Jones: OSP not just ‘a tune up’ fight
Most fans and media don’t think that Ovince Saint Preux has a chance to beat Jon Jones, but for the former champion he is taking his opponent serious and doesn’t see it as just a ‘tune up’ fight.
Most fans and media don’t think that Ovince Saint Preux has a chance to beat Jon Jones, but for the former champion he is taking his opponent serious and doesn’t see it as just a ‘tune up’ fight:
“I’m definitely not looking at Ovince as a tune up fight,” Jones told FOX Sports on Monday. “I’m looking at him as a different challenge. One that should be respected. He’s a young fighter in the sport and he has the opportunity of a lifetime ahead of him.
“I’m sure he’s going to give it all he’s got to capitalize on that and do something with it.”
To ensure that he’s working with the best possible sparring partners to get him ready for Saint Preux on short notice, Jones made the call to Olympic silver medalist and top-ranked middleweight contender Yoel Romero to join his camp for the next few weeks until the fight.
Romero possesses many of the same qualities as Saint Preux according to Jones, and he believes he’ll be a valuable addition to the team during the short amount of time he has to get ready for a new opponent.
“I just flew in Yoel Romero to help me with the camp,” Jones said. “There are a lot of similarities there, he has a very unorthodox striking game, Yoel’s very strong just like Ovince and he’s a southpaw just like Ovince.
“So we’re taking him very seriously. We’ve already had two coaches’ meetings to discuss what we need to do with tactics and strategy alterations we need to take, so we’re taking him very seriously.”