Roy, Roy, Roy … Oh Boy! Yes, Once Again It's All About Roy Jones Jr., and it's Hot in Here … Boxing may be Sweatin' This Cat, but I'm Just Sweatin' Period.

Mike Samuels

25.10 - ATTENTION: To all the young boxers who just can't seem to get noticed, the young guys who can't seem to get that "big break" or get that "one fight" under their belts, and to all the dreamers who seem to beat up on everyone but never hear a word from Don King or Bob Arum, relax and take a seat.

The solution is simple.

Become hated.

Mike Tyson wasn't always hated, but boy, when he started fouling and causing a scene like a fat man who finds out the buffet isn't All You Can Eat, boxing opened their eyes and started allowing Tyson to use his negativity to sell anything from boxing gloves, video games, to even chocolate candy bars.

The public, let alone the sport, hated Mike Tyson. Everyone from sports writers, TV analysts, and the average Joe at home was waiting to see Tyson get what he deserved.

Perhaps Lennox Lewis helped people digest their hate for the once two-time and youngest heavyweight champion, but Tyson has made a fantastic living based on the hate that people have for him. His fight (more like a one-sided beating) with Lennox Lewis sold more pay per-view buys than any other, and his scheduled bout with The Black Rhino will probably out do any fight the real champion puts on television next year.

Now with Tyson's image permanently dented (even though most people will watch this man until he's entering the ring with diapers) and his will often questioned, the boxing world has decided to turn up the volume when it comes to that cool cat from Pensacola, FL, Roy Jones Jr.

Don't get me wrong, people hating Jones isn't some new trend that just won't go away. It's been around for close to six to seven years - and even before that -with Jones never facing guys like Nigel Benn, Steven Collins, and ducking Michael Nunn.

Oh, and let's not forget the Buster Douglas cry.

Wait; did I mention the repetitive calling out of Germany's Tiger?

Yeah, yeah, yeah … we've all heard it before. Roy ducked him. Roy's nothin' but a scared little chicken, cryin' wolf and hurting the sport. Wow, Jones beat Virgil Hill with a body shot, what's he want, a trophy?

Yeah, yeah, Jones was screwed worse than a porn star in the Olympics, and, yeah, Jones is just fighting the Glen Kelly's, Julio Gonzalez's, and that one guy, from that one gym, at the one place.

Jones continues to call out guys he has no intention to ever fight.

Enter the Tiger.

Enter Jirov.

So what? Roy's been dominating so many guys at his weight class (and weight classes before that), and he's making easy cash and never has to worry about getting seriously hurt. What's wrong with that?

Not much to Roy, because his legacy has already been etched in stone, and as soon as Jones quits it will be placed in the Hall of Fame and become a bedtime story to all of our grandkids.

But to the people, the fans, and to the sport, that's all a different story.

It's becoming a story that I'm sick of hearing, a story that has been read too many times that it's losing it's magic. Instead of getting new readers to the world of boxing interested in what's going on, all that is happening is boxing is repeating the same bullcrap over and over about Roy Jones.

Need an example? Hell, just scroll down any boxing website's list of daily news archives and you'll see at least ten different stories and approaches to the brand new (yeah right) saga that is Jones and John Ruiz.

I'm not much of a fan of either guy, but I sure as hell don't see a point for Jones to gain twenty pounds just to make the weight, and then get in to the ring with a joke like John Ruiz. But what's the big fuss over whether or not the fight will happen? Jones is notorious for pulling out of fights, so what's the level of disappointment?

Zero.

Antonio Tarver, a rather legit competitor at 175lbs is waiting in the shadows for Jones, and what's he doing? He's jiving the public into thinking that he's going to win the heavyweight title. He's foolin' us all into thinking that he's going to become the next Michael Moorer or Evander Holyfield.

Let's say, for a brief second that is, that Jones does take this fight with Ruiz. He is gaining nothing and Ruiz is finally getting his big payday, and to think, he wouldn't even be facing a legit contender of his OWN division. Not to mention that he's going to give up huge amounts of size and strength to Ruiz (yeah, he may be a bum but anyone naturally forty pounds heavier than you, in your face is a threat).

This act, or fight, whichever you prefer, is a lose/lose fight for Jones. If he wins then all he did was beat a specialized project (not champion) of Don King. If he loses, then it hurts his already rather sound career, and the boxing public goes nuts finally being able to see the mystical Jones defeated.

If Jones doesn't take the fight then all he is, is a little wanna-be warrior who has no brass between his pants. Then even more articles will be written about the SAME thing, and more B.S. will ponder into the ears of new fans, fans that shouldn't have to listen to the Roycotts, and cries of fake champion over and over.

So enough with it.

Forget this fight - whether it happens or doesn't.

Throw away your lists of excuses on why Jones won't come through, and why all he seems to do is call out people he never wants to face.

Why, you ask?

Because it's nothing new.

Just the same ole' story, and this is one writer who's done reading.

Feel free to follow my lead.