Boxer Roy Jones flexes as he weighs in for his light heavyweight against Joe Calzaghe Friday, Nov. 7, 2008 at Madison Square Garden in New York. The fight will be held today. (Frank Franklin II)
As much as anything tonight at Madison Square Garden, the winner of the light heavyweight title bout between Pensacola's Roy Jones Jr. and unbeaten Welshman Joe Calzaghe will be the man most able to affix the label of in-ring "Superman" during the scheduled 12-round fight.
"I am a fighter. I can't play in the World Series. I can't play in the Super Bowl. I can't play in the NBA Finals, but I can still fight like hell," said Jones, a former four-division champion who'll be competing for Calzaghe's supremacy at 175 pounds as recognized by Ring Magazine.
"Calzaghe is thinking, 'If Roy Jones hasn't completely turned back into his old self, I have a chance of winning.' At this fight, you will see Roy Jones and you will see Joe Calzaghe.
"You will see who wins and who loses. You will see greatness."
Tonight's card will be distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View, beginning at 8 p.m.
The bout was arranged by the fighters' respective companies — Jones's Square Ring Inc. and Calzaghe Promotions — in association with Madison Square Garden.
It was originally scheduled for September before a two-month postponement because of a Calzaghe wrist injury during training camp.
"For me, it's easy. Business is 50/50. We tell each other like it is and like it should be," Jones said. "It is not weird. We don't have anyone who owns us. We are our own people. We did not need a mediator to make the fight happen. However, we might need a mediator to get me off of him."
All three half-hour episodes of HBO's "Calzaghe/Jones 24/7" — the cable network's behind-the-scenes preview documentary — will be presented back-to-back-to-back today from 7:30-9 a.m. on HBO.
"It seems like I have had five different careers. That has been my life," Jones said. "Take a knockout and get back up. I am stronger than I was before. I will win the fight. That is no question."
Now 39, Jones is more than five years removed from his perch atop the sport's pound-for-pound ranks - which he secured with a decision over WBA heavyweight champion John Ruiz and maintained soon after with a close verdict over Antonio Tarver at light heavyweight.
He encountered violent kryptonite in a rematch with Tarver, who stopped him in two rounds in May 2004 and followed with a unanimous nod in a rubber match 17 months later.
In between, Jones was battered over nine one-sided rounds by Glen Johnson, a defeat he's long blamed on physical problems related to readjustment to the lower weight after the Ruiz fight.
"My body is back down to my normal weight now," he said, "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."
Jones defeated Felix Trinidad in a 170-pound catch weight bout at the Garden in January and tipped the scales at 174 1/2 pounds on Friday.
Calzaghe, a 10-year super middleweight kingpin who took his light heavyweight bow with a split decision over Bernard Hopkins in April, also weighed in at 174 1/2.
"I feel like I'm going to go in there and do what I do best. I'm not really concerned with what Roy Jones brings to the table," the 36-year-old said. "I'm concerned with what Joe Calzaghe brings to the table."
And if I bring my 'A' game, then it's game over. It all comes down who wants it, who wants it most.
"And I don't believe anyone wants to win as much as I want to win.".
Shout to PNJ Lyle Fitzsimmons • News Journal correspondent • November 8, 2008
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