WHICH WAY IS UP? : Roy Jones Heeds His Father, Not the Boxing Establishment

Roy Jones Jr. had the career everyone wanted a piece of. He was the kid everyone’s heart went out to after he lost one of most shocking decisions in amateur boxing history at the 1988 Olympics to South Korean Park Si Hun. Jones was ready for instant stardom.

Emanuel Steward and Butch Lewis wanted to train and manage him, major networks wanted to televise his fights and prominent promoters wanted to promote him.

But there was one problem, Jones wanted his father, Roy Sr., as his manager, trainer and promoter.

“I figured I made it this far on my own, why not try and go further,” he said. “I’ll go as far as I possibly can go before I decide to sign with somebody. To me my father is the most knowledgeable boxing person I know. Evidently he’s done something right; I made it to the Olympics.”

But now, two years later, some boxing people are saying Jones has gone from one of boxing’s brightest stars to one of its biggest disappointments.

Although he won his first 10 fights by knockouts, Jones’ critics say his opponents have been poorly chosen, and that he has not been marketed correctly. His brief pro career has also been dogged by charges that his father’s management company, Square Ring Inc., arranged an imposter opponent, and that his father was involved with Harold Smith, who recently served five years in prison for embezzling a reported $21 million from a bank.

Jones’ 11th opponent will be middleweight Roberto Rosales (20-10, 17 knockouts) Tuesday night at the San Diego Sports Arena. The eight-bout card begins at 7:30.

NBC boxing coordinator Kevin Monaghan said he was given carte blanche by NBC Sports director Dick Ebersol to promote Jones’ fights, but only two were televised.

“It was just a struggle to get them to approve any opponents,” Monaghan said. “There was an opportunity to promote him into a huge boxing star, but it wasn’t taken advantage of. That’s not to say that he still couldn’t become one because of his boxing skills.”

And Jones says his boxing skills are progressing just fine, thanks to his father.

“I think I’m almost 100% better,” he said. “I think I’ve gotten a little faster. I’ve matured a lot more. The punches are a lot stronger. I can do more things in the ring. I’m more comfortable and smoother. I can put most of my energy to use now and I have less nervous energy.”

Monaghan says that although Jones has never fought a top-ranked boxer, he could beat any of the ranked middleweights except possibly Michael Nunn or Mike McCallum.

“He’d destroy most of these top-10 guys,” Monaghan said.

Alex Wallau, an ABC boxing commentator, said he’s not sure how Jones would fare against some of the better middleweights.

“I don’t think anybody knows, even his father,” Wallau said. “He’s been an invisible fighter. It’s a little bit too bad, because he was in a position to be a world-class fighter. I don’t think he’s been visible enough.

“His father has been so careful in keeping him away from people. But he’s kept him away from everyone, even his fans. I don’t think anybody can argue that his father hasn’t done the right things to maximize his market value. Maybe every fight shouldn’t be televised, but every once in a while, you put yourself in a major market.”

Jones said he hears the critics, and he admits some of their points are valid. He says he realizes that he is probably physically and mentally prepared to fight highly rated middleweights. But he said people fail to realize one important fact: he is only 21 years old.

“Why is it so essential that I go fight for the title now?” he said. “The title I want, but it’s the whole atmosphere that I don’t want to step into yet. Because once you’re in it, you can’t get out of it. For instance, look at Mike Tyson. I like him as a person, but I don’t agree with some of the moves he made. I believe a lot of his trouble came because he stepped into an atmosphere he wasn’t ready for.

“I believe if I pushed it, I could fight for the title now. But (my trainers) can see me better than I can see myself. I’ll take my time. I’ve got a real good pace going. I can see what steps we’re taking. It’s pretty understandable to me. A lot of guys who are friends of mine signed with Trump and Top Rank, and they are finding themselves in debt.”

Jones said Square Ring hasn’t made him a rich man, but he’s gotten all the material things he needs for now: a house, some land in his hometown of Pensacola, Fla. and a car.

For a moment though, Jones said he considered signing with Steward’s Kronk Gym, which reportedly offered the Joneses a four-year deal. The deal would have given Jones a $300,000 bonus, a $50,000 family education fund, $100,000 to his father, and an automobile.

“I was real close to signing,” he said. “A lot of people think it was dad who influenced me, but it was my mom who told me to go on my own. I’m as close to my mom as my dad. My relationship with my dad is more physical, but I can tell my mom anything.”

In fact, Jones said, Tuesday’s bout will be the first pro fight his mother has missed.

Jones Sr. said he refuses to be portrayed as the overprotective father. But he also said he won’t let so-called boxing experts ruin his son’s promising career.

“A lot of people look at him as a potential champion, but he’s still my son and he’s still learning,” Jones Sr. said. “The choice is still his to leave. But he’s always listened to me, and I know he has faith in me. I don’t profess to be an expert. I learned from listening to people who are.”

And when the boxing establishment chastises him for matching his son against outclassed opponents solely for the purpose of building up his record, Jones Sr. says he is looking for boxers with certain styles that will foster his son’s career.

He also points to Jones’ Olympic teammate, Andrew Maynard, who was rushed into fighting for the light-heavyweight title and lost it.

“There’s no shortcut for experience,” Jones Sr. said.

A Vietnam vet who had a brief pro boxing career, Jones Sr. worked for the government in Pensacola before deciding to put all his time and energy into training boxers. Square Ring consists of Jones Sr., two other trainers and legal advisers Stanley and Fred Levin. In all, there are 11 professional and 31 amateurs who are managed by Square Ring, which is based in Pensacola.

Months after his Olympic disappointment, Jones turned professional and began putting people on the canvas. But a short time later, Harold Smith walked into the Joneses’ life. Jones Sr. claims Smith pushed his way into the Jones camp.

“Mr. Smith insisted on being involved with Roy, but I told him I didn’t want to commit to him,” he said. “I told him that there was never a contract.”

Smith claimed Square Ring owed him $18,000. But he never filed a lawsuit.

Then in June, the Florida Athletic Commission accused Jones Jr. of fighting a bogus opponent who had an 0-4 pro record. Jones Sr. said he thought his son was fighting an opponent with an 18-1 record.

“Once we found out about it, we called the state attorney’s office,” Jones Sr. said. “Why would we want to fight an imposter? Roy could have killed the guy.”

He didn’t kill the guy, but he did knock him out early in the first round. Jones Sr. said his suit with the state attorney is still pending.

But through all the lawsuits, the imposters and Harold Smith, Jones said there is rarely a day that his mind doesn’t wander back to Seoul, South Korea.

“I hope that fight always stays in my mind,” he said. “That fight will always drive me to go on and do better things in boxing.”

Jones lost a decision to Park in the 156-pound final at the 1988 Olympics. Most observers at the bout said Jones was clearly beating Park. Jones, who had to settle for a silver medal, was later named outstanding boxer of the Games.

Although he concedes it took him a good five months to get over the heartbreak, Jones now talks of the Olympics as one of the best times of his life.

“I had fun,” he said. “I was proud of myself. The Olympics was one of the best things I’ve ever done and one of the best things I ever will do. I gave one of the best performances that I ever had in my life. I gave it my all because I was fighting for my country. And I still had it taken from me. What more could I do?

“I still look at the tapes even now. Every now and then I wonder what really made them take the fight. But not too much. It’s not something I worry about it, because I can’t change it. I just think of it as one of my greater performances. I’ll show the tape to anybody. I really liked it.”

If Jones is ever given a chance to show off his personality, Lewis said, the American public will like him back.

“Roy is a low-key guy, but not any more than Michael Spinks was,” said Lewis, who trained Spinks. “People liked Michael Spinks. Roy Jones doesn’t have to pretend. They will take him for what he is. He’s a likeable kid. He’s real.”

And Lewis said, very talented.

“Without question, he is one of the most talented boxers to come along since 1976,” Lewis said.

But Lewis’ complaint with Jones Sr. is that people need to be more aware of that talent.

“I’ve always been of the philosophy, not to allow TV to move my boxer, but there are ways of accomplishing both,” he said. “Put him on a little cable network so the people can see him. He was the darling after that rotten decision. The world saw it happen. That momentum has been lost and it should not have been.”

Can it be regained? Will Jones ever see a title fight by taking the side roads?

Jones sees it this way.

“Say you’re driving back to Florida and you keep seeing signs that say Florida. People keep telling you you’re going the wrong way or there’s a quicker route. Are you going to listen to them even though you keep seeing signs that say Florida? If you get to the end of that road and says Florida, then all those people along the way were wrong.”