BOXING Jones Jr. preparing for next challenge: heavyweight bout

He will be part of a heavyweight series promoted by Don King.
NEW YORK (AP) -- With no one around for him to fight in his own division, light heavyweight champion Roy Jones Jr. came up with a logical solution. He will move up to the next division.
Jones, deprived of a gold medal on a judging scandal in the Seoul Olympics, has been making up for it ever since, winning the middleweight, super middleweight and light heavyweight titles. Now he attempts to take the next step in that progression with a fight March 1 in Las Vegas against WBA heavyweight champion John Ruiz.
Doubleheader
The fight is the second half of a heavyweight series being promoted by Don King. The first bout has four-time champion Evander Holyfield facing No. 1 contender Chris Byrd for the vacant IBF title on Dec. 14 in Atlantic City, N.J.
Jones, who spends his spare time playing basketball for Mobile of the National Basketball Development League, will make a guaranteed $10 million against 60 percent of the net proceeds for the pay-per-view date. Ruiz and King split the remaining 40 percent. For the IBF title fight, Byrd gets about $3 million and Holyfield about $5 million.
Murad Muhammad, representing Jones, described what it was like negotiating a fight with King.
"It's one for you and one for me," Muhammad said. "Then, it's two for you and five for me. Then, it's three for you and 10 for me. Then, it's four for you and 15 for me."
King, who conducted the press conference waving two American flags, chortled at the description. He was all decked out in a sequined-sleeved denim jacket that featured a map of the United States on the back and Mount Rushmore on the front, and a red, white and blue bow tie.
The self-proclaimed world's greatest promoter would like the winners of these two fights to meet but he has no guarantees on that -- yet.
"We're not saying anyone is signed for a unification," he said. "But we're hopeful."
Turning away title
King has a way of getting what he wants and needs. For this promotion, he needed a vacant IBF title and he got that when Lennox Lewis decided the credentials of Byrd, the No. 1 contender, were unimpressive and summarily surrendered the championship.
King helped make that decision a bit easier by paying $1 million to Lewis, the man he calls the emperor of boxing.
"A brilliant move by the emperor," the promoter said of the transaction. "I gave him $1 million.
"They thought I was a complete idiot and maybe I am. I couldn't have this unless I gave him the rainbow. He endorsed the series and made it more provocative. Maybe he'll give one of them permission to challenge him. He is in a world all his own."
Lewis, set to work as a commentator on the telecasts, was making no promises.
"I'll tell you after I see them box," he said.