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Historic undertaking Jones Jr. bulks up, steps up for shot at heavyweight gloryPosted: Saturday March 01, 2003 6:52 PMUpdated: Sunday March 02, 2003 12:37 AM
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Roy Jones Jr. has dabbled in everything from minor league basketball to rapping, from broadcasting to cockfighting. He has done everything, it seems, but chase a transcendent test for his once-in-a-generation boxing skills. Jones is a king without much of a kingdom -- a champion of three weight divisions over the past 10 years, with no more than a handful of memorable challengers to any of his crowns. His only setbacks on the way to a 47-1 record were minor and controversial: the gold medal denied him in the Seoul Olympics by ridiculous judging, and the dubious disqualification loss to Montell Griffin that's the only blemish on his pro record. So after years of urging from fans and detractors alike, Jones stepped up and bulked up for his first heavyweight fight. If he beats WBA champ John Ruiz at Caesars Palace on Saturday night, he will become the first former middleweight champ to win the heavyweight title since Bob Fitzsimmons did it in 1897.
Jones might have the bigger name, but he's 3 inches and 33 pounds smaller than Ruiz, a plodding puncher who has shown intermittent signs of talent. Even for a sublime fighter like Jones, the physical challenges of this fight are daunting -- and much more interesting than any fight Jones has ever taken in his cautious career. "People ask me why I took this fight. I was tired of people saying I was beating up people my size," Jones said. "They said it was unfair. They want to see me lose. They want to see me bleed. They want to see me get knocked down." At least they want to see him -- a fact Jones has largely ignored during his career. He rarely grants interviews, and he doesn't employ a promoter, instead setting up his own fights. He has spent his career racking up easy victories over mandatory challengers -- and earning a $5 million payday from HBO for almost every one of them. Jones seemed satisfied to be a dilettante -- hooping it up with the USBL's Lakeland Blueducks, starting his own record label, and beating the stuffing out of a series of no-name opponents while seemingly avoiding the likes of Dariusz Michelczewski or Bernard Hopkins. "I've made a lot of money anyway," Jones said of his relative anonymity. "I don't need everything. I just need enough for me, and I have enough." While Jones will make $10 million for the fight, Ruiz might not make more than pocket change unless pay-per-view sales picked up remarkably in the final days.
Ruiz is angry Jones didn't do more to promote the fight. Typical of his publicity-shy manner, Jones skipped an open workout on Tuesday and a meeting with reporters before Wednesday's news conference, and he spoke for all of two minutes at the press gathering. Ruiz, on the other hand, showed up at Thursday's weigh-in wearing a big hat, platform shoes and an oversize gold "$" necklace -- though he admitted it was just an old Halloween costume. "He's not acting like a champion," Ruiz said of Jones' reticence. "I just hope he'll show up for the fight." The best entertainment of the week didn't feature the fighters: Ruiz's manager, Norman Stone, was taken to a hospital after passing out during a brawl with Jones' trainer, Alton Merkerson. Stone is fine, but even a small amount of drama might have caused the spike in pay-per-view sales HBO saw on Friday. Ruiz is no champion for the ages, but he is a bona fide heavyweight titleholder: He fought Evander Holyfield in three bouts of decreasing quality, retaining the WBA title after a desultory draw in the third fight. In Jones' mind, it's enough of a challenge to satisfy his newfound hunger.
"It's the kind of stuff I live for, to be put in there where I can't see victory," Jones said. "Looking at John, I can't see victory, but I'm going to go out there and pull it out."
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Roy Jones Jr. insists he hasn't been afraid to fight as he gets ready for Saturday's bout with John Ruiz. 
