And Junior felt he could beat him. The opinion was a distinctly minority view. For that first Barrera match, Jones trained in the same camp as Evander Holyfield, who was preparing for his November 1996 challenge of Mike Tyson. Holyfield and Jones shared the same trainer in Tommy Brooks. Respect your own opinion.
Bigger paydays loom.
Earlier this month, Jones had the cast removed from his surgically-repaired right hand. But the bone-spur problem that had prompted the surgery was not expected to keep him out of action for long. HBO, said Gittelsohn, is holding an unspecified October date for the fighter's next appearance. The big match that HBO is shooting for is Jones against the British sensation, WBO featherweight champion Prince Naseem Hamed. The bout was originally scheduled to be at the Las Vegas Hilton.