Turned away from the left hook with his eyes closed at times. It's become a lot more evident these days though, but I did notice it from time to time in his prime years.
When I saw the title the first thing I thought was released a terrible radio album. Lead left hooks from a distance. Breath taking but not advisable. Unless you were RJ.
Alot of the time, he went straight back from punches. I call it the curse of the gifted. Judah does the same thing. Physical talent which allowed them to develop bad habbits and get away with them for a length of time. Dropping his hands obviously. Taking his eyes off of his opponent. Never learning how to hold.
1) Not a mistake. 2) There's such thing as peripheral vision, as well as knowing what to expect from your opponent in general. 3) He did very well in the clinches, not allowing uppercuts to head or hooks to body (illegal hooks to the back/kidneys do get through sometimes) and evading hooks to the head. You don't need to hold for dear life if you know how to fight properly.
That's not a mistake if it is working 99% of time. Not sticking to the textbook has never been a mistake for great boxers.
His fight against Toney really shows what difference speed does. Jones constantly comes in too close with squared feet and off balance, but one of the most gifted counter punchers of his generation just is too slow to capitalize. A boxer with average speed who fought Toney like that probably wouldn't survive the first round.
I'll actually agree that the title is misleading. It only didn't work when he lost his reflexes. But I'll be damned if "Y'all must of forgot" wasn't a mistake!
Didn't have a promoter that built up B sides to fight him. Never promoted fights enough to gain interest. He never made as much money as his style and talent should have made him.
How bout the fact his hands were always down at his sides...And he spent his whole career fighting taxi cab drivers and toilet bowl cleaners...Until he ran into Tarver!
If Toney didn't have terrific handspeed himself, he'd be a flat footed can. Every great fighter has elite physical advantages over others. That's what separates them.
One of those toilet bowl cleaners thoroughly outboxed Tarver... Tarver, Johnson, Gonzalez, Harding, Woods are all C+ to B level fighters. Tarver caught Jones at the right time and ended his career.