By Jim De Pierro
07.09 - This is one of the stupidest columns I have ever written. I don’t even know why I am wasting my time writing this column because there aren’t even any real fights this weekend. I guess it is because Roy Jones jr. is such a marquee name in boxing circles that I feel obligated to at least say something of what I think is likely to transpire during the event Roy Jones jr. And Clinton Woods (Note: I refuse to call this match up a fight because for all intents and purposes this is not a fight, its yet another meaningless title defense against some schmuck who probably doesn’t even deserve to be in the same ring with his Royness). If I had to pick one weekend to give up watching boxing this would be it. Of course I won’t because I am a boxing addict. I will probably hate every minute of watching this fight but I am going to tune in anyhow.
I know a few of you reading this column will say your not going to watch this fight out of principle because of your Roycott. All of you are hypocrites and you know it. You will at least tune in momentarily maybe during a commercial break of some other show you will be watching Saturday night to see if Clinton Woods can catch lightning in a bottle and somehow beat Roy Jones Jr. If the impossible were to somehow happen, I would give it about four seconds before one of these same people gets on the computer and posts a message saying “Ha, ha I told you so Roy Jones is a bum! I always knew he would lose. Yadda yada yada . . .” The only reason it would take four seconds is because millions of Roy haters around the world would have to pinch themselves to make sure they weren’t dreaming. Of course it won’t happen and that same person will more than likely shake their head in disgust as Roy Jones jr. will again proclaim his P4P greatness and walk out of the arena without so much as a scratch on him. Well, enough of my rants, now for the predictions.
Omar Sheika 23-3 (16 KOs) vs. Eric Lucas 35-4-3 (13 KOs)
(ESPN2, Main Event)
I said in my opener that there is no real fights this weekend but I take that back. Not that this is of any major significance but it’s the only fight I am making a prediction on that I could see going either way. My heart says Sheika but my head says Lucas. I will be pulling for Sheika but I don’t think it will happen. Sheika has never scored a KO past the 8th round and has only gone as far as 10 once winning a majority decision against GlennCoffe Johnson who is mediocre at best. This suggests to me that Sheika weakens in the later rounds. I feel bad Sheika because I think he definitely got screwed in his last fight against Thomas Tate who was getting the living bejesus beat out of him before the ref stopped the fight on cuts. I have said it before and I will say it again. I don’t think fights should be stopped on cuts and swelling unless it is obvious that the fighter is blinded by his own blood or swollen eyes and can’t defend himself. Sheika would have taken Tate down and out in another round or two IMO blood or no blood.
Eric Lucas has been stopped only twice in his career both times in the 12th round by Glenn Catley and Roy Jones Jr. Lucas later avenged the loss to Catley by a 7th round TKO. If Jones at super middleweight took 12 rounds to stop Lucas I have a hard time seeing how Sheika, especially given his lack of late KO power could possibly KO Lucas or do any better than Jones. Sheika has shown that he is susceptible to cuts but I don’t believe he is anymore prone to cuts than Pazienza. Vinny Pazienza has more scar tissue and cuts worse than Sheika IMO and Pazienza, despite his face looking like a mess was still good enough to go the distance with Lucas. Lucas should win a hard fought decision by a margin of anywhere from two to five points on all three judges scorecards.
Eric Lucas UD over Omar Sheika
Ronald “Winky” Wright 43-3 (25 KOs) vs. Bronco McKart 45-3 (29 KOs)
(HBO, under card of Jones-Woods)
McKart’s motto going into this fight has to be “third time is the charm”. Wright already beat McKart twice. The second time more easily than the first. I don’t see why the result of this fight should be any different. The real question is will the winner of De La Hoya-Vargas step up to meet Wright who in terms of ability can hold his own against anyone.
Ronald “Winky” Wright UD over Bronco McKart
Roy Jones jr. 46-1 (37 KOs) vs. Clinton Woods 32-1 (18 KOs)
(HBO, Main Event)
You don’t need me to tell you that RJJ is going to smoke Clinton Woods. The only question is how foolish is Woods going to look for the duration of the fight. If Woods wins a single round I would consider that an upset in and of itself. Its not a matter of if, its only when and how. I think Jones comes out meaning business and makes short work of Clinton Woods. I have never seen Clinton Woods fight but I have heard he is the type of fighter who is always coming forward. You know I was thinking, instead of Woods doing the ring walk with whatever music he was planning to enter the ring to they should instead get one of the actors from one of those death row movies like the Green Mile where the guard yells “Dead man walking!” because that is a much more accurate assessment of this fight. More than likely Clinton Woods will walk away from this fight with a few scrapes and bruises and possibly concussion but my point is that this fight will like 90% Roy Jones fights end up looking like a mismatch. I say Jones beats him in three if Woods actually comes to fight and tries to win. Ten if he shows up just to survive. Either way Woods won’t see the final bell is my guess. I don’t know the intentions of Clinton Woods so I will go with what I think is a safe pick of Jones in six.
Roy Jones jr. KO 6 over Clinton Woods
Attila Levin 24-1 (20 KOs) vs. Ross Purrity 28-16-3 (25 KOs)
(Fox Sports, Main Event)
Ross Purrity is too tough for his own good. More than likely he will go the full 10 or 12 rounds this fight is scheduled for and get beaten up the majority of rounds by the Swedish prospect and Angelo Dundee prot?g? Attila Levin. Purrity has only two marks that stand out on his ledger that distinguish him from other journeyman fighters. One is a draw with Tommy Morrison way back in 1994 and the other is that he is the only man to have ever beaten Wladimir Klitschko who is widely perceived as the most deserving contender to fight for Lennox Lewis’s crown. I don’t know much about Levin. I have seen him a few times on Thunderbox (I am ashamed to admit it but yes I watch that show when its on and it has a fight I haven’t seen) and in his last fight against Guerrero. Levin looks to be OK and seems to be fairly quick for a big man but I haven’t seen enough of Levin to say whether he is the real deal or just a bunch of hype. Even an over hyped heavyweight prospect is usually good enough to beat Ross Purrity on most night.
Attila Levin UD over Ross Purrity
One of the most tiresome debates I read on boxing message boards is the ongoing argument of who is more chicken? Bernard Hopkins or Roy Jones? I really couldn’t care less because as far as I am concerned Hopkins and Jones are both cut from the same cloth. Both fighters are in this game for the money and couldn’t care less about what the fans want. As far as I am concerned they are both mercenaries. For what its worth and from what I can understand I think RJJ has been more reasonable in trying to make a fight with Bernard Hopkins. That doesn’t take away from the fact that Jones has changed his tune more times than a politician on election day with promises of fighting Vasily Jirov, Buster Douglass or Darius Michaelczewski that never come to fruition.
Nobody outside of Jones or Hopkins legal team sees all of the proposed terms of a fight between these two so it really hard to take sides. Even if I did see the contract you would have to be a lawyer and really know the nuts and bolts of the fight game to understand the pre-fight contract in terms of how the purse is divvied up when taking into account everything from promoters, to expenses for site fees and managers and so on. One thing I do understand is percentages. For what its worth I think Jones has been the more reasonable of the two. I think Bernard Hopkins is a hypocrite for demanding a 50-50 purse when Jones already beat him one handed. Here is how you can tell Hopkins is a hypocrite. Let’s just say hypothetically that Tito were to come out of retirement and for the next couple of years he faced De La Hoya and Vargas in re-matches and emerged victorious. Let’s also say for the sake of argument that Shane Mosley and Vernon Forrest had moved up to jr. middleweight or middleweight. Whatever weight division Tito was fighting at and Tito emerged victorious. Let’s say during this same time Hopkins had not lost but only fought his mandatory contenders to keep his belts and that none of these mandatorys were very good so Hopkins didn’t get much credit for beating them. Now Tito comes along and wants to erase the one blight on his record by avenging his sole loss to Bernard Hopkins. Tito demands that the purse be 50-50 since he has been out the last few years proving himself the best in the world while Hopkins hasn’t done a whole lot in the mean time other than stay active and not lose. If you think Hopkins would agree to 50-50 split than Hopkins is not a hypocrite. If on the other hand you think there is no way in hell Hopkins would go for that deal after he so convincingly beat Trinidad then he is a hypocrite for thinking Jones should take the same deal he is offering. My hypothetical scenario is more generous to Tito than the reality of Bernard Hopkins real situation because the only big name that means anything to the public that Hopkins has beaten is Trinidad. I would recommend anybody really interested in why Jones and Hopkins can’t come to terms read the transcripts of interviews on www.ringtalk because it really illustrates what the disagreements and dislike for each other these two have for each other.
I consider Roy Jones jr. P4P number one in the world right now largely through default. I don’t particularly care for Roy Jones jr. but I don’t think there is a fighter outside of heavyweight that can beat Jones. People ask who has Roy Jones jr. beaten to be so deserving of such high stature and the answer is he stands the test of time. Mosley, Hamed, Trinidad, Lewis, Mayweather, De La Hoya have all faltered at some point in recent years. Tszyu and Forrest are on the P4P list solely based on one fight. It takes more than one fight to be P4P number one in my book. The only other credible name that people can offer is Bernard Hopkins and Jones of course already beat him and would do so again IMO. I for one am sick of RJJ broken promises and I am also sick of hearing these guys in lower weight divisions call out Jones. If light-heavyweight is such a vast wasteland of talent as so many have made it out to be then why don’t Hokins or Calzaghe move up and test the waters at light-heavyweight and become a mandatory for one of Jones’s belts?
* * * Bonus Prediction * * *
The real fireworks will happen Saturday night in the post fight interview when Hopkins and Jones will exchange words. Hopkins will be there in person to call out Roy Jones. The incident in Derrick Gainer’s locker room is no accident. Jones-Hopkins II will be a done deal within 6 months.
Agree? Disagree? Think I’m full of it? E-mail me at dman4673@earthlink.net and tell me what you think.
