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Roy eyes Evander

A first word on a future heavyweight

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Posted: Friday April 02, 1999 11:50 AM

I've been told light heavyweight champion Roy Jones Jr. has signed a two-fight deal with the MGM Grand beginning with a title defense on June 5th. The kicker though is that his next fight there would be as a heavyweight.

Jones knows his limits, though he told me recently he wants no part of the six-foot, 245-pound Lennox Lewis. Jones' unspoken goal though is to fight Evander Holyfield.

Sign language

I spent a few hours with Holyfield this week. He told me it took about five days for the swelling to go down following his controversial draw against Lennox Lewis.

Holyfield vowed to learn from the mistakes he made, so he can erase any doubts the next time they meet.

"I shouldn't have told him I was going to get him out in the 3rd round. I should have just surprised him. And what I'm going to do from now on -- I'm going to shut my mouth and let these hands do the talking like I used to do"

No contracts have been signed, but the Holyfield-Lewis rematch is being penciled in for November to avoid competing with the World Series.

Oscar's future

Oscar De La Hoya is on a mission to prove success hasn't softened him.

Since taking out the dangerous Ike Quartey in February, De La Hoya has been pressing promoter Bob Arum to break bread with rival promoter Don King to nail down a showdown against unbeaten IBF champion Felix Trinidad.

If that bout fails to materialize though, Arum has informed another rival promoter Dino Duva of Main Events that De La Hoya wants to give Quartey a rematch.

A spokesman for King told me "that would be a dangerous gamble for Oscar," and added that Trinidad will probably first fight WBA champion James Page -- to add that belt to his armor and increase his leverage at the bargaining table with De La Hoya.

And in this Quartey...

As for Quartey, his promoters Main Events tell me that if Ike doesn't get his crack at redemption against De La Hoya he'll jump up to the junior middleweight division and challenge unbeaten IBF champion Fernando Vargas.

I called Vargas at his home in California, and he told me he's ready for Quartey and added "I want to fight the best. He's one of them."

Vargas says that his relative inexperience will not hinder him. Vargas says that it's fighters like Quartey that he gets up for, and beating them is the best way for him to get even better.

 

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