Reign storm

Dean Juipe

Thursday, Nov. 6, 2003 | 10:12 a.m.

Standing nose to nose for publicity photos with his Saturday opponent, Roy Jones Jr. looked every bit the tough guy that he is.

Leering at Antonio Tarver with a menacing scowl, Jones put Tarver in an uncomfortable position. And given his record and achievements in boxing, Jones' stage persona is anything but a facade.

With the exception of a disqualification loss to Montell Griffin six years ago -- which was avenged with a passion and a one-round knockout victory later that same year -- Jones has met and exceeded every challenge in the sport.

It's why, in part, he's a minus 800 betting favorite for this fight at Mandalay Bay and why, in part, he is No. 1 in the Las Vegas Sun's pound-for-pound listings of the finest fighters in the world.

"I'm here to fight," Jones told Tarver at Wednesday's press conference. "I told you I'd get to you when your time has come, and now it's almost here. I'm going to tear your a--up."

Serious and professional, if a little on the emotional side, Jones has dropped from the heavyweight division (and 193 pounds for his most recent fight) back to light heavyweight (and 175 pounds) for a fight he says he took for only one reason: To quiet Tarver and eliminate him as an adversary.

"He's says I've been running from him, but look what I gave up to take this fight," Jones said. "There's certainly more money fighting as a heavyweight, (but) the man has been begging me for a real payday and a fight for a long time.

"But can he beat me? Hell, no."

Jones, still the reigning World Boxing Association heavyweight champion if he chooses to go back and defend that title (and he might if he can get the bout he says he wants with Mike Tyson), is 48-1 with 40 wins by knockout.

Tarver, the World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation champion at 175 pounds, is 21-1 with 17 KOs. He lost to Jones as an amateur in the 1982 Sunshine State Games in Florida and has been asking for -- if not demanding -- a fight with Jones for a couple of years.

He'll get it Saturday in a pay-per-view bout at is expected to draw a crowd in the neighborhood of 8,000 to the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Tarver, a plus 600 at the sports book window, gets $1 million and Jones receives a minimum of $2 million. The pay-per-view fee is $45.

"Roy ranks with the best fighters of all time," said his trainer, Las Vegas resident Alton Merkerson. "He's handled a lot of great fighters and he should go down in history as one of the five or 10 best fighters ever.

"He's self-motivated and he has a combination of things that he can do in the ring. He's capable in all aspects: defense, offense, ring generalship. He's a grand master."

Jones demonstrated those abilities in defeating then-WBA heavyweight champion John Ruiz March 1 in Las Vegas. He has also beaten every other prominent fighter he has faced, spanning five weight classes and dating from 1989.

Among his victims: Bernard Hopkins, Thomas Tate, James Toney, Vinnie Pazienza, Eric Lucas, Mike McCallum, Virgil Hill, Lou Del Valle, Otis Grant, Reggie Johnson, Eric Harding, Derrick Harmon and Julio Gonzalez. Few go the distance with Jones and fewer still don't leave the ring in awe of the Florida resident.

Tarver thinks he will be the exception.

"It's just going to be me and him in the ring and I'm confident I can beat him," he said. "I'm going to change the game of boxing at his expense."

Should he win, Tarver, at the very least, would change the Sun's pound-for-pound ratings. Here's our current top 10 beyond Jones:

2. Floyd Mayweather Jr. Coming off an impressive win Saturday against Philip Ndou in Grand Rapids, Mich., Mayweather says he is leaving the lightweight division behind and will pursue fights from 140 to 160 pounds. One with welterweight champ Ricardo Mayorga may materialize and test the 31-0 Las Vegas resident.

3. Marco Antonio Barrera. The revelation that Barrera has a plate in his head notwithstanding (see today's Boxing Notebook), he's 57-3 going into a major fight with Manny Pacquiao next week in Texas. Boxing fans and students alike marvel at Barrera's career transformation from single-minded slugger to clever tactician.

4. Acelino Freitas. A big puncher from Brazil who is giving up his WBA junior lightweight title to fight at 135, Freitas is 34-0 heading into a Jan. 3 fight with Artur Grigorian.

5. Erik Morales. It's almost a shame that just as Morales reaches 130, Freitas is moving to 135, but there are still good fights out there for the 45-1 Mexican, including one scheduled for February with WBC junior lightweight champ Jesus Chavez.

6. Shane Mosley. Forcing himself back into the listings with a close win against Oscar De La Hoya two months ago, Mosley, 39-2, seems to have bounced back from his Vernon Forrest-induced slump and is likely to grant De La Hoya a rematch. Negotiations are currently taking place to make that fight -- which would be their third -- a reality for next spring.

7. Bernard Hopkins. The undisputed middleweight champ has been inactive of late but gets a reasonably challenging fight Dec. 13 with William Joppy. But unless Hopkins' age, 38, suddenly becomes a factor, he should win that fight and pursue one a little bigger against one of his many suitors.

8. Oscar De La Hoya. Putting his retirement plans on hold because he didn't feel he really lost to Mosley, De La Hoya, 36-3, is ideally situated in that he's a proven money maker with outstanding marketability. If he wants Mosley next, that's who he'll get.

9. Kostya Tszyu. His 2003 limited by surgery, Tszyu is the undisputed champion at 140 pounds and has a Feb. 7 defense against Sharmba Mitchell ahead. A native of Russia who lives in Australia, Tszyu is 30-1-1 and still glowing from his knockout win against Zab Judah two years ago.

10. James Toney. Apparently ready to surrender his IBF cruiserweight title and stay at heavyweight, Toney will attempt to prove he can fight a really big man when he takes on the 6-foot-6, 260-pound Jameel McCline Feb. 7. Toney is 67-4-2 and will be a solid favorite to win that fight, coming as it does after he defeated ex-champ Evander Holyfield here last month.

Tarver needs a win to crack that formidable lineup and Jones says it simply won't happen.

"I'm going to utilize his big mouth for a target," Jones said, referring to Tarver's sometimes bold and brassy quotes. "I don't think he will be prepared for anything I bring. He's under a misconception if he thinks he's going to win and become a superstar."

Adding that his anger toward Tarver has intensified now that he has to make 175 by Friday's weigh-in, Jones said he will take it out on the reigning light heavyweight champion.

"I feel strong but it's been hard getting down," Jones said. "I had to run more and I had to diet more and it was one of the worst times I ever had. I'm more easily agitated right now than I would be if I were making 200 (and) he's going to pay for this.

"I wouldn't go back down (to 175) for nobody else but him."

As for speculation that Jones wasn't about to make 175 and would show up for the weigh-in at something closer to 180, Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Marc Ratner said he has been told not to worry. "My understanding is that his weight is fine," Ratner said.

And as for the last remaining obstacle, the question of which fighter would enter the ring and be introduced last, Jones relented Wednesday, saying Tarver could have the honor.

It's not the last thing he expects to give Tarver, although it is the last time he expects to be so accommodating.

"I'm going to kill him," Jones said, somewhat ominously.