By Scoop Malinowski

Here’s an interview with boxer, trainer, gym operator and budding journalist John Scully:

Boxinginsider.com: So what’s up with John “The Ice Man” Scully?

John Scully: Well, I’ve been busy. One, I am writing my book, I’ve got 300 pages so far (working title right now is “Iceman Cometh.”). Two, (his heavyweight) Lawrence Clay-Bey fights next week. Three, I started training Chad Dawson two weeks ago and four, I myself, have sparred almost 100 rounds in the last five weeks.

Boxinginsider.com: You’re busier than Emanuel Steward.

John Scully: Manny hasn’t sparred as often as me I bet [laughs]. I did 16 rounds today.

Boxinginsider.com: With who?

John Scully: Four amateurs and a pro named Terrance Jones.”

Boxinginsider.com: Was Klitschko that bad against DaVarryl as I’m hearing? Or do you think given the enormous pressure that a loss could have ended a lifetime of dedication, do you think a sloppy, cautious fight was to be expected? Like Lewis-McCall II?

John Scully: Well, a lot of that had to do with the way DaVarryl chose to box that night. Listen, any boxer in the world will look bad against a guy that has very good mobility. Even Larry Holmes, unbeaten champion at the time, had all kinds of trouble with the very mobile Carl The Truth Williams even though Carl only had about 14 fights at the time. Movement can make anybody look average.

Boxinginsider.com: Can Trinidad avenge Hopkins now, considering how impressive he looked in destroying Mayorga?

John Scully: Well, it’s hard to say because Mayorga is smaller and not nearly as skilled as Hops. Two different animals altogether. Hopkins could grow old over night but so far he hasn’t shown that. He obviously trains as hard or harder than anybody in the game today and takes care of business between fights. Tito showed some better defense in the Mayorga fight than I have seen from him before but, again, he didn’t have Bernard Hopkins in front of him that night. At this point, all things considered, I think the fight is as much of a 50-50 fight as it was the first time they fought.

Boxinginsider.com: How impressive to you was Hopkins win over Oscar?

John Scully: Hopkins started off a little shaky but, like most good pros, it just took him some time to get his rhythm, to get his punches flowing. I noticed it in the 6th round that he was really starting to feel himself in there. At the start I was wondering if it was age and not his necessarily needing time to warm up. At the end, though, he was really flowing and looking like a 25-year-old.

Boxinginsider.com: Which Olympians were the most impressive to you? How about Guillermo Rigondeaux of Cuba? The Italian super heavyweight? Did any Americans strike you as future champions?

John Scully: I did not watch the Olympics at all this year, not even one fight, and I will tell you why. The computer scoring system they use now has totally ruined amateur boxing from all sides. As a viewer, as a coach and as a participant. The best amateurs will not necessarily win Gold ever again as long as that ridiculous system is in place. Now, I don’t look to see who wins as much as I look at the individual, whether it is in a win or a loss. On the American side, I think Rock Allen (of Philadelphia) has shown for some time that he has the tools to cross over into a very good pro and, if he proves tough enough, maybe even a better pro than an amateur. I didn’t see the kid from England, Amir Khan, but I know an amateur from here that saw him a few months ago in the World Junior Championships and this kid - Matt Remillard, 125-pounder from Connecticut - came back and told me all about him and said he was brilliant. Then Khan went and made big noise at the Games in Athens. I think in terms of hype, skill and marketing Khan might be the one down the line who will be remembered the most from the 2004 Games.

Boxinginsider.com: Have you spoken with your friend Roy Jones lately?

John Scully: No, I havent seen him since July.

Boxinginsider.com: Were you shocked to see his career end like that? Why did he seem to lose so much so fast?

John Scully: I think his chin might be ‘dented’. And mentally he seems weaker than I have ever seen him. Some guys get that chin dented and I don’t know if they can ever get it back. Some don’t, that’s for sure.

Boxinginsider.com: Could be that Tarver just totally destroyed him physically and mentally even…

John Scully: Roy seemed like a guy that was very burnt out, he LOOKED like a I FELT in some fights.

Boxinginsider.com: Jones more than proved himself, he has nothing left to really accomplish or get really motivated for…that big target to set his sights on, there’s nothing new to hunt down…

John Scully: Yeah, he was a KING for a long time. Think about this…16 years after the gold medal that he got robbed of, Roy was still a champ. 16 years after 1976, Sugar Ray Leonard was gone. Ali 16 yrs later was barely beating Jimmy Young and Ken Norton. De la hoya will be RETIRED 16 years after 1992. Dave Reid - gone. Vargas will be gone. Mercer is gone.

Boxinginsider.com: Right. Lewis is gone.

John Scully: Yup. 16 years after the gold and THEN you fall is not too bad.