves. It's really gratifying that we can be our own people and make a fight happen. We didn't need a mediator to make the fight. We don't need a mediator to keep us apart. Now, when we get to the fight, we might need a mediator to get me off of him.
Sure, there have been a few bumps along the way during the promotion, but I want Square Ring to become a major promoter. I love to work with fighters and I'm happy I can give exposure to some of the fighters we work with like Zab Judah, Dmitriy Salita and Frankie Figueroa, who are going to fight on the undercard.
A lot of people think I'm just doing this promoting thing while I am an active fighter. But I'm telling you, after I am done fighting I'm still going to be a promoter. Saturday night, though, Roy Jones will be all fighter.
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