Ray had it all, speed, power, timing, chin and relentless workrate. Roy would get sparkled, at some point Ray would overwhelm him and get to that chin, and Roy always had problems taking a punch.
Prime RJJ was the most dominant fighter I've ever seen. In a hypothetical matchup, where they're both in their primes and both the same size, I give the edge to Jones. Leonard was hittable even in his prime... Roy's reflexes and allusive made it to where he seldom got hit. Roy definitely would have had the edge in power... I say Roy wins
It would make more sence to think about a match at MW than having another Toney vs Whitaker style matchup
Jones...more elusive,faster and more power better counter. Leonard has the edge in chin both had great stamina...people underrated Jones smarts and overrated Leonard, Jones would counter that low left Leonard had all day
yeah, that was always apparent in the first 50 fights of his career. :roll: jones all day here. these two actually sparred against each other at one points. Didn't you spar with Sugar Ray Leonard when you were an amateur? Jones: When I was 17. It was fun. Did he whip you? Jones: No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. He'll tell you about it. I did very good with him. I pretty much dominated most of it. He hit me with one hook that was a good shot just to show me he still had it. My hand speed was so much more phenomenal, and he didn't expect me to be that fast. So I caught him. I started messing with him because he was retired (Leonard was training for a bout with Donny Lalonde in 1988; Jones competed in the Seoul Olympics that year). I was getting at him good. He hit me with a hook to let me know, 'I can get at you too.' So it was cool. I thought I got the best of it, but because he landed a good hook I'll call it even.
Thsi would be a great fight, perfectly matched, but i've got to go for the Leonard that beat Benitez, SRL has the chin & although his defence was'nt the best he compensated that by employing those ballistic multi combo barrages. I'm attempting to find a way where Roy can get the accendancy in this fight? Holding ring centre & slugging it out with Ray spells eventual disaster for Roy. He'll do well with his countering but he'd have to emply maximum caution when he does as you've only got to look at the 13th round against Hearns when SRL opened up. More i ponder on this the more i see Leonard getting right onto Roys chest, Roy ai'nt gonna leg it like Tommy did & box & move from the ouside, it's all gonna be conducted mid range with SRL jumping Roy's counters, Leonard wins ugly by makes this a slugfest & wins a UD or KO. Roy will definetly cause problems for leonard just as Duran did in Montreal as we saw Roberto outbox & outsmart leonard from Mid Range & near on KO'd him in the 2nd hence Leonard opted for safety by reckening he could over[power the older & smaller man & it turned into a disaster for him. Roy's gonna land plenty early & look good doing it, but Leonard was such a vicious ******* & once he'd got the range of Roy he'll let it all go. This will be no chess match, it's a slugfest which i can't see Roy escaping unscathed, just can't see how Roy keeps SRL honest, Roy has not the natural phycotic aggression than Duran possesed juxtaposed with the skill & savvy that left Leonard truamatised. Roys gonna have to beat Ray up like Duran did & that just ai'nt gonna happen in Roy Jones Jr's case.
This is the type of post that makes Duran's win look even better and greater, though I loathe these "same size" type arguments. Let's face it Duranimal, very few fighters in history were capable of beating a prime SRL. :hey The contenders of the day were wiped straight aside; Benitez failed. Hearns failed. Kalule failed. Even Hagler lost his crown to him. There isn't one former lightweight that beats him. :deal
Andy Price: "I'll derail the Sugar Ray hype train, full stop" Many "west coast boxing experts" thought the same.
Lol, Jones is to fast. Technical skill would only make for close rounds. He'd out point Ray kinda like Judah did Floyd in the first half of their fight. People love hating on Roy. Smh
Leonard.. He was one of the most complete fighters to ever set foot in the ring (arguably the best fighter ever P4P, right alongside Ray Robinson) -- and he proved that against some of the best who ever lived. He had it all, and he could adjust when he needed to. Not too mention he was a freakish athlete as well. Not by a long shot.
The type of fighters that gave RJJ problems were tall slick southpaws and even then, it was after he was 35.
This is why I enjoy (most of) your posts Duranimal.You can be perfectly objective about Ray when required(the reference to Cholo notwithstanding:bart) I think a better question would be how Roy would fare against Marvin at 160.