Are there any fighters in history you think could beat a prime Roy Jones?

Clearly Jones prime ended when he came down from Heavyweight back to Light Heavyweight losing all that muscle mass. The first Tarver fight was not prime Jones anymore, he had visibly slowed down and was more fatigued throughout that fight compared to the version of him before he went up to HW but he dug down deep and still had enough to eek out that decision over Tarver.

Just look at Roy's demeanor before the 2nd Tarver fight : he was very subdued, the energy he used to have was gone. He wasn't bouncing around the ring pre-fight like he was in his prime. He wasn't that intimidating force anymore. Post-HW RJJ was a very different fighter with a different energy than we were used to.

Tarver or Johnson were good fighters but they would not have been able to hang with RJJ pre-HW. (1998-2002)

That's a hard question to answer, I'd have to really think about that. Keep in mind that lot of what made Tarver and G Johnson seem so much better was the fact that they knocked out RJJ. After that, they became stars. Not before. Before they knocked out RJJ they weren't held in high regard.

Julio Cesar Gonzalez, for example, who Roy decisioned in 2001, went on to defeat Michalczewski giving him his first defeat which was a major upset. Gonzalez also won a decision vs Glen Johnson, which was pretty much par for the course as Johnson had lost a lot of decsions prior to fighting Jones. (Johnson went 8-9-2 in the 19 fights before fighting RJJ)

With all the guys that were able to beat Johnson by decision, it really took a perfect storm of circumstances (mainly Jones slowing down and coming off a KO loss and Johnson being super motivated) for Johnson to knock out a depleted RJJ.

Years earlier before the move up to HW I think it's pretty obvious to say that Jones would have dispatched Johnson rather easily. Those KO losses had more to do with Jones slowing down than anything else. Not to take away from what Tarver and Johnson did, with Tarver though you do have to give him credit because despite Roy's issues coming down to LHW, Roy still had that aura of invincibility. But in retrospect it's easy to see that was not prime RJJ anymore.

 

Have to show me exactly what you wrote and who because you are all about circumstances when it suits.
I gave a list also
Erdei
Michalczewski
Calzaghe


Others where I think it could be very debatable where I think they would likely have won but as always welcome opinions. Benn, Ottke, Eubank, Collins, Maske, Tiozzo, Rocchigiani

 

You still havent given me the better fighters Roy faced at LHW to Tarver and G Johnson

 

Benn did want to fight Roy.

I don't understand your timeline though.

Roy didn't officially move up to SMW until he fought Toney in Nov, 1994.

Are you talking about at MW?

 

Michalczewski was past prime IMO a way before the Gonzalez fight but that fight is very debatable with the decision.

Below is an old copy and paste for you to read

Amazing how all thses people claim Jones was shot yet cant explain the post below.
People say Roy was shot when Calzaghe beat him but show me where he was so different there to when he failed a test against R Hall and where the hand speed was so different. The difference was Jones was facing someone who could match him for speed and had a bit more ring generalship. Hall couldnt close the gaps like Calzaghe also Calzaghes foot movement was causing Jones problems

You Tube

You Tube

No doubt there will be some that say well if you cant tell the difference, but let them explain.
Nobody can tell me the difference in Jones, but you can see the difference between Calzaghe and Hall and that seemed to make a big difference

 

I do think Tarver would have caused him problems in his prime, but I think he'd win a pretty comfortable decision in his prime. (more comfortable than in their first fight which was like you described : running on fumes, exhausted from the weight cut, etc) Lou Del Valle gave a prime Jones problems, knocked him down even, though Roy appeared to win most rounds, the rounds were relatively close from what I can remember.

You start looking through Roy's resume to see how some of his prime oppoents compare to Tarver. Was Tarver better than Reggie Johnson, for example? I think that's debatable. They fought in 2002, Tarver won a split decision. But back in 1999 Johnson had pretty good speed, probably had faster hands than Tarver ever had. Then again Tarver started his pro boxing career later in life, he was nearly 30 when he made his debut.

 

I listed:

Greb
McCallum
Nunn
Moore
Charles
Foster
Spinks

Most of the guys you listed would have had a chance, but not a high chance in my opinion.

I'd also have to rule out Ottke and Collins.

 

I don't think that Roy did fight LHW's who were clearly better than Tarver.

Again, so what?

Does that mean he couldn't have beaten the guys that you listed?

 

Ha!

I'm saving up to fly to Pepsi-cola.

Watch this space.