Roy Jones by knockout around round 6. Foster was pretty open to being potshot, I think Jones can get in and out.
At Light Heavy....Jones would fare well for 4-5 rounds, until Foster uses Roy's head for the first New Mexico Sheriff Dept. launched, deep space probe out to around Mars.
Jones wads through Foster best hooks and right hands, wearing him down with a solid fundamental body attack behind a sterling jab as Foster tries unluckily to potshot Jones. Jones KO 9.
I see Foster eventually timing something crucial on Roy at some point. I have to wonder if this would take place before Roy did the same or won a decision...
Id go with Foster in this one. He has a good 3-4 inch height advantage and one of the hardest jabs of alltime. Remember this is the only guy to bust up Ali with his jab. Roy isnt walking through this. Foster also had an atomic lefthook. I wont say Roy Jones cant win because I have great respect for him and his ability. I just dont think this one favors him. Foster by TKO 10.
Had Jones, Jr retired at the advanced age of 34, he would have gone out with a record of 47-1 (the 1 being a dq which was avenged in brutal fashion). He had barely broken a sweat in these 48 fights, beating 3 surefire Hall of Famers, and was considered as close to unbeatable as is possible. But some here are so shortsighted and lacking in memory, they want to conjure the late-30's version of Jones having bounced back and forth between weights and having lost the reflexes and durability after boxing for 25 years. Yes, that is exactly the version of Jones, Jr that we should put in the ring against Foster to decide who was the better Light Heavy.
I think a really compelling case could be made for either to win. I give more weight to a Foster win. He punched really fast, especially in close. He loved that short right uppercut and smoked guys plenty with those short punches on the inside. He also cracked like hell with the jab and with that right hand... Then you watch Jones and as you watch, you think: "Who the hell is gonna hit this guy and how the hell are they gonna see those punches coming?"
Bob Foster was a great force too though. Alot of people remember him being stretched by heavyweights. Not being able to take a heavyweight punch at at `75 he was a terror. I think its fair to say that neither guy ever faced anyone like the other at 175lbs.
The Top Ten fighters from the 70's/early 80's would beat Jones at Lightheavy. Foster, Saad, Spinks, Braxton, Conteh, Galindez, Johnson, Lopez, Pierre Fourie, Kates, and maybe Ahumada. All those guys were Champions / near champions. Jones' 175 lb victories were middle roaders at best....or he himself was bouncing off the canvas.