Trying to beat heavy odds
By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Columnist
You wouldn't catch Peyton Manning trying to step in and play offensive line in the NFL or Allen Iverson talking about moving up to power forward in the NBA.
That is why what Roy Jones Jr. is attempting to do tomorrow night in Las Vegas is so intriguing.
Jones, the reigning light-heavyweight champion, is taking on both history and John Ruiz in trying to capture a share of boxing's biggest prize, the heavyweight title, the hard way — from the light-heavyweight division.
Call it the $10 Million Question, which is what Jones is getting to take the leap in divisions and convention and prove the "small" man can refute the law of the ring.
The fighter some call "Reluctant Roy" for over-cautious handpicking of opponents these past few years, has bitten off the biggest of challenges for a fighter in his division by stepping into a bout where he'll give up at least 35 pounds, three inches in height and several inches in reach.
Small wonder that the past 13 light-heavyweight titleholders to seek a piece of the heavyweight crown have gone 1-11-1. Only Michael Spinks, who won a disputed decision over Larry Holmes in 1985, beat the odds. But he was giving away only about half the weight Jones will.
Billy Conn, Archie Moore and Bob Foster couldn't make the leap in their day, though they were facing opponents — Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, Muhammad Ali etc. — considerably more formidable than the 38-4-1 Ruiz.
And, not since 1897, when Bob Fitzsimmons beat Gentleman Jim Corbett, has a former middleweight champion, which Jones is, taken down a heavyweight title holder.
Clearly, as Jones likes to put it, "this ain't no normal race."
Which is what gives this fight its appeal, separating it from the current run-of-the-mill heavyweight division. Indeed, one of the favorite points of argument around boxing is who is the best pound-for-pound fighter of the moment. A lot of people maintain it has been Jones, who has dominated the light-heavyweight division — while unifying all five major versions of the title — for nearly a decade.
Even against less-than-rousing foes, Jones' 47-1 (38 knockouts) brilliance has been acknowledged and his speed and skill impressive. If anybody of recent vintage can beat a heavyweight titleholder, Jones would seem to be the man.
But, as Jones acknowledges, this is a different ballgame. When he made quick work of Richard Frazier, Virgil Hill et al, he wasn't facing either the bulk or the wallop of a heavyweight. When he got tagged, he didn't find his world spinning the way it will if Ruiz really connects.
Legend abounds about the light-heavies who have awakened from a right-hand-induced slumber to inquire about their whereabouts only to be told, "you're in the heavyweight division."
