By Coach Tim Walker – It’s gonna be huge! Sure I know “gonna” isn’t an actual word but it speaks volumes as to the potential potency and possibly backlash of the Roy Jones Jr. verses Danny Green matchup scheduled December 2, 2009 in the Acer Arena, Sydney, Australia.
It speaks volumes because we all want to know if Roy Jones still has the goods to be on the world stage of the truly, truly elite boxers. Can he still throw 5 rapid-fire left hooks in a row? Can he dodge punches in an instant? Is his chin really as vulnerable as many have felt in recent years? Is he, for lack of a better way of saying it, still Superman?
Questions that his recent competition has not offered up enough fire power to provide the type of answers fight fans want. But that is typical Jones Junior. He makes fighters, even those who are eventual world champions, look slow, predictable and unworthy of being in the same ring with him.
Will the Acer Arena sell out? Probably. But whether it sells out or not is not the point for boxing fans. Why? Roy Jones was unequivocally the world’s best boxer throughout the 90’s and much of the 2000’s.. In response to his ultra-talent, fans wanted more and demanded that he challenge himself in the ring. They wanted him to go up to heavyweight though he is only 5’-11” and began his pro career at middleweight. He ultimately indulged boxing fans by challenging and beating John Ruiz to win the WBA World Heavyweight title.
Since that win he’s experienced ups and downs in his career. In the last 5 years he has suffered knock out losses to Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson. Then he endured a one-sided loss to undefeated legend Joe Calzaghe. In that same span he has wins over Felix Trinidad, Jeff Lacy, Omar Sheika, Anthony Handshaw and Prince Ajamu. Wins that would highlight other fighter’s careers but for Jones the bar is set higher and those wins earn little credit in boxing fan’s eyes. I disagree with it but it is what it is.
More important than those wins is the reason he says he now fights. Somewhere along the way he lost his reason to fight. He fought because he could and ultimately it caught up to him. It probably happened after he dismantled the division, had bought his dream car, acquired his dream house and took his dream vacation 3 or 4 times. Then, recently in fact, he found a new reason to fight. In the post fight conference of his fight with Lacy I asked him what was different for him now in terms of fighting. He answered simply and plainly “I fight now because I want to.”
Make no mistake about it, Danny Green is not a bump on a log and because of that this fight has the potential to retire one of these fighters.
Green earned the bulk of his living around super middleweight (168 pounds) but if you see Jones and him stand side by side Green is noticeably the bigger man. He was the first fighter to knock out Otis Griffith when his star was on the rise and he literally tore the 175 pound WBA World title out of Stipe Drews hands. He is a tall awkward fighter who hits hard and has never been knocked out. Bluntly, he can hurt Jones. But can he get to Jones?
This fight, probably more than any in Jones’ recent career, has the potential to end his career. Both fighters need to win but Jones, as do many of us, expects to beat Green handily. That raised expectation, which Jones has experienced his entire career, raises the bar and sets the stage for either one of the greatest comebacks in boxing history or certifies the possible end Jones’ career.
To further fuel the fire Jones has a penciled agreement for a March, 2010 fight with fellow ring legend Bernard Hopkins. Of course he must beat Green to signature it in ink. Talk about pressure. For Green this fight represents the biggest spectacle in Australian boxing history. He’ll be fighting in front of family, friends and countrymen. That’s motivation within itself.
Both fighters want to win. Only one can. Somebody’s going down-under.
Side note: In their last 10 fights Roy Jones Junior and Bernard Hopkins are 6-4-0 and 7-3-0 respectively. Interestingly we view both fighters differently. Think about it.
Coach Tim Walker is a contributing writer for the Eastsideboxing.com and his own blog at boxing4life.blogspot.com. To make fighter suggestions for Weekly Stud, The Prospect or to contact him with questions or comments please email him at tpwalker@hotmail.com.