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SLAM! Sports SLAM! Boxing COLUMNS CANADIAN PUNCH UPPERCUTS LOOKING BACK GALLERIES INTERACTIVE ALSO ON SLAM!  |
Thursday, May 18, 2000Jones must roll the diceBut very much like Haley's Comet, he's a fleeting flash of physical rarity that is often overlooked. Because for every keener who appreciates such a thing of beauty, there's a bunch of us sleeping through the spectacle. Unfortunately, in the world of pugilism it takes a lot more than exceptional, even inhuman skills to raise the barflies from their 6-pack slumbers. The beauty of boxing lies beneath the surface. The truly moving aspect of the sport lies not in the graceful execution of punches, or the piston speed of heavy hands arranging facial features, but it lies in the expression of the will. The will to overcome physical barriers. It lies in the character of the man. Yes, the beauty of boxing lies in its ability to inspire and challenge, therefore expressing the great strength and durability of the human spirit. The soul. It's seeing a man face great hardship and fight back. It's forgetting about pain and humiliation . It's suffering....but continuing. Our boxing heroes (Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, Muhammad Ali) were revered more for their heart, than their physical prowess (although physical prowess is a necessary ingredient). They were revered because they fought with great spirit and took tough stands against hardship. They never gave up. Even in the face of defeat. And when they succeeded...it gave hope, especially to the desolate average man, that he too could beat the odds. This is how talented boxers became great fighters and great fighters...inspirational figures. And Roy Jones, for all his skill and pugilistic intelligence, will not join that list of greats until we see that, behind the armour, the entourage, and the genetic perfection, lies the spirit of a fighter. Presently, he simply has it too easy. Whether it is merely a case of his being far too skilled for the competition, or not willing to take the next....ahem....bigger, natural steps of evolution, Roy needs a challenge. He cannot and will not be recognized as one of the greats until he tests himself, and expresses the will to survive and endure. If he doesn't take this next step, he will stagnate. He will no longer evolve. He will become only what he is now; A supremly gifted champion fighter who's heart will always questioned. He will be thought of as a man who was born with a gift, but lacked the courage and the fighters' audacity to test it's limits. All because he never the walked the tightrope, never took the chance. His last fight (with Richard Hall) was a perfect example of all that plagues Jones' legacy. After a round or two, we realize that the opposition has little chance. Jones plays around, showboats, flashes his fists in furious blurs of red and dum-di-di-dums his way to an easy victory. Once the initial awe of his skill wears away we are left with nothing. No struggle. Nothing the average boxing fan can identify with. No fighter has reached 'heroic' status without overcoming great obstacles. Immortal figures in the relm of war are materialized by their actions, by overcoming circumstances that would topple average men. Not by beating up helpless, disoriented punching bags and making a show out of dancing around and humiliating outclassed opposition. Watching Jones fight Richard Hall was like watching Ray Leonard pound away at SlamMan on one those late night infomercials. Mind you, Hall was full of guts and bravery, but in reality he didn't possess the skills to test Jones' heart. So it appears that Jones' only choice (besides fighting Darius Michalczeweski at lgt. Hvy) is to move up to heavyweight. He must take the chance. Whether it is Lennox Lewis, who would be a huge threat, or Mike Tyson or Evander Holyfield, Jones should fight one of the above. And I'm not talking rationally, but from the heart. I'm not thinking about his health, or the risk, or the possible disaster, but about filling the void. At any cost. Yes, I'm talking about Jones going down in history, as one of the greatest of all time, of oozing the qualities of an ancient warrior who knows nothing else but the thrill of battle, and competition. Come on Roy, you can do it! But he'll probably fight another 6 or 7 or maybe even 10 fights at light heavyweight, move down once in a while to meet some of the lighter guys and retire to his sprawling property in Pensacola, Florida, pretty and content. And we'll be waiting for some new kid to spill his guts, and leave a lasting, rather than fleeting, impression. 
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