Thursday, July 27, 2000 | 9:49 a.m.
If the subject is the boxing career of Roy Jones, a common complaint inevitably surfaces and it pertains to his lack of stellar competition at 175 pounds.
It's usually prefaced by the remark, "through no fault of his own ..."
Jones is 42-1, with the lone loss by disqualification to Montell Griffin in 1997. As the sport's only current undisputed champion, he is also regarded as a contender for the intangible "pound for pound" championship that celebrates the achievements of the world's finest fighters.
Yet he's not a huge drawing card and he hasn't fought in Las Vegas since 1994.
While the early portion of his career included victories over such notable figures as Bernard Hopkins, Thomas Tate, Vinny Pazienza, Mike McCallum, Virgil Hill, Otis Grant and Griffin in a rematch, of late Jones has been paired with an assortment of mediocre foes that he has routinely dominated. It's entirely possible his next opponent, Eric Harding on Sept. 9 in New Orleans, will also look ordinary once Jones gets through with him.
Harding advanced to the fight with Jones by defeating Antonio Tarver and moving into the mandatory challenger's position with the International Boxing Federation. He's 19-0-1.
"I've got everything he has and a whole lot of other things," Jones said during a conference call Monday that followed a New York City press conference that formally announced the fight. "My skill level is higher than his."
That's the problem: Jones' skill level is above reproach, particularly when he's matched against middling opposition. And here's the addendum: Only one other light heavyweight, Germany's Dariusz Michaelczewski, may have what it takes to give Jones a legitimate battle, yet neither man is rushing to the showdown.
"I'm not going to Germany to fight him, that's for sure," Jones said.
Michaelczewski, 42-0, has a good publicist and they jumped on Jones' comments this week and distributed a few of their own.
"Roy Jones only dares to open his mouth when I'm far away," Michaelczewski is alleged to have said. "So far he is always hiding behind ridiculous purse demands. But in the meantime even American journalists and fans attack him because people realize that he is running from me.
"It's generally known that Jones is selecting easy opponents, as you can see now with Eric Harding. I can't understand why fans are paying to see second-class opponents."
Jones vs. Harding is a pay-per-view fight that will be marketed for $35. That same night in Germany, Michaelczewski will take on David Telesco, an American journeyman who has a loss to Jones.
"He's fighting Telesco because he saw I hurt him with one hand, so he must not be too tough," Jones said, getting in a dig at Michaelczewski.
Jones has said the stumbling block to fighting Michaelczewski is money and the site of the fight. While the bout would draw better in Europe than it would here, Jones apparently does not want to risk fighting in a foreign land.
As a result, opponents such as Harding have become a staple on his resume.
"I fought my way here," Harding said of earning the title fight. "I never ducked anybody. I don't consider myself a knockout artist but I can hit you and hurt you."
Jones can only shrug when the discussion turns to the quality of his opponents.
"I try not to let myself think about it," he said. "I always keep some kind of motivation in my soul to keep me going.
"Harding is an awkward southpaw and he knows how to rise to the occasion. He's never been on the canvas and if he can rise to this occasion, it might be something exciting to see."
Jones, 31, has been a professional for 11 years and a champion since 1993. He has been a light heavyweight champion since '96 and has often discussed getting out of the sport at a relatively early age.
Aside from his boxing interests, he's working on an album and on forming his own record company in Pensacola, Fla.
"I still have plenty of reasons to fight," he said, adding that he has shelved the idea of moving to heavyweight for a high-profile fight and might, instead, drop to 168 and await Felix Trinidad.
As for whether the public will shell out for the fight with Harding, Jones came across as indifferent.
"If they don't, it's because they don't think the guy is a challenge," he said, touching again on that familiar refrain.
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