raw natural talent.. a freak of nature, but the gravy train had to end.. and the trainwreck is still going on as we speak sadly i would not favour close to anyone against a prime for prime fight with roy jones
I'm convinced that RJJ wasn't even human. No human could move that fast, or hit that hard from so many odd angles. Prime Jones could just toy with those mere mortals that were foolish enough to get into the ring with him. He's a damned good commentator, too. A great student of the art.
nobody said that his rap is above boxing and commentary! Can't be touched Can't be stopped Can't be moved Can't be rocked Can't be shook
You clearly must have forgot But more importantly here is Chris Eubank's commentary on the importance of the jab: On Importance Of Jab; Every successful boxer in history with the exception of one, being Roy Jones Jr - who was in a one-man league of exception - will tell you that craft-wise the jab was their entire key. To either attack or defend, because you score on defense as well as attack, and with the jab being the straightest punch it is easiest to slip. A boxer will need that jab working and landing so he can gauge the range, the positioning, the timing; to get all his other shots off. I worked out early on that a six-inch jab was undefendable, so I learned to throw six-inch jabs from the outside range by stepping in, immediately followed with a three-inch jab as my body weight was shifting forward from the first jab.
When you think "raw talent," you think this guy. Beaten heavily disciplined, schooled, fighters in Toney and Bhop with unorthodox mechanics. He had the athleticism and an in depth intuition of ring interaction and psyche. The **** that you don't read in a boxing book, he had it, as well as a decent skillset
Taking into account the relative amateur experience of both men, I'd strongly disagree. Jones was probably at his peak during his 168 reign. Hopkins arguably didn't reach his absolute best until his win over Tito in 2001. While obviously he didn't have the opportunities to showcase his abilities prior to that, he wasn't overwhelmingly impressive against the likes of Jackson and Allen (first time around). Hopkins is an excellent win on Roy's resume, but whichever way you shake it , it isn't the same as beating a peak Hopkins.
I love how must of you bury your head in the sand and just ignore the fact he was a drugs cheat. Sad.
caught for steroid use, unsurprising he gained so much muscle and lost the weight with ease after Ruiz. Well managed against sanitation workers, shot names and hyped AmeriCANS, avoided big punchers like Benn,Eubank,McClennan, ducked Calzaghe till Joe was shot. Exposed against gatekeeper Johnson and B- level Tarver, then busted up against Danny Green lol, as far as I know he is still being Ko'ed all over the globe now.
Indeed. It's possible to take a measured approach to the issue and how much of an "edge" he actually gained, but it shouldn't be swept under the carpet. Oh wait, that's exactly what the IBF and the media did...:nut
You do realise that Eubank has said publically that he never wanted to fight Jones when he was in his prime right? Exposed after 50 fights and 15 years of pro boxing? ok
I'd say this was pretty balanced and pretty accurate. In summary, fighter of the 90's. Freakish athleticism and unbeleivable skill set. The odd omission on his record but no more or less shocking than most other fighters of the last twenty years. The only thing I would add is that he seems to get a fair bit of criticism for his accomplishments at LHW, but if any fighter other than RJJ had acheived the same they would be mentioned among the best LHW's of the era. As it happens he was that good at MW/SMW that his LHW antics are sometimes a bit greyed over.