The Neutral Corner

Roy Jones Jr. spoke to the media this week about his Nov. 8 fight against Joe Calzaghe at Madison Square Garden. Here are some highlights from the call:

How do you feel about being the underdog in this fight?

Roy Jones Jr: I love it. That is what I like to be.

What do you think about the Hopkins-Calzaghe fight?

Roy Jones Jr: Joe took Bernard lightly. He didn’t think he was going to have trouble with Bernard. Joe Calzaghe has said he is going to have to train harder for Roy Jones Jr than he trained for Bernard. He didn’t take Bernard as seriously as he is going to take me. So he is going to go to his A-game.

What is different in training between now and 10-years ago?

Roy Jones Jr: I just try to protect my body a little more. That’s all.

Why would you not want to fight Bernard Hopkins?

Roy Jones Jr: A – because he does not want to fight me even though he keeps saying he wants to fight me and that’s not going to get it done. I don’t have time to wait for Bernard Hopkins. I already beat Bernard Hopkins so why would I want to fight him again. If he wanted to fight me, that would be one thing, but he’s been saying he’s wanted to fight me for the last five years. Nothing has been done about it but that’s not my fault. That would be like me telling you that I dream of being heavyweight champion but I never do anything about it. So I’m going to sit here and talk about something that is never going to happen. So he can talk about whoever he is going to fight next and I couldn’t care less. I do what I do. I don’t work his career. I work my own. He does what he wants to do and I do what I want to do. And I am happy doing what I want to do. Besides, he has to ask his promoter what he can do. I can do what ever I feel like doing.

What is different now than when you dropped down when you fought Johnson

Roy Jones Jr: My body is back down to my normal weight now. As opposed to when I fought Johnson when I was not at my normal weight. I was coming down from over 200 pounds. Now I am down to where I am walking around at about 185 so I am good.

How will you match the punch output of Calzaghe?

Roy Jones Jr: I feel great and I would never be able to match the punch output that Joe will throw. What you have to think about is if Joe will be able to match me. In pro boxing, you always have to worry about one big punch. Against Bernard, he threw those punches for about half a minute at a time and that is why he only won by a split decision. This is pro boxing, so I don’t have to match his output.

How long will you fight?

Roy Jones Jr: I will fight till I can’t do it anymore and I have already set aside my achievements.

How often is 24/7 around camp?

Roy Jones Jr: All day every day.

Do you have any regrets?

Roy Jones Jr: Like I have always said, it is what you do for God, not what you do for people. For me coming back down to light heavyweight to get the belt was right, because that is what Bob Fitzsimmons did.

Prediction?

Roy Jones Jr: I will win the fight. That is no question. I am not certain yet how, but I am going to win it.

Larry Merchant said that he thinks Joe Calzaghe will win the fight?

Roy Jones Jr: Are you going to talk to a sober man or a drunk man (laughing)? You can tell me what he said, but I am sober right now so I probably won’t be able to digest it. Now if I was drunk, then you could tell me and I will understand what he is saying (laughing).

Do you feel a need or motivation to one-up Hopkins?

Roy Jones Jr: Hopkins did what he did and that was his goal. My job is to come out of there with a victory. I don’t care what he did or how he does it. He did a smart thing, which was to go in the ring a get a victory before I fought Calzaghe. He can do all he wants to try and tie himself to my career but I am not tied to his career.

Who has had a greater career?

Roy Jones Jr: I had the middleweight title and the heavyweight title. I am the only man living that had the middleweight title and the heavyweight title. So you tell me who is greater. They are going to watch Jones vs. Calzaghe on PPV but they wouldn’t put Hopkins vs. Calzaghe on PPV because the people wouldn’t pay to watch that on PPV. So you tell me who is greater. You tell me who the fans think is greater.

Some people think you didn’t fight the best?

Roy Jones Jr: I don’t know where it is derived from or where they got it from. But that’s not my job either. I was more than just a fighter and that was my point to prove. I had my reasons for doing what I was doing. I made it so delightful that you didn’t need to watch me fight another name fighter – I could fight anybody. You knew when Roy Jones went in the ring he was going to do something spectacular. When Pavlik stepped in the ring with Bernard Hopkins, the people knew they were just going to see a regular old fight. No Bernard looked great and shut him out but that was just boxing. Now to go out there and entertain, who can do that? Only Roy Jones Jr. That’s what makes Roy Jones Jr so much different than any other fighters. That’s why Roy Jones Jr against Joe Calzaghe will be on PPV when Bernard Hopkins against Joe Calzaghe couldn’t. Now when Roy comes, it’s going to be a show. Not only is he good and beat the hell out of who he is fighting, but he is going to look good doing it. And it will give people something to talk about the next day. The only other person they wanted to see outside of Roy Jones Jr that was more exciting was the mighty one himself, which was Mike Tyson because Mike would bite your ear off. When it came to doing something out of the norm it was Roy Jones Jr. Was I serious or not serious, or was I taking it a little more serious than they thought I was taking it.

How could this be made now and not before?

Roy Jones Jr: Joe Calzaghe was under contract with Fran Warren right? And he is no longer under contract with Frank Warren right? When he got out of the contract, what happened? The fight was suddenly made. So what does that tell you? That is was Roy Jones’ problem? No it does not! It would have happened in the past because there would have been no contract I would have had to get out of. I was more free in the past than I was this time but without Frank Warren, the fight got made. So who do you think was the problem? Roy Jones Jr? Noooo. Was it Joe Calzaghe’s problem? No. It was only one problem…and what is the common denominator that is gone right now? Frank Warren. If you have an undefeated fighter that is making tons of money for you in your country, you are going to keep him home so you can make more money. That’s just a smart thing to do business-wise. The same thing happened to Pavlik – they fed him to Bernard Hopkins and he got whipped. He should have fought some smaller fights and made a bigger name for himself and he would have demanded a bigger purse, but you see what happened to him now. Bob Arum won’t make big money for him any more or for some time. That is what Frank didn’t want to do. That is the business of the game. I told you I was smart. I was born at night - but it wasn’t last night."

For a look at all of the Neutral Corner's coverage of the Jones-Calzaghe fight, click here.

-- CASSIDY

Golden Boy promotions sent out this release today:

As the architect for some of the greatest fighters of all-time, including Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard and George Foreman, Angelo Dundee's name is synonymous with excellence. Now, the legendary trainer will look to impart his wisdom on boxing's reigning superstar - Oscar de la Hoya - as a special consultant for the "Golden Boy" for his December 6th super-fight with Manny Pacquiao.

Dundee joins world-renowned trainer Ignacio "Nacho" Beristain on Team De La Hoya for the showdown, which will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Tickets for the bout are sold-out, but the event will air live on HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9pm ET / 6pm PT and closed circuit tickets are available at MGM-Mirage properties in Las Vegas.

"I am honored to have Angelo Dundee on my team for the biggest fight of my career," said De La Hoya. "His knowledge of the fight game is second to none, and along with Nacho Beristain, I feel like I have an unbeatable team in my corner for this fight against Pacquiao."

Dundee will review fight tapes, consult with Team De La Hoya regarding technique and strategy, visit training camp in Big Bear, California and attend fight week events. While he will consult with De La Hoya and Beristain regarding fight strategy, he will not be working the corner during the fight, leaving Beristain as the lead strategist and sole voice in the corner on fight night.

"After working with Ali and Leonard, I think it's only fitting that I now get the chance to work with the most important fighter of this era," said Dundee. "This fight against Pacquiao is the biggest fight boxing has seen in years and I'm excited to be a part of it and to help lead Oscar to victory."

That's the end of the release. Wow. Oscar is pulling out all of the stops for this fight. Interesting though, that he won't work the corner on fight night. That's probably the right move. Unlike most sports, "assistant coaches" usually don't work well in boxing. With only 60 seconds between rounds, it has to be one, clear, strong voice in the corner.

-- CASSIDY

The Neutral Corner caught up with Ernie Terrell at the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York. This is another video version of toe-to-toe. In this video Terrell talks about his era of heavyweights --- largely considered the best heavyweight era in history. He also talks about fighting George Chuvalo and his controversial fight against Muhammad Ali in the Astrodome. Ali was sharply criticized for taunting and humiliating Terrell during the fight. He was upset that Terrell called him Cassius Clay and not Muhammad Ali.

-- CASSIDY

Mike Indri, one of boxing's good guys, has a show tonight at The Medieval Times Castle in Lyndhurst, New Jersey. His Dignity Promotions puts on its inaugural fight card and features former WBA light welterweight champion “Vicious” Vivian Harris (28-3-1, 18KOs). The former champion from Brooklyn, New York by way of Georgetown, Guyana, will meet Nicaraguan Octavio “El Aquila” Narvaez (7-4-1, 4KOs) in the main bout.

The co-feature pits USBA welterweight champion LaJuan Simon against Emmanuel Gonzalez.

National amateur champion, Mike Perez, will also make his pro debut.

Tickets are still available and are priced at $50.00 (Ringside), $40.00 (Reserved), and $30.00 (General Admission). They can be purchased at www.dignityboxing.com or by calling 201-741-4994. First bout is 7:30.

Boxing’s legends “Tthe Bayonne Bleeder” Chuck Wepner, Alex “The Bronx Bomber” Ramos, Renaldo “Mr.” Snipes, Bobby Czyz, and “Irish” Micky Ward will be on hand.

-- CASSIDY

Now the other shoe drops.

On Sunday we wrote that a defeat to Manny Pacquiao could jeopardize Oscar De La Hoya's hall of fame status. Here is the post.

Today, we ask if a loss to De La Hoya drops Pacquiao from the top of boxing's pound-for-pound ratings. Again, it's a legitimate question. This one is a little easier to answer, because P4P ratings are all about the present. Really, any loss would knock you from the top spot. So the answer is yes, a loss to Oscar would drop Manny from the top spot.

But does Manny deserve to be there to begin with?

Just remember that his biggest wins have come against faded superstars Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera. In the opinion of this corner, Manny is there by default, a fighter to fill the void when Floyd Mayweather Jr. retired.

A quick glimpse at The Ring magazine's pound-for-pound ratings has Manny first, Juan Manuel Marquez second, Joe Calzaghe third and Bernard Hopkins fourth. Fair enough. But the question remains, is Manny there for lack of a better idea?

Here's a note regarding the Oscar De La Hoya hall-of-fame post. Don in Yuma left an interesting, spirited response to the question, Can Manny knock Oscar out of the hall of fame. Don compared Oscar losing to Manny like Sugar Ray Robinson and Jou Louis losing late in their career. To Don's point, Oscar losing to Manny is like Joe Louis losing to a middleweight or Sugar Ray Robinson losing to a lightweight.

And no, even if Louis had lost to a middleweight in his final fight and Robinson lost to a lightweight in his final fight, it would not preclude them from the hall of fame. But Don, can you really compare the career of Oscar to that of Louis or Robinson. Name the hall-of-famers that Oscar has defeated? A faded Pernell Whitaker? A shot Julio Cesar Chavez?

Don -- and all those who post comments -- thanks for reading and keep the comments coming.

-- CASSIDY

The 24/7 series on HBO has been fantastic. However, this is the first time the network will launch the series without Floyd Mayweather Jr. (cast as the obnoxious villain) and his dysfunctional family to keep us entertained.

Forget the boxing. Can Calzaghe-Jones measure up in the arena of entertainment?

Best Roy Jones Jr. quote: "If I lose on the 8th, who cares, but if he loses, his streak has ended. So who is the pressure on?"

Best Joe Calzaghe quote: "Hey, come on, give me my food, woman. I'm hungry."

Father knows best? Both fighters were introduced to boxing by their fathers. Roy Jones Jr. parted ways professionally with his dad about 15 years ago. Enzo Calzaghe remains in his son's corner. Enzo was a jazz musician and had no prior boxing experience. Roy Jones Sr. was a pro middleweight who once fought Marvin Hagler.

Best training scene: The medicine ball pounding into Calzaghe's midsection.

Camp contrasts: At the Jones camp they shoot rifles or cross bows during leisure time. At the Calzaghe camp they drink tea and play video games.

Best supporting cast: Alfie Smith (whose job it is to slap box with Jones) and Calzaghe's girlfriend Jo Emma Lavin (for the obvious reason, and she cooks!)

Channeling Floyd Mayweather Jr.: When Roy Jones Jr. said he had, "skills impeccable to none." Huh?

Narrator: In the history of the spoken word, has there even been anyone better at narration than HBO's Liev Schreiber? Maybe John Facenda of NFL Films fame. Maybe.

The scenic view: The establishing shots in Wales and California, PA, were outstanding. Beautiful work by HBO's camera crew.

The second episode airs next Sunday at 8:30 p.m. Check back here for another 24/7 report.

-- CASSIDY

It's a legitimate question.

This week I ran into my friend, "Richie from Levittown," who is a really knowledgeable boxing guy when he's not obsessing over soccer. I asked him, "Does Manny have a chance against Oscar?"

He said, "He shouldn't, but he does."

It was a brilliant answer because it's so true. Usually, a good big man beats a good little man. There have been some exceptions, but that rule has generally held true for more than 100 years of boxing. It basically means that with all things equal -- talent, desire, conditioning -- the larger fighter will beat the smaller fighter. Pacquiao has far too much weight to make up in this fight. On paper, he should lose.

But here's the catch. Will all things be equal? Will Manny have the edge when it comes to conditioning and desire? In the opinion of this corner, De La Hoya's major flaw is his inability to close the show.

There was a time when Oscar was among the best at finishing off an opponent. He still is. But there is a major difference between finishing off a wounded fighter and maintaining your skill and energy level long enough to win a close decision.

Oscar was ahead against Felix Trinidad, Bernard Hopkins, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Sugar Shane Mosley. He lost each of those fights. Now, it can be argued that he was the victim of shoddy judging against Trinidad and Mosley, but the reality is, Oscar has not won a meanigful fight since Fernarndo Vargas (2002) and before that, Ike Quartey (1999).

De La Hoya deserves credit for carrying the sport of boxing through one of its darkest periods. He also deserves credit fight fighting the biggest names of his generation. But if he wakes up a loser on Dec. 7, we will have to start wondering if he is worthy of hall-of-fame consideration.

-- CASSIDY

It seems the Fightin' Wordsmiths who cover MMA here are tossing around accusations with the recklessness of an Anaconda Choke Hold.

I must say, though, it was quite entertaining.

In their most recent post to us on Fightin' Words, we are being labeled "closet MMA fans."

Interesting.

This corner has had many an office debate with Hammerin' Hank and Joey Jiu-jitsu and have defended the Sweet Science. (Which, admittedly, can be difficult at times.) Throughout the course of our conversations and watching some YouTube links sent my way, I have a greater appreciation for the art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and the athletes who compete. In fact, during our interview, one of the messages Pete Sell wanted out there was that people should look at us like, "athletes, we're regular, hard-working guys." I can buy into that.

Here's what I don't buy into. I wrote this once before during Newsday's great Boxing-MMA debate. But it's worth repeating here:

"... I'm sure [MMA fighters] are brilliant within their own disciplines [wrestling or Brazilian jiu-jitsu.] ... But there is a reason that those sports have not made it to network television on their own. While the athletes are skilled, the action is simply not very compelling. That's why the only wrestling we see on television is of the fake variety.

"The reason MMA has been so successful is that it has taken legitimate sports -- wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, etc. -- and added a rogue element. You are allowed to elbow your opponent, knee your opponent, hit him while he's down and do other things that one would basically find offensive in a bar fight. Without those "rules" MMA would lose its appeal. MMA is a sport for the MTV generation. It's a sport of instant gratification. Observers want to see someone bludgeoned and bludgeoned quickly. They want to see someone's arm snapped and they don't want to wait 10 rounds for that to happen. I am sure there are fans of MMA, like Joe, who are
connoisseurs of the sport. He appreciates the nuances of an MMA fight. But that person is as common as a triple heel lock. The millions who are tuning in to watch UFC are tuning in for legalized mayhem. So, yes, congratulations MMA, you have succeeded in providing the blood thirsty fan with a quick fix."

But a closet fan? Sorry. I'm not sneaking a peak at UFC 937 down in my basement.

And sorry, we are not pirating page views by writing about MMA. The Neutral Corner's Toe-to-Toe segment has featured basketball, tennis and hockey players.

Oh yeah, and as for us "clinging to the wreckage" of our once great sport, let me just point something out. There has not been a single MMA event that has come remotely close to drawing the PPV buys and total gross numbers of the De La Hoya-Mayweather fight. (2.15 million pay-per-view buys for $120 million, on top of a live gate of $19.3 million.) And that record will be eclipsed by the De La Hoya-Pacquiano fight.

Try wrapping your armbar around that.

-- CASSIDY

PETE SELL IN TRAINING

The Neutral Corner caught up with Long Island native Pete Sell, who was training for UFC 90 at Matt Serra's gym in Huntington. After recovering from a shoulder injury, Sell returns to the Octagon on October 25.

Neutral Corner: Who wins between Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson, both men in their prime?

Pete Sell: I gotta go with Muhammad Ali. Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. That guy's moving on you, I don't think Tyson would be able to touch him.

NC: Who wins, Randy Couture or Mike Tyson

PS: In their primes? Randy Couture and Mike Tyson? I gotta go with Randy Couture. If Tyson doesn't hit him with that knockout blow right from the jump and Couture got him down, and it's probably a very good chance of Couture getting him down, that's it, show's over, he's not getting up. That's it, he's not getting up from that. Once he's on the ground, he's finished.

NC: What's your quick opinion on Kimbo Slice?

PS: He got a lot of respect for not doing much in the sport. I can't hate on the guy. Good for him, ya know, he got paid and everything. He's a superstar. But what do you do with the guy? They amped him up as a street guy on the internet, he made his name, and now you see what happened in his last fight. Maybe the pressure would be off him. They were trying to hype him up so much and he's probably like, I'm still learning. So if the guy keeps putting his time in, keeps doing his thing, good for him.

NC: One of the knocks against boxing is that there are too many sanctioning bodies, too many fighters claiming to be world champions, do you fear that happening in MMA?

PS: Eventually I guess that could happen, with there being too many leagues and too many champions and it becomes the type of thing that they have to unify the belt