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A pay-per-view fight between former pound-for-pound king Roy Jones Jr. (50-4, 38 KOs) and "Contender" Season One runner-up Peter Manfredo Jr. (25-3, 11 KOs) is in the works for Jan. 19 or Jan. 20, Jones adviser Jim Thomas told ESPN.com.
Manfredo Jr.
Jones Jr.
"It's under discussion," Thomas said. "We'll probably reach some resolution on it in the next few days. We'll know whether we can make a deal or not."
Manfredo, 25, of course, would have to win his Oct. 14 ESPN2 bout against Providence rival Joe Spina to go forward against Jones.
Jones, 37, quickly fell from the top of the rankings after three consecutive losses, including brutal knockouts at the hands of Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson in 2004. However, the former four-division champ returned from a nine-month layoff in July to easily outpoint Badi Ajamu.
With many of the top light heavyweights not very well known to American fans, Manfredo is an attractive option for Jones because of his fame from "The Contender," Thomas said.
"I think a fight like this has to be of interest to Roy because Manfredo is so well known and beating him puts him back in the spotlight where he belongs," Thomas said. "It's just a matter of if we can reach agreement on the financial terms. They have given us an offer that is a respectful offer, but it is not quite where Roy wants to be. I think it's a good opportunity for him. The wild card is that Roy is a guy with a great deal of pride. If he doesn't feel he is being treated fairly, he won't fight. He needs to reach a fair deal.
"Roy said he would take the offer under consideration for a couple of days and then we will talk. But I think both sides are within sight of each other. We're hoping we get it done."
Thomas said one of the issues that remains undecided is the specific weight for the fight. He said it probably would be at a catch weight between the 168-pound super middleweight division and the 175-pound light heavyweight division. Manfredo is a super middleweight and Jones is a light heavyweight.
Jeff Wald of "The Contender" promotion group said he has the utmost respect for Jones and Thomas and is hopeful they can come to an agreement.
"I think it's a terrific fight. Roy Jones is still a terrific fighter even if he is not as dominant as he used to be," Wald told ESPN.com. "You can't count him out. He's a great fighter. The other side of that is that Peter Manfredo is a young contender, a hungry fighter and he wants it. So it's a great television and fan fight, and anything can happen."
The card could also include former welterweight champ Vernon Forrest, possibly against Sergio Mora, the Season One "Contender" winner, or against Season Two winner Grady Brewer.
Organizers have been talking to HBO PPV about producing and distributing the fight, but that won't be settled until they can solidify the main event.
