Roy Jones, Jr.'s Ego vs. Joe Calzaghe

I’m a huge Roy Jones, Jr. fan.  In the spirit of full disclosure let me put that out there to begin with.

I remember watching him in the 1988 Summer Olympics schooling Park Si-Hun only to get robbed of the gold medal.  I remember him knocking out Virgil Hill with a body punch back in ’98—the first time I’ve ever seen that, by the way.

And that's why it pains me to say this: Roy, it’s time to hang ‘em up. 

Roy Jones’ biggest opponent has always been himself. He has a fundamental flaw the Greeks called "hubris." He's a gifted fighter with tremendous talent and natural ability which has gotten him through a lot of fights.  During his hey-day, his swagger and confidence level in the ring were unmatched.

When Jones was on point, he was one of the flashiest fighters I’ve ever seen.  (Yes, even more so than Floyd.) Seemingly able to do whatever he wanted to do in the ring to his opponents.   

In the words of Master Shake, “I do what I want, when I want, how I want!”  That’s how the brash, dominant Jones lived his life while he was in his prime.  The problem is, those days are long gone, Roy. 

Reality check: You’re knocking on 40 years of age and coming off of three sub-par wins. You haven’t stopped anyone in the ring since 2002.  Think about it: The most dominant fighter of my generation hasn’t knocked anyone out in six years?

He had the opportunity to finish off a tired, out of shape Felix Trinidad and didn’t do it.  Come on, Roy, where’s that killer instinct?

Now let’s give credit where credit is due.  Yes, Roy Jones has been in the spotlight before and seems to thrive in it.  Yes, it seems like this is a truly motivated Roy Jones that is putting in the training for the fight.  But in my eyes, it doesn’t seem like he’ll be able to pull it off.

Look at the mountain he has to climb in Joe Calzaghe.  A hungry champion trying to establish himself as a real fighter in America’s eyes.

He’s coming off a win against Bernard Hopkins, which many people didn’t agree with. Yet if you watch the match, Calzaghe showed tremendous heart by being able to weather Hopkins’ punches in the early rounds.  He settled down and started to fight his fight and ultimately won the decision. 

Does he possess the technical or natural ability of Jones?  No.  But he’s got a solid chin and gamesmanship.  Plus he’s a southpaw and they always give orthodox fighters problems.   Antonio Tarver was a southpaw and we all saw what he did against Roy Jones—both unmotivated and motivated.

If Roy fights a smart fight, he’ll enter the ring, land a couple of combinations, and then get on his bike and avoid Calzaghe.  He’ll try to confuse the younger opponent by coming in at different angles and changing his level. 

If Jones is able to squeeze a win out, don’t expect a highlight reel knockout.  Those days are long gone.  Look for a controlled, counter-punching Jones to try to steal some rounds from Calzaghe and go the distance with him.