Welcome to TBO.com. Skip directly to: our Keyword Search, Section Navigation, Content.

TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Sports

TBO > Sports

Jones Wants Calzaghe After Beating Trinidad

By GREG BEACHAM The Associated Press

Published: January 21, 2008

NEW YORK - 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 (52-4, 38 KOs) danced around Felix Trinidad (42-3, 35 KOs) to win a unanimous decision at Madison Square Garden on 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.

"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.

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 champ who's first expected to fight Bernard Hopkins on 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 on Sunday to personally challenge Calzaghe.

Share this: