Alton Merkerson, Roy Jones Jr's trainer, believes his fighter is back to his best for the fight against Joe Calzaghe.
Trainer insists legendary American is back to his best for Calzaghe
Beware the underdog. That is the warning from Roy Jones Jr's trainer to Joe Calzaghe ahead of this weekend's fight in New York.
American Jones Jr finds himself in the rare position of being the outsider going into the bout against the unbeaten Welshman.
Although the 39-year-old from Florida has won eight titles at four different weights in his stellar career, he has lost three times in his last six bouts.
However, Alton Merkerson insists Jones Jr should not be underestimated as he bids to upset the odds in Madison Square Garden.
History
"Roy's the underdog in the fight and I tell you what, Roy fights his best when he's considered to be the underdog," Merkerson said.
"We did it with Bernard Hopkins (in 1993) when he won the middleweight title. We did with James Toney (also at middleweight, in 1994) in Las Vegas when Roy was a 4-1 underdog. We did it when we fought John Ruiz - 'Roy's too little to be fighting at heavyweight'.
"History is going to repeat itself. This fight is going to be the same as the Toney fight. They said he was the best pound for pound fighter but Roy made him look like an amateur.
"Joe's a great fighter, it's going to be a great fight, but I just don't see him beating Roy."
Merkerson feels his fighter is back at the level he reached in the mid 1990s when he dominated at middle and super-middleweight.
Winning run
Jones Jr had only lost once up until 2004 before he was stopped in the second round in a re-match against Antonio Tarver at light-heavyweight.
He went on to suffer a second defeat to Tarver having also been stopped by Glen Johnson, though he has won his most recent three bouts.
"He's been constantly improving," he added. "After the last Tarver fight, which I think he could have won but he didn't do enough, he's been upscaling his level ever since.
"Believe it or not, what I see in Roy now, I saw in him 12 or 15 years ago. He's back to where he's supposed to be."
