The Boston Globe from Boston, Massachusetts • 62

D8 THE BOSTON SUNDAY GLOBE FEBRUARY 8, 1998 eked into corner, Jones back soul Boxing oy Jones Jr. has been blessed with I a curse. The blessing is that he is among the two or three best ers of his generation. The curse is mm fhgt people actually think he wants to fight -i-iiiiiilrninr-'-" nn-i minium Intftir ROY JONES JR. Reluctant pugilist bra living.

TIf ever there was proof that the latter is case, it came last Wednesday when Jones told his new promoter the same thing he told his old ones: "I think I'll pass." The former middleweight, super middleweight, and light heavyweight champion httji sent a fax to Murad Muhammad in winch he agreed to fight 37-year-old ex-hfjavyweight champion Buster Douglas on JJay 2 for $6 million and an assortment of oher things Jones didn't think Muhammad cjmld deliver on. Last Saturday night, Jones thought apout it some more as he worked an HBO fjght broadcast, and his usual misgivings began to surface. By Monday he had told Muhammad he had to talk to his parents about this whole i()ea of moving up to heavyweight. On Tuesday his mother shocked him, spying, "Go ahead, son," which left Jones in a pjace he never wanted to be standing in front of his father. Uones has barely spoken to his father -who at one time was his manager, trainer, hero, and confidant since a nasty breakup several years ago over Roy compulsive ned to control his son and his career.

t-The father, who trained the boy all the wgiy to the Seoul Olympics and onto the road to "three world championships, cut the son loose like a bad habit, refusing to attend his fights or visit his new home or live in the one tie son had bought for his family. that's all tied up with his father and what happened in Seoul." In Seoul, he was so obviously cheated out of the gold medal that he was later voted outstanding boxer of those Games. But he went home with only a silver medal because at least two judges were paid to vote for a Korean boxer in Jones's gold medal bout. "He's a great fighter who's always looking for a reason not to fight," said Abraham. "It's always something.

He loves basketball more than boxing, but he knows he'll never play in the NBA So he fights, but he doesn't love to fight." He also doesn't often fight. He hasn't been in the ring since dispatching Montell Griffin, the only professional to beat him, last summer. After that fight, in which he won back the World Boxing Council light heavyweight title, Jones announced he couldn't care less about the title or about a light heavyweight HBO tournament that would crown a unified champion and pay him several million dollars per fight. Instead, he fractured the title further by giving his up rather than defending it against No. 1 contender Michael Nunn, and then announced he would move up to the heavyweight division because he needed a multimillion-dollar payday.

Not long after that, he turned down $5 million to fight Jeremey Williams and sought $10 million to fight Michael Moorer after Moorer was dropped five times by Evander Holyfield. With his career stalled and HBO in no apparent hurry to overpay him to fight what has become a stable of stiffs on his resume, Jones hired Muhammad to aid the Levins in moving his career. To his credit, Muhammad did a marvelous negotiating job, convincing Arum and Douglas to take $1.7 million while Jones would get $6 million. He then satisfied every one of Jones's demands from how many rooms and plane tickets he would get, to how the promotion would be advertised, to making sure his pal Smoke Gainer was on the pay-per-view card. Faced with this possibility of actually having to fight, Jones turned to a man to whom he barely speaks, a man he claimed used to beat him with a rubber hose in training.

His father. But in bailing his son out, Roy Jones Sr. also may have sunk his career, despite all of Jones's talent and his record (35-1, 30 KOs), because HBO has grown weary of trying to cajole a reluctant dragon into the ring. "Screw Roy Jones," a television industry insider said. "We're all a little sick and tired of this." whom Tapia defeated in a controversial figh last year.

In fact, Tapia said he has no inters est in Romero. "It was such an easy fight the! people don't want to see me fight Danny again," Tapia said. "Danny is the only one who wants that. But why? It would be same fight as the last time. What's he to do different? Box me? I already proved -what I had to prove.

The only reason Rome-, ro is still around is because he mentions my, name. Romero is gone already. He's out of. my dreams." Fernando Vargas will need' surgery to remove a calcium deposit on the, knuckles of his right hand. That injury! forced the cancellation of his first real test a' fight with Romallis Ellis.

Local bleatings i Onetime Providence middleweight Brian Barbosa (22-3, 16 KOs) defends the US Box-J ing Association title and seeks the vacant North American Boxing Federation version as well vs. Antwun Echols (23-3, 16 KOs) on USA Network Tuesday night Mike Cap- piello fights on a small card at the Roxy Feb. 20 Chelsea heavyweight John Ruiz defended the NABF heavyweight title for the second time with an llth-round TKO of' former world champion Tony Tucker last weekend in Tampa. Ruiz (32-3) is now third in the world in the WBC ratings and seventh in the WBA. According to promoter Art Pe-' lullo, Ruiz is "now ready for bigger fights' against Mike Tyson, Holyfield, or Lewis or any of the top heavyweights in the world." The problem for Pelullo and co-promoter Panos Eliades, who also handles Lewis's affairs, is that Ruiz announced after the fight he will be seeking a new promoter when his contract expires in June.

If he gets one, he may end up back on HBO, which had said it would not use him after Pelullo and Elaides blocked Ruiz from fighting Tim Witherspoon after Eliades had originally agreed to the match without Pelullo's knowledge Dan O'Malley will run another amateur show at The Sports Resort in Weymouth March 2. For ticket info, call 781-335-1000 or 617-786-9547 O'Malley will run a pro' 1 show Saturday at the Braintree Armory, I with South Boston junior middleweight Shaun Creegan (6-0-2) headlining in a re-' match vs. New Hampshire's Rick Edson (8-' 7-2). They fought to a draw last month at -Foxwoods. Undefeated Tommy Attardo (7-0) and Quincy heavyweight Steve Scigliano'' also will be on the card.

Call 617-786-9547 for tickets. end when aged Tim Witherspoon fights dangerous but disaster-prone Jimmy Thunder on USA Network Main Events had a big week with Roberto Garcia (29-0, 23 KOs). Early in the week, it signed Garcia to a promotional contract and by the end of the week it learned he would fight Harold Warren for the vacant IBF junior lightweight title that another Duva fighter, Arturo Gatti, had just relinquished Jose "Buffalo" Martin, the longtime trainer of Julio Cesar Chavez, died in a car accident in Spain Jan. 4. Chavez is still scheduled to fight Miguel Angel Gonzalez for the vacant WBC super lightweight title March 7 Speaking of the IBF, how can anyone issue heavyweight ratings like theirs with a straight face? The IBF's January list claims Vaughn Bean is the No.

1 contender, followed by Frans Botha, Hasim Rahman, Ray Mercer, and Henry Akin-wande. Excuse me if I gag just a bit The Professional Boxing Writers Association has selected the Arturo Gatti-Rafael Ruelas war as the 1997 fight of the year. Gatti's manager, Pat Lynch, was named manager of the year Gatti, by the way, needed 13 stitches to close the cut over his left eye that cost him his recent bout with Angel Man-fredy This may be more a testimony to his opponents than himself, but young Zad Judah is not only 14-0 with 10 KOs but has not lost a round on any judge's scorecard since turning pro. He is 41-0 in rounds World Boxing Organization-IBF junior bantamweight champion Johnny Tapia will fight his last fight at 115 pounds Friday in his hometown of Albuquerque, if all goes as he plans. Tapia has added a new co-manager and trainer in former Tommy Morrison handlers Tony Holden and Tommy Virgets.

Tapia had tried to convince Teddy Atlas to train him in place of Abel Sanchez but Atlas was reluctant to get involved in a situation where a fighter is co-managed by his wife. "I told Johnny he needed his wife but I didn't," Atlas explained. Tapia made the switch, he says, because Sanchez could not devote all his time to him, the same reasoning he used when he walked away from Arum to sign on with Don King. "I needed someone for me," Tapia explained. "Tommy is dedicating himself to myself." Tapia believes he will be at his best at 118 pounds, although it's difficult to argue with his 42-0-2 record and dozen title defenses at 115, but insists he will go no higher.

"I don't want to fight at 125 or 130," Tapia said. "I've been 115 since 1988, so I want to try something different but I don't want a weight I walk around at. That's no work." Tapia denied he is moving up in pursuit of hometown rival Danny Romero, Abraham and HBO Sports vice president for programming Lou DiBella were a bit kinder but no less frustrated. "Roy sent Murad a fax last week that said he'd accepted the fight," an incredulous Abraham said. "It was not legally binding, but at the time he didn't say a thing about his parents.

He had the payday he said he wanted and, the real challenge he said he wanted. Maybe that was the problem." Whatever the problem, and it is surely a deep-seated one, Jones sits in his empty house, one of the richest young men in Pen-sacola, with no place to turn. He says he cannot make the 160- or 168-pound limit anymore, has no interest in fighting at 175, can't make a dime as a cruiserweight because nobody in that division does, and now feels he would, be risking life and limb as a heavyweight Sounds like it's time for a retirement party. Short jabs You figure this out WBC heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis will not train at Big Bear, where he normally prepares for title fights, but instead will work out of the Leprechaun Gym in Miami for his March 28 bout with Shannon Briggs. Briggs is training at the same gym.

Main Events spokesman Mike Boorman suggests, "Maybe they can share an apartment International Boxing Federation super middleweight champion Charles Brewer will defend his title against England's Herol Graham on the same card. In his last defense, Brewer defeated Boston's Joey DeGrandis, while the fight that got Graham another title shot was his victory over Vinny Pazienza On April 7, somebody's stalled career could I But now, faced with the specter of actual-having to back up one of his boasts with action, Roy Jones Jr. ran home to his father, wjio predictably advised him not to risk his life. with such a commitment, iS'hus did Muhammad and Douglas's promoter, Bob Arum, learn Wednesday what th(JLevin brothers (who still advise Jones though he seldom listens) and HBO )prts officials learned long ago: Roy Jones doesn't like to fight. boxing," said Time Warner Sforts CEO Seth Abraham.

"That's Roy. Rfcy is blessed at being maybe the best fight-er the world, but it's a curse because he den't like the sport or the business, and i "5 BOSTON URBAN PROFESSIONALS 2 VOLLEYBALL LEAGUE Corporate teams and individuals welcome. All levels of competition! 617-237-2413 -4 www.bostonwebworks.comvolleyball A Badminton: Boston Open at Oupont Gymnasium, MIT, 9 a.m. College basketball: Men Vermont at BU, 1 p.m.; Hartford at Northeastern, 1 p.m.; St. Bonaventure at URI, 2:45 p.m.; Niagara at Fairfield, 3:30 p.m.

Women St. Bonaventure at URI, 11:45 p.m.; BU at Vermont, 1 p.m.; Niagara at Fairfield, 1 p.m.; Daniel Webster at Wheelock, 1 p.m.; Delaware at Maine, 1 p.m.; Towson St. at UNH, 1 p.m.; Northeastern at Hartford, 2 p.m. Fishing: Eastern Fishing Outdoor Exposition at the Worcester Centrum, 10 a.m. Golf show: Golf Expo '98 at the Bay-side Exposition Center, Boston, 10 a.m.

College hockey: Mass-Lowell at UMass, 2 p.m.; Providence at Merrimack, 7 p.m. Pro hockey: Hartford at New Haven, 1 p.m.; Portland vs. Providence at the Providence Civic Center, 4 p.m. "A- 1 iwn JkwwM wi-l 2 -kO 4 Sports Log N.ames: Top pick Drew wants an $11. 17m deal J.D.

Drew, the power-hitting outfielder who for months has played cat-and-mouse with the team that drafted him No. 1 out of college, the Philadelphia Phillies, says he's willing to report for $11.17 million over four years. College baseball's 1997 player of the year said he wants a $5 million signing bonus and a one-year contract for the league minimum $170,000, along with a three-year, $6 million option that would kick in if the club decides to keep Drew. "They say I'm a franchise player but that I'm crazy for wanting $11 million because I haven't proven myself," Drew said. "This gives them a chance to see me, and if they don't like what they see, they can release me." Graciano Rocchigiani, beset with a high fever, withdrew from his World Boxing Council light heavyweight title fight against Michael Nunn only six hours before the bout was to begin in Berlin Reggie Johnson used an overhand right to score a stunning fifth-round knockout of William Guthrie and claim the International Boxing Federation light heavyweight title Friday night at Mohegan Sun casino in Montville, Conn.

Goran Ivanisevic, a Croatian seeking his third straight Croatian Indoor tennis title, beat Martin Sinner, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), to advance to the final in Split. He will meet top seed Greg Rusedski, who beat Marc Rosset, 6-7 (3-7), 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-5) Top seed Martina Hingis and No. 2 seed Lindsay Davenport will meet for the title of the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. Hingis gained the final by beating Iva Majoli, 6-0, 6-2, Davenport by defeating Amanda Coetzer, 6-2, 6-1. Hv At running.

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Ken Daneyko yesterday was cleared by the NHL to return to action following rehabilitation treatment in; the Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health Program run jointly by the league and players' union. Deneyko left the Devils and voluntarily entered in-patient treatment Nov. 1 The New York Islanders just beat the Friday midnight trade deadline in acquiring Medford's Joe Sacco, a right wing, as part of a six-player deal with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks Paul Ferone, a former Syracuse Crunch player, pleaded contest to creating a public disturbance and paid a $75 fine Friday in New Haven for hitting a fan with his stick during an American Hockey League game in December For- mer Providence College runner Amy Rudolph won the US women's 8-kilometer championship in Columbia, S.C., in 25 minutes 50 seconds. Melo- dy Fairchild of Boulder, was second (26:15) ESPN sportscast- er Gary Miller was sued Friday by Cleveland police officers Paul Za-garia and Patrick Ardrejcak for al- legedly urinating on them from the second-floor window of a nightclub durinff last vear's American T.painip 1(171 ,..17811 395-5305 Mirlom 1508118 5801 16031 883 8001 Nashua. BASEBALL Newton 16171 527 Oinncy 16171770-0155 QuincyE Milton 16)71 477-0S11 Raynham 15081823-2557 Houston (NL): Signed Sean 1978) (63 tllfi 1611 277-oen lilll 818 1550 15081 583 16118160589 777390 I7ati imm 1611 381 llll 1981 ...15081 875 72S5 I78II S2C 7JM 17811 585-7507 1981 68! ...11781 t5J-89 Auburn BiHenca Boston Biaintre Brockton rfjjl DanvefS Dedham Dorchester Everett Frtcnburg Hanover Hyanms Kingston Lawrence Lowell ...7811287580 ..150817559387 Shrewsbury HOCKEY Sometv 16171 S257279 Stoughlon 17811313660 Walttiam I78I1B9O20M I6III 923-7760 Weymouth 17811 33W350 Worcester (Park Av (m 757-233 At Speedy You're A Somebody.

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