WHEN Boxing News caught up with Troy Jones last week, the Birmingham light-heavyweight had no idea the British title fight between Lewis Edmondson and Ezra Taylor had been postponed.
An injury to champion Edmondson forced the cancellation, disappointing many who had watched that rivalry boil over in recent months. Taylor at least stayed active, stopping Steed Woodall in nine rounds. Fans still hope the long-awaited Edmondson-Taylor grudge match will eventually happen.
Jones, meanwhile, knows all about Taylor. Back in May, he travelled to Nottingham to face him on the undercard of Leigh Wood’s defeat to Anthony Cacace. The scorecards — 99-91, 100-90, and 97-93 — flattered the hometown fighter. Jones pushed him far closer than that.
Every boxer insists they’ll “fight anyone,” but Jones means it. He’s realistic, too — knowing that the right deal and the right timing matter. Before Woodall was confirmed as Taylor’s opponent, BN asked Jones if he’d have taken the rematch on short notice.
“I’ll fight any time, any place, anywhere. But I’m at a stage now where it’s not just down to me, it’s down to my manager [Lee Beard] and my coach. I would say to my coach — when he got a call and asked me about fights — ‘If you think it makes sense, let’s do it.’ I trust him in every way like that.
“I don’t care what name, who or where. I’m always in the gym, I’m always ready. So I can fight anyone, any place. It’s just up to my coach and my manager, Lee, who I do fight.”
That readiness will be tested again this Saturday at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena. Jones, 13-1 (6 KOs), takes on Sheffield’s Liam Cameron, 23-7-1 (10 KOs), in a fight that could define both men’s futures. It’s part of Frank Warren’s light-heavyweight triple header — with Joshua Buatsi meeting Zach Parker in the main event and Bradley Rea facing Lyndon Arthur for European and local bragging rights. At this level, a loss can set you back a long way.
The Taylor bout, though, has proved invaluable for Jones. The former English light-heavyweight champion has learned to weigh opportunity against preparation, to listen to his team, and to keep adding dimensions to his style. His coach Lee Beard has long told him to be “a box of tricks.”
“I think you’ve got to be a box of tricks against anyone,” Jones says. “I think Liam’s a better boxer than people give him credit for. Obviously, he’s got a good amateur pedigree, he won the Commonwealth [middleweight] title before. People might think he’s just a one-trick pony, but I think he’s a better boxer than people give him credit for. I’m not under any illusion that I’ve got to do more of the same.”
That said, Jones still expects to control proceedings.
“You’ve got to be prepared for anything, but I’m going to box his ears off really. Here’s the thing, in all honesty, if it does come to a phone booth fight, you know that I’m happy to stand in there and I’m happy to go deep in them trenches if I have to. But I think I’ll be able to give him a boxing lesson as well. If it comes down to that then I’ll come out on top regardless as well.”
Jones is fully aware that Saturday night offers another chance to impress Frank Warren, who was taken by his performance against Taylor. For a fighter who was competing on small-hall shows barely a year ago, such recognition means a great deal.
“This time, just over 12 months ago, I was fighting on a small-hall show. To be hearing Frank Warren saying those things, he said afterwards what a great fight it was… but I’m not an idiot, I noticed the scorecards were wide.
“Did I think I won the fight? Probably not. I think it was probably closer to a draw than it would have been to 10-0. I’m an honest kid. The first four rounds, I was probably three up. It depends how you look at it. And then I definitely won a later round. You could say it was six-four, but do I think I won? No. So the scorecard is irrelevant to me.
“It’s irrelevant, but everyone who watched that knows what happened. They know we had some times where we were struggling, but he adjusted well. I guess I just got lured into the fight because I felt comfortable doing so the first few rounds. And then he made his adjustments, which good fighters do. I’m sure we can meet again and I’ll right some of the wrongs. But I know I have got the beating of him. People can see that I have got the style to do it. I just got a bit too comfortable too soon.”
Saturday’s card underlines just how strong the British light-heavyweight division has become. Warren now promotes several fighters at 175lbs — including Anthony Yarde, Buatsi, Willy Hutchinson, Parker, Rea, Cameron and Taylor. The domestic scene is thriving, and Jones wants to be right in the thick of it.
“It makes it exciting times for the weight class in the UK, but it also presents a lot of opportunities no matter what happens.
“People are too scared of losing fights now. Some are too scared of being the underdog or not being favourite. Listen, there’s enough light-heavyweights in this country to give the fans what they want — good fights.
“We can all earn some good money out of it, Queensberry can put on some good shows, and we can all get it cracking. I’m happy to fight anyone in Britain. That’s why I’m happy to be in this weight class because hopefully, a year or two down the line, we can all get mixing. I’m happy to jump in with any of them anywhere.”
Win on Saturday, and Troy Jones will have done exactly what he promised — boxed smart, entertained, and kept his name in the mix of Britain’s booming 175-pound division.
