Jones Jr. Toys With Telesco

Roy Jones Jr. kicked with the Rockettes for about 30 seconds, then pounded on David Telesco for 12 rounds as boxing came to the storied Radio City Music Hall Saturday night.

"You can't knock me out," the outclassed Telesco told Jones at the end of the 11th round.

Jones didn't knock out the challenger, but he punched him at will and retained the undisputed light heavyweight championship with a one-sided unanimous decision.

Jones, who turned 31 at the start of the 12th round, which began shortly after midnight, had Telesco in real trouble. After the fight, Jones said the reason he didn't score a knockout was "because I fractured my left wrist in a motorcycle accident 3 1/2 weeks ago. Everybody said I should cancel the fight but I said, `I can't. I've got a big date in New York.' If I had both hands, I would have knocked him out, but I only had one hand."

All three judges gave Jones every round of the 12-round fight before a sellout crowd of 5,923 that turned out for the first boxing show in the history of the famed showplace that opened in 1932.

"I think I did enough to win," Telesco said.

No way.

Although Jones gave a boxing clinic, the real star of the show may have been the recently renovated Music Hall itself.

Before a 10-round heavyweight match in which David Izon stopped Derrick Jefferson in the eighth round of a fight Izon was losing, the Rockettes appeared at the front of the stage wearing hooded red robes and boxing gloves. They then doffed the robes to reveal skimpy costumes.

Then, with Jones dressed in tails in the middle of the famed dance line, they kicked for about 30 seconds, with Jones joining in.

Before the main event, Whitney Houston sang a song and then "God Bless America." Then Jones made a showbiz entry as Telesco paced about the ring, waiting for his big chance.

Telesco never got into the fight as Jones landed 293 of 494 punches (59 percent) to the challengers' 160 of 415 (39 percent). Jones' punches were much harder and sharper.

Despite his injury, he landed several solid left hooks and raked the challenger with right leads, right counters and several hard blows to the body.

Telesco got Jones into a corner a couple times, but most of his punches were caught by Jones on the arms and shoulders. Then the champion would counterattack and back off Telesco, who was marked about both eyes.

Judge Sid Rubenstein scored it 120-106 and Melvina Lathan and Luis Rivera each scored it 120-107 for Jones, now 41-1 with 33 knockouts.

The AP scored it 119-109 for Jones.

Telesco, of nearby Port Chester, N.Y., weighed, like Jones, the class limit of 175 pounds. Tedesco is 23-3 with 19 knockouts.

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