"This is the kind of fight that I live for. This is real action and if he goes past four I'm going to be pissed off. He ain't fitting to run, he ain't fitting to get out of the way of nothing so I should have too much stuff for him to be able to take.

Earlier today an unusually excited former pound for pound king named Roy Jones Jr phoned Boxingtalk to update us with all sorts of interesting information. "I'm feeling good with this weight loss and I've established how I'm looking at this. Floyd Mayweather Jr is fighting Ricky Hatton on December 8 and that's a good fight. I take my hat off to Floyd because he's taking on all challengers. It's good for the sport and I love the fact that he's doing that.  This is how I'm going to look at this. If he beats Ricky Hatton he should still be at the top of the pound for pound chart. But because De La Hoya lost to Felix Trinidad, Bernard Hopkins went eleven rounds with him, if I stop him in four rounds or less I should be ranked #2 pound for pound. Would you agree with that?"

GL: I'm not sure I agree with that, but you could have an arguement.

Roy Jones: "I think if I stop this guy in four, I should be close to the top of the pound for pound. The only person I don't want to go over yet is Floyd. But if he don't beat Ricky Hatton then maybe I should go to the top. But if he beats Ricky Hatton he still got his spot. Oscar and Bernard are both among the top pound for pound fighters and Oscar lost to him and Bernard went eleven scared rounds even though he was way bigger than him. I stop him inside of four rounds that should put me in at #2 at the pound for pound list."

GL: Do you think De La Hoya really lost the fight with Trinidad?

RJ: "Oscar had the fight won but he got scared and took off, so I feel the decision went the right way."

GL: You don't anticipate coming down to 170 being a problem?

RJ: "Yeah it's going to be a problem and I'm going to be pissed off that I'm going to have to lose that extra weight. That's why he's not going more than four rounds.  I'm training for six rounds in the boxing gym. I ain't going no more than six rounds. I ain't doing more than six rounds a day in the boxing gym because I don't expect to go any longer than that. If he lasts past four rounds I don't think I deserve to be in the top five pound for pound."

GL: Trinidad does not how to take a backwards step.

RJ: "That's what I'm trying to tell you, so if it goes past four rounds I don't deserve to be in the top five pound for pound. If I stop him inside of four though, I should be at #2."

GL: In either case a victory over Trinidad should put you back on everyone's list.

RJ: "If I don't stop him inside of four, I don't even care if they put me on the list. Six rounds top. If he goes more than that, I don't deserve credit for whooping him."

GL: Does the fight have a venue yet?

RJ: "Madison Square Garden on January 19. If he fight goes past four rounds don't put me on the pound for pound list."

GL: You sound pretty excited Jones.

RJ: "I'm happy and I'm pleased to be back in a big fight. I haven't had a big fight like this in so long. The John Ruiz fight was my last really big fight and it had excitement. This fight is going to be exciting because if Tito fights anybody it's going to be an exciting fight. If Roy Jones fights anyone people watch, so when you have two guys like that fighting each other it makes for a huge event. Tito brought all of the excitement to his fights with Winky Wright and Bernard Hopkins. Guys like Glen Johnson and Antonio Tarver, don't nobody really care who they fight right now. But if they fight Roy Jones people will watch. So they have to respect the real. This is the kind of fight that I live for. This is real action and if he goes past four I'm going to be pissed off. He ain't fitting to run, he ain't fitting to get out of the way of nothing so I should have too much stuff for him to be able to take."

GL: In many recent discussions you've made it clear to me that you don't even want to hear about a Bernard Hopkins fight because you feel he doesn't really want to fight you again. Like it or not, the boxing world is going to want to see the winner of this fight face Hopkins next. He has history with both of you and it would seem to make sense.

RJ: "I don't want to hear bout Hopkins. Nah. If Tito wins, which I doubt very seriously, he'd probably fight him again. But when I win, I'm not going to fight him. I'd rather fight Holyfield or somebody who I know will fight me. I think Holyfield is going to win the heavyweight title again. I'd rather fight Samuel Peter if he wins the heavyweight title. And if the Golden Boy wants to meet me somewhere, so he knows what it's like to be in the ring with one of the all time greats."

GL: So you'd rather face the winner of Calzaghe-Kessler than Bernard Hopkins?

RJ: "Yep. There you go."

GL: The fans are still going to demand it Jones.

RJ: "They've been demanding it, but what has he been doing?"

GL: Maybe after the Trinidad fight he'll want to fight you at 50-50 across the board.

RJ: "I wouldn't even want to talk to him. I offered it to him he didn't want to take it, there's no need to talk about it ever again. We're friends and we're cool, but I'm not going to talk business with him because it's a waste of my time."

GL: Is there anything you'd like to say in closing?

RJ: "There's going to be some real fireworks at the Garden on January 19. I know Tito has a lot of fans and they're going to think he has a chance to land that one big punch with his eyes closed like Tarver, those days are over. I'm going to 170, but I'm doing it the right way and when I get there I'm going to be ready for whatever and when I'm ready for whatever, can't nothing stop me."

M

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