Last year about this time, the word on Roy Jones, Jr. was: terrific fighter, but not yet quite great. He didn't fight often enough and he didn't fight the best competition. Worse, he seemed bored with boxing. Jones's dismantling of Virgil Hill in April helped dispel part of that rap. His upcoming fight with Lou Del Valle, the reputed toughguy of the light-heavyweight ranks, should go further.

You could make a decent theoretical case for Del Valle. He won the vacant WBA title in September, 1997 in an eight-round knockout of Eddie Smulders in Germany. His only loss was to Hill in 1996 in a close decision, and he was the first man to knock Virgil Hill down. He is a New York fighter with home advantage. There is only one fighter Lou Del Valle and Roy Jones have both beaten -- Fermin Chirino. In June, 1997 Del Valle knocked Chirino out in two rounds. Chirino took Jones the 12-round distance in November, 1993. Jones just might be frustrated against Del Valle's awkward style. You could win $1000 on a hundred-dollar bet.

But if you bet against Jones you're gonna lose. Jones is the man right now, and we're going to continue to back him until he shows that he can't do it anymore. This should be a terrific fight.

Waiting in the wings is Dariusz Michalczewski, 37-0 but little known outside Germany (where he fights) and Poland (where he was born). Michalczewski took both the WBA and IBF titles from Virgil Hill in June, 1997. Michalczewski chose to relinquish both of those titles rather than make mandatory defenses within an unreasonable amount of time. Jones won't be considered the undisputed best light heavyweight, let alone the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, until he takes on Michalczewski, even if he has to fly to Germany to do it.