Superman vs. Super Joe For What It’s Worth

Report & Photos By Francisco Guzman

Once the pound for pound king 8 times world champion from Pensacola, Florida Roy “Superman” Jones Jr. (52-4-38 KO’s) met with undefeated light heavyweight champion  “Super” Joe Calzaghe (45-0-32 KO’s) from Cardiff, Wales at the Hard Rock Café this Tuesday in New York City to promote their upcoming bout billed the “Battle of The Super Powers”. The PPV event takes place Saturday November 8th at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
 
 Their press conference began with a video intro of both fighters and a Star Wars like ending. The words when worlds collide withered down the screen before both fighters were introduced by Michael Buffer. Both fighters met each other in middle of the podium after the introduction kicking off the start of their press conference.  Battle of the Super Powers had a feel of a galactic battle between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.
 
Calzaghe and Jones claim to have pushed aside their promoters to make the fight happen. “We have already defeated the odds. I had to deal with DK (Don King). He Calzaghe had to deal with Frank Warren. However it goes, we got them out of the way first, in order for us to get together and be able to make this fight happen” said Jones.

Since that brutal image of Roy Jones laying on the canvas for twenty minutes after being knocked out by hands of the ”Road Warrior” Glenn Johnson back in ‘05. Something most observers thought would never see at that stage of Roy’s career.  That is an image that Jones has been trying to erase from our minds since then. He went on to lose a majority decision to Tarver in their third fight and since then has won three straight bouts against Prince Badi Ajamu, Anthony Hanshaw and Felix Trinidad. He believes that he still has it to be in the sport of boxing. “I know I am getting a little older. I don’t know what the hell it is. It seems like I keep getting better”. A fighter who once swore after seeing what happened to Gerald McClellan in his fight against Nigel Benn that he would not let that happen to himself. Seeing the bad physical state that McClellan was in, Jones became very careful in the ring, never taking any chances of getting himself hurt and it showed.

In fights where he was clearly dominated he would not try to close the show by trying to knock his opponent out. The feeling was that Jones did not want to put himself in harms way by going for a knockout.  For years Jones has been trying to get that significant win to erase what happened to him in the Tarver and Johnson fights.  That’s where Joe Calzaghe comes in.  Jones must believe that a win against Calzaghe is probably the fight that would do that. Why would he not take this fight?  Jones has nothing to lose and everything to gain. 

Now what does this do for Joe’s legacy by beating what most believe to be a shell of his former self, well that might be a bit of an exaggeration of Roy Jones? It proves nothing. HBO is pushing this fight so much that they are even going as far as to produce a 24/7 for the fight itself. Now a fight like Cotto vs Margarito which was rumored that the network was not going to produce a countdown show before changing its mind deserved a 24/7 reality show.

That was a fight of great magnitude between two of the top guys in their division. The fight that real fight fans would like to see is a fight against Kelly Pavlik, a fight between two undefeated fighters and the best of their divisions. Joe expressed no interested in a fight against Pavlik. “At the end of the day my plans was to fight one more fight. I am more excited about was to fight Roy Jones Jr. I did say that would be my last fight”.
 
Calzaghe went on to say “I honestly think that a Pavlik fight with me would be an easier fight than Jones. He’s one dimensional and he comes in a straight line”. Joe is just trying to convince us that Roy Jones is a more challenging fight for him. If Pavlik is such an easy opponent then why is he not fighting him? A win against the undefeated Pavlik who is young power puncher would add to his legacy, then a win against a 39 yr old former champion who’s had his day.
 
Calzaghe was also unimpressive in his win against 44 yr old Bernard Hopkins this past April to win the light heavyweight title.” I struggled against Hopkins. I have to make sure that I am 100% focused for this fight. I am fighting a guy who’s a legend. That’s the difference”.
 
Fighter’s legacies are based on bravery, courage and how fighters deal with adversity. Not on being safe.   Roy Jones is a legend but he is no longer the fighter he used to be, a fighter whose hand speed and reflexes were phenomenal.
 
Roy Jones was also known for being a safe fighter. Picking and choosing his opponents and also getting a ton of criticism but at stage of his career he has no choice. A win for him would resurrect his career one more time.