Prime Roy Jones jr best athletic gifted fighter ever?

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by Dance84, Mar 8, 2020.

  1. Dance84

    Dance84 Unicorn and seastar land Full Member

    Joined:
    Oct 11, 2017
    Messages:
    8,066
    Likes Received:
    5,453
    Was he ? The most gifted fighters with natural abilities? Speed , power , athleticism.reflexes?
     
  2. Gazelle Punch

    Gazelle Punch Boxing Addict Full Member

    Joined:
    Aug 15, 2018
    Messages:
    7,122
    Likes Received:
    8,837
    I was about to scoff at this...but then when thinking about it had to say there is a good shot.
     
    Dance84 likes this.
  3. Dance84

    Dance84 Unicorn and seastar land Full Member

    Joined:
    Oct 11, 2017
    Messages:
    8,066
    Likes Received:
    5,453

    Maybe i could be wrong , sugar ray leonard was gifted as well
     
  4. mark ant

    mark ant Canelo was never athletic Full Member

    Joined:
    May 4, 2017
    Messages:
    36,654
    Likes Received:
    16,562
    Maybe, Ray Leonard was another great athlete, I feel Benitez had better reflexes than both of them he slipped more shots.
     
    Richard M Murrieta and Dance84 like this.
  5. Eddie Ezzard

    Eddie Ezzard Boxing Addict Full Member

    Joined:
    Jan 19, 2016
    Messages:
    3,499
    Likes Received:
    5,265
    Early Tyson with that blend of speed, reflexes, strength, power and intensity was one quick-twitching ball of freakish athleticism.

    And even more pigeon-toed than Roy.

    But surely Sugar Ray (as yet unmentioned in this thread) is above both. He used to go to Stillmans as a boy and walk on his head before they would let him in. Incredibly athletic.

    Roy's more on a par with Hamed for me which is a really high bar and one that Roy maintained for a long time. Amazing boxer.
     
  6. Glass City Cobra

    Glass City Cobra H2H Burger King

    Joined:
    Jan 6, 2017
    Messages:
    10,609
    Likes Received:
    18,218
    I would say so.
     
    Richard M Murrieta likes this.
  7. Seamus

    Seamus Proud Kulak Full Member

    Joined:
    Feb 11, 2005
    Messages:
    61,792
    Likes Received:
    46,494
    Jones, Ali...

    or Fury.
     
  8. Bronze Tiger

    Bronze Tiger Boxing Addict Full Member

    Joined:
    Jun 23, 2018
    Messages:
    4,343
    Likes Received:
    5,277
    Yes he was ...he did things nobody could do
     
    Richard M Murrieta likes this.
  9. Bronze Tiger

    Bronze Tiger Boxing Addict Full Member

    Joined:
    Jun 23, 2018
    Messages:
    4,343
    Likes Received:
    5,277
    Off topic....One of Zab Judah’s biggest flaws was that he tried too hard to be Roy Jones
     
    Richard M Murrieta likes this.
  10. Fury's Love Handles

    Fury's Love Handles Mrkoolkevin Full Member

    Joined:
    Feb 22, 2020
    Messages:
    195
    Likes Received:
    328
    Zab probably deserves honorable mention. Crazy speed, power, and reflexes when he was starting out at 140. Could have been a really special fighter.
     
  11. surfinghb1

    surfinghb1 Member Full Member

    Joined:
    Jul 28, 2019
    Messages:
    477
    Likes Received:
    847
    Jones is definitely up there ,,, but there were other athletic wizards in the ring throughout boxing history tho .. Ali, Pep, Canto , SRL , May ...etc
     
  12. mr. magoo

    mr. magoo VIP Member Full Member

    Joined:
    Jan 3, 2007
    Messages:
    51,179
    Likes Received:
    25,432
    He might have been. But there are just so many athletically gifted fighters throughout history that awarding one man as being the most gifted of all of them is hard
     
    Clinton and Richard M Murrieta like this.
  13. PernellSweetPea

    PernellSweetPea Boxing Junkie Full Member

    Joined:
    Feb 26, 2009
    Messages:
    12,116
    Likes Received:
    5,733
    He could have been. I saw him fight in 1992. His reflexes were great, and it took a long time for those reflexes to diminish enough to where his lack of boxing technique or fundamentals hurt him. Floyd has great reflexes, but he also has better boxing fundamentals over Roy. But Roy might have been faster.
     
    Richard M Murrieta and Dance84 like this.
  14. roughdiamond

    roughdiamond Ridin' the rails... Full Member

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2015
    Messages:
    10,230
    Likes Received:
    19,547
    In my opinion, the most gifted fighters ever are Roy, as you said, and Young Griffo.

    Read the reports in Griffo - they are absolutely insane at times. His peers viewed his defensive skills with reverence.

    Can't forget fighters like Benitez and Duran either.
     
  15. Cecil

    Cecil Boxing Addict Full Member

    Joined:
    Mar 22, 2015
    Messages:
    5,102
    Likes Received:
    5,227
    For sheer athleticism Ali.
     
    Richard M Murrieta likes this.