Roy Jones Jr. is either in denial, or knows something we don't know.

After losing three of his last four fights--two of them by brutal one punch knockout--Mr. Unstoppable is trying to build off his mediocre decision win over Prince Badi Ajamu in 2006. That bout, fought in Boisie, Idaho, was a blow to Jones' ego, as it saw the once pound-for-pound great spurned at by Showtime and HBO demoted to an inferior venue in front of little fanfare. Saturday night in Biloxi, Mississippi, little else will change as Jones faces little known Anthony "The Tyger" Hanshaw at Coast Coliseum, where plenty of tickets are still available.

Jones, 50-4-0 (34), vows that he has much to prove, that he is determined to return to the glory days of his prime. In typical Royesque style, Jones infuriated Hanshaw by not allowing him to train with the equipment that Jones trucked up from Pensacola, after it was agreed that both fighters would use them for public workouts. Hanshaw, 21-0-1 (14), not a big puncher if his record is any indicator, says he is through respecting Jones and will knock him out so bad he will end his careeer for good. The only notable victory on Hanshaw's resume is a decision win over Kingsley Ikeke in 2001.

Why do we still care about Roy Jones Jr? Or do we? Ironically, when Jones was in his prime and not getting touched, we all watched but many criticized his choice of opponents. Now that Jones has been brought back down to earth--thanks to Antonio Tarver and Glencoff Johnson--now that he is more vulnerable, his fights should be more intriguing. But few people are watching. Hardcore boxing fans are sure to skip on the Jones-Hanshaw affair in favour of Antonio Margarito-Paul Williams and Arturo Gatti-Alfredo Gomez on HBO.

Perhaps this means that we prefer our heroes to be invincible rather than assailable. When Jones was throwing six or eight punch combinations and backing up his trash-talk with magnificent displays of speed and power, he was The Man. Everyone wanted to be associated with him. But when he came down in weight after his heavyweight title win over John Ruiz and things started going downhill, it became apparent that Jones had relied on his speed and not a sound boxing foundation. As he aged, Jones found his timing and impeccable sense of distance were not what they used to be. Hence the knockout losses, the loss of confidence.

When Jones speed abandoned him, so did, it seems, the fans.

So why do we still care about Roy Jones Jr? Because he is, after all, Roy Jones. Unlike a shot Mike Tyson who could fight no more than three rounds, Jones is far from that stage of hopelessness. He may have fallen far from his perch at the top of the light heavyweight division, and his legs might be shot, but he still has that blistering hand speed. And even hardcore boxing fans are a little curious about whether Mr. Unstoppable reclaim his throne once again.

Jones is entertaining ideas for big fights against the winner of Joe Calzaghe-Mikkel Kessler or a comebacking Felix Trinidad, but he would be wise to stay focused on the task at hand.

Because where once Jones could catch a tiger by the tail, come Saturday night, he may be mauled by a Tyger.

Prediction: Jones by decision