BOXING: The return of Roy Jones

For the latter part of the 1990s, there were no questions as to who was the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. If you asked this question to anyone with some knowledge of the sweet science, nine out of ten people would most likely respond, Roy Jones Jr.

Roy Jones Jr. was invincible.

He handled opponents with a remarkable ease, usually putting on an entertaining performance for the crowd.

In 1997, after being disqualified for hitting Montell Griffin while he was down on one knee, Roy lost his belts and suffered the first loss of his professional career. However, Jones later remedied that problem by destroying Griffin in the first round of their rematch to regain his light heavyweight crown.

Throughout most of his reign as a champion, Roy has had to deal with what is often called, "The Curse of Roy Jones." This curse refers to the lack of quality fighters in the light heavyweight division which is the only thing that has kept Roy Jones Jr. from becoming a household name.

In boxing past, the great champions have always had one, two, or even a handful of comparable fighters to match their talents with in the ring. Those are the fights that make champions whether belts are involved or not. Those are the fights that people remember.

Unlike Muhammad Ali, Roy Jones hasn't had a Frazier or Norton or Liston or Foreman to help define his career as one of the greatest of all time.

However, in the past 18-24 months, Roy Jones Jr. has all but lost his allure as boxing's best. Not to say that he has lost his ability, but there are a few factors working against him that have dropped the ratings of the Roy Jones Jr. show.

1) The emergence of superstars like Shane Mosley, Felix Trinidad, and Floyd Mayweather Jr. have taken a lot of the spotlight away from Jones and has threatened his title as boxing's best pound for pound fighter. 2) The notion that Roy is "ducking" Germany's Dariusz Michalczewski has been haunting him for the past couple of years. There aren't too many people that think Dariusz would have a chance against Jones, but people are upset that Roy hasn't put an end to the question once and for all. 3) Roy's lackluster performance in September against Eric Harding had some people doubting his desire to continue fighting and whether or not he was even taking his fights seriously anymore. 4) No worthy opponents.

Now it is 2001 and Roy Jones Jr. needs to let people know that he hasn't gone anywhere. Roy finally has a fighter with a name as big as his own that is ready to step up, literally, and give Jones a career defining fight.

154 pound champion Felix "Tito" Trinidad has made it known that he is more than willing to move up and meet Roy at 168lbs. This is the fight that Roy Jones Jr. has been waiting his whole career for and it looks like it might happen within the next year or so.

Before any of this can happen, Jones will step into the ring tonight against once-defeated Derrick Harmon on HBO. In the past, Roy has been known to carry a fight for a little while in order to put on a show for his paying fans. This time around, things need to be a little different. RJJ needs to come out blazing and put the belief back in people's minds that Roy Jones Jr. cannot be beaten.

After all that has happened recently, Roy Jones needs to make a statement. Roy needs to let the boxing world know that not only was he the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world for the last five years, but that he still has the God-given ability to remain the best until he decides his time is up.

Look forward to seeing that statement made tonight. Unfortunately for Derrick Harmon, he is going to be the exclamation point.