Jones vs. Adamek is What Roy Wants, Lacy is Secondary

By Lyle Fitzsimmons

TAMPA, Fla. – It was hard to tell what Roy Jones Jr. was really thinking.

The 40-year-old former multi-division world champion was at the University of South Florida’s Sun Dome on Saturday night, joining a host of Sunshine State boxers to take in St. Petersburg native Jeff Lacy’s first hometown bout in more than two years.

Presumably, Jones made the 460-or-so mile trip from the northern Gulf Coast to at least sniff out the possibility of answering Lacy’s recent statements indicating he’d like to meet the still-active Pensacola product in an all-Florida bout later this year.

Jones stopped Omar Sheika, a former Lacy foe, in five rounds last month at the Pensacola Civic Center.

And following a much-closer-than-it-was-supposed-to-be majority decision over former reality TV participant Otis Griffin in a 10-round light heavyweight match, Lacy took the in-ring microphone and took his case directly to Jones, seated at ringside.

“I want to thank all the fans for coming out tonight, and I’m hoping that there’s a chance for another big fight in Tampa real soon,” Lacy said, building toward his crescendo. “As you all know, we have Roy Jones Jr. here in attendance tonight, and if he’s not done yet, I’d love to challenge him to a fight here in the Tampa area.

“Any time, but it has to be here in Tampa.”

Amid enthusiastic cheers from the estimated 2,000 in attendance, Jones predictably reacted with a thumbs-up to the invitation. But when asked directly in a one-on-one interview before the fight, his enthusiasm for the idea was something less than explosive.

“Jeff’s been talking about wanting to fight me, so it made sense for me to come down and take a look and see what’s happening,” said Jones, who climbed into the ring with Floridians Andre Berto, Edner Cherry and Nate Campbell for between-fight introductions, then spent the duration of Lacy’s bout watching from a VIP row adjacent to Griffin’s corner.

“He’s not really an opponent who was necessarily on my road map, but people don’t always work off the same road maps. It’d be a wonderful fight for Florida. But I’ll say what I already have been saying. I want Tomasz Adamek. I’ll fight Clinton Woods. And if those fights don’t get done, then sure, I’d fight Jeff.”

Adamek, a former belt-holder at light heavyweight, is now the IBF champion at cruiserweight. And Woods – whom Jones TKO’d in six rounds in 2002 – lost to Antonio Tarver in an IBO/IBF unification bout at light heavyweight in Tampa last April.

Before that bout, Jones said, “Right now, the only one who isn't losing at the top level is Woods, but that will change if we meet next up. I gave it to him in 2002 and I would do it again, only this time I would stop him even earlier.”

As for often-rumored rematch target Bernard Hopkins, whom Jones defeated by unanimous decision at middleweight in 1993, Jones was succinct.

“No, he don’t want to fight me,” he said.

And as for Lacy, his audition for an audience with Jones was bumpier than planned.

Story taken from www.boxingscene.com