Jones romps in Music Hall

Ed Schuyler Jr.

Sunday, Jan. 16, 2000 | 10:16 a.m.

NEW YORK - Roy Jones Jr. wasn't going to let a broken wrist keep him from his big gig in New York.

So there he was Saturday night, strutting with the Rockettes and then beating up David Telesco in the first boxing show in the history of Radio City Music Hall.

For good measure, Jones celebrated his 31st birthday in the 12th round as the clock struck midnight by landing bombing right hands to the head of the outclassed Telesco, also 31.

At the end of the fight, Jones was presented a birthday cake in the ring.

A sellout crowd of 5,923 showed up at the storied showcase, which opened in 1932, to watch Jones put on a clinic as he retained the WBC, WBA and IBF light heavyweight titles.

Jones said he didn't score a knockout "because I fractured my left wrist in a motorcycle accident 3 1/2 weeks ago. Everybody said I should cancel the fight but I said, 'I can't. I've got a big date in New York.' If I had both hands, I would have knocked him out, but I only had one hand."

Telesco had taunted Jones at the end of the 11th round by saying, "You can't knock me out."

Jones didn't knock out the challenger, but he punched him at will and had him in real trouble.

Although all three judges gave Jones every round of the 12-round fight, Telesco said, "I think I did enough to win."

No way.

Although Jones gave a boxing clinic, the real star of the show may have been the recently renovated Music Hall itself.

Before a 10-round heavyweight match in which David Izon, 232, of Pensacola, Fla., stopped Derrick Jefferson, 243, of Detroit, in the eighth round of a fight Izon was losing, the Rockettes appeared at the front of the stage wearing hooded red robes and boxing gloves. They then doffed the robes to reveal skimpy costumes.

Then, with Jones dressed in tails in the middle of the famed dance line, they kicked for about 30 seconds, with Jones joining in.

Before the main event, Whitney Houston sang a song and then "God Bless America." Then Jones made a showbiz entry as Telesco paced about the ring, waiting for his big chance.

Telesco never got into the fight as Jones landed 293 of 494 punches, or 59 percent, to the challengers' 160 of 415, 39 percent. Jones' punches were much harder and sharper.

Despite his injury, he landed several solid left hooks and raked the challenger with right leads, right counters and several hard blows to the body.

Telesco got Jones into a corner a couple times, but most of his punches were caught by Jones on the arms and shoulders. Then the champion would counterattack and back off Telesco, who was marked about both eyes.

Judge Sid Rubenstein scored it 120-106 and Melvina Lathan and Luis Rivera each scored it 120-107 for Jones, now 41-1 with 33 knockouts.

The AP scored it 119-109 for Jones.

Telesco, of nearby Port Chester, N.Y., weighed, like Jones, the class limit of 175 pounds. Telesco is 23-3 with 19 knockouts.

Jones, a 17-1 favorite, earned $1.6 million. Telesco's purse was $450,000.