LAS VEGAS – Roy Jones Jr. and his entourage arrived an hour late for yesterday’s press conference at Caesars Palace to promote Saturday’s fight with WBA heavyweight champion John Ruiz.
Jones’ tardiness wasn’t unexpected given his ambivalence to media gatherings, but it nonetheless irritated Ruiz, who will generate the bulk of his paycheck for the fight from pay-per-view sales.
“He hasn’t been doing his job promoting the fight,” Ruiz grumbled before Jones made his grand entrance. “I guess he doesn’t want to say things that come Saturday night, he has to fulfill.”
Jones, of course, didn’t apologize for being late. Nor did he apologize for his lack of media availability leading up to a 12-round heavyweight championship that is only now reaching the radar screen.
“We ain’t got to talk about nothin’,” Jones said with a snarling smile.
He then grabbed a pair of headphones, plopped in a CD and bounced to a beat as promoter Don King needed two hours to ramble about his past legal troubles; France not backing the U.S. on Iraq; several Biblical teachings; as well as introduce every boxer on the 10-bout card.
There finally was some electricity when the fighters stood face-to-face for the stare-down pictures.
“I plan on keeping my belt and moving on with my career,” said Ruiz, who is 38-4-1 with 27 KOs.
Said Jones: (47-1, 38 KOs), “I’m here to fight.”
Truth is, Ruiz-Jones needs a late rush of promotion. This is a matchup that’s more curiosity than compelling as Jones, the current undisputed light heavyweight champion, tries to become the first former middleweight in more than 100 years to win a heavyweight championship belt. Whether that’s enough to make the fan at home go into his wallet for the pay-per-view buy is uncertain.
A Massachusetts native of Puerto Rican decent, Ruiz is the first Latin heavyweight champion. But his name alone doesn’t sell a fight. That’s why Lennox Lewis isn’t looking his way. A win over Jones would change that.
“I want to prove I’m the best heavyweight in the world,” Ruiz said.
A Ruiz victory might be considered tainted, considering he’ll weigh 30 pounds more than Jones.
“When Roy Jones does lose,” Ruiz said, “he’ll have more excuses than can be imagined.”
Jones knows his reputation as the best pound-for-pound boxer is at stake, which means everything to him.
“People want to see me get beat,” Jones said. “They want to see me get knocked out. So I looked and looked and then I saw the ‘Real Deal’ on his butt. Wow, here’s somebody [Ruiz] who can punch, somebody who can be deadly. Here’s somebody who wants to fight.”
Whether it sells to America is uncertain.