Jones decisions Trinidad
Now he wants to fight
everybody, but he will have get in line.
NEW YORK (AP) — Back when Roy Jones Jr. was the best boxer in the world, most people thought his sport was dying. Now that boxing is back on the rise with one big fight after another, Jones is aching for a comeback of his own.
But even after Jones danced around Felix Trinidad to win a unanimous decision at Madison Square Garden Saturday night, the 39-year-old will have to wait for the big-money matchups he’s craving.
After all, he didn’t take those fights when he first had the chance. The 1990s’ best pound-for-pound fighter was well-known for playing defense both inside and outside the ring, and now he’s dropped well down the list of boxing’s biggest names.
He’ll have to get in line for fighters who once would have loved to meet him — but don’t tell that to Jones, who still sees himself as the biggest name in any room.
“I’m still Superman, and I’m still the guy that nobody wants to fight,” said Jones, who hadn’t beaten any opponent of consequence in four years until he shut down Trinidad, who hadn’t fought in 32 months.
Jones’ perceived reluctance to take on the biggest fights during his prime came to symbolize everything that was wrong with boxing in the 1990s. He contented himself with second-tier matchups that kept the money rolling in, but usually didn’t test his unparalleled skills.
Jones wouldn’t go to Germany to establish his supremacy as a light heavyweight against Dariusz Michalczewski, who held the WBO title from 1994-2003. Jones also could have fought Joe Calzaghe in 2002, when both were near their peaks, in a fight that would have been an epochal event in Calzaghe’s native Wales — but it never happened.
That’s all over now, Jones claimed after possibly punching Trinidad into retirement. He has set his sights on a matchup with Calzaghe, the unbeaten 168-pound champion who’s first expected to fight Bernard Hopkins in Las Vegas April 19.
Jones clearly thinks he can still make up for all the time he lost playing minor-league basketball and dabbling in acting instead of testing himself in the ring. After years of strenuously avoiding overseas travel, Jones and promoter Don King even claimed they would make a trip to Great Britain Sunday to personally challenge Calzaghe.
“I’m definitely looking to make that fight,” Jones said. “I’ll fight anybody, anywhere, any time, and if Hopkins-Calzaghe finishes how I think it will, I’ll even go to Wales and fight. I don’t care.”
Trinidad could be headed for his third retirement, but he seemed interested in fighting again when he joyously addressed a crowd of his unwavering Puerto Rican fans after the bout.
“I’m going to talk to my father and my people, but I will decide soon if I want to fight again,” Trinidad said. “I believe I can still do it.”