Roy Levesta Jones, Jr. vs. Santos Saúl Álvarez Barragán

I'll never understand the idea that Jones was just some bumbling idiot with no skill and only athleticism. Just watching any prime Jones fight disproves this.

 

I like Canelo but this matchup is Jones all the way. Alvarez is a great regular fighter. By regular I mean he has no particular outstanding athletic skills he is just great at the skills of boxing. Jones brings the extra dimension of speed and quickness and won't wear down like some of Canelo's opponents have. RJJ wins a decision by a wide margin.

 

RJJ points. Canelo normally knocks his opponents out when they're tired, but prime RJJ had great conditioning

 

Jones Jr beats the hell out and stops ( If he chooses too) Alvarez from Jr.middleweight to Lt.heavy.
Alvarez may have won a rd against the best fighter he faced, Mayweather Jr. Who's best fighting weight was Jr. Lightweight. May Jr schooled him, and exposed him for what he is. A very average boxer in a below average era of talent.
Now imagine him in against Jones Jr. Who was just as fast ( If not faster) than May Jr. Just as skilled, and more athletic. Plus , Jones Jr had Lt.heavy firepower. Unlike May Jr, his firepower was very suspect at welterweight and above.
Jones Jr beats Alvarez any way he chooses to.
A completely one sided Dec win. Or Ko if he decided to make it a short night.

 

This. i love the way Zay Greedo uses the version of Roy that had lost his athleticism and speed and 'got slept left right and centre'. Surely we use the prime version who 'slept' fighters left right and centre.

Roy wins however he likes and at the risk of sounding an old fart, I agree with the line that Canelo is an average boxer in a really poor era.

No other era in history has so many P4P entrants who are in their 30s. Boxing's a young man's game but there is nobody coming through any more to move the stalwarts out of the top spots. That gives the likes of Canelo longevity and the misconception that they are comparable to greats of yesteryear.

As Flash said, when he came up against a true great, he barely won a round. He's the poster boy for how far the sport has slipped.

 

Thank you.....

 

Mr Jones by a unanimous decision, imo.

 

Yea I don't get it either, another way to frame it is once Jones had 50 fights and competed for 15 years in boxing winning titles in multiple weight classes, beating future hall of famers we suddenly found out he's just this really lucky athletic journeyman.

 

There’s a better chance that Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao sign to fight each other in 2010 than there is for Roy and Clenelo to sign to fight each other when either of them pose a threat to the other

 

List any skill or attributes that Canelo has over Roy and then do the opposite. You'll notice one list is exponentially larger than the other.

Roy stops him if he goes for it or wins a 10-1-1 type of decision. It's so onesided that the judges can't help Canelo out of this one and can do no better than a 6-4-2 decision for Roy.

 

Glad you pointed that.

Jones never looked tired. Always seemed as fresh/sharp at the end as the start. It was almost weird and not natural

 

I guess it would depend on the circumstances.

Both have huge egos etc.

They’d probably have argued over the split etc.

Stylistically, it would have been a much easier fight for Roy.

There’d be no reason at all for Roy not wanting to have fought Canelo. Especially for huge money. He had so many stylistic advantages over him.

Roy wasn’t as risk adverse as you believe.

He chased down Toney after Toney had beaten: Reggie, Nunn, McCallum, Barkley and Littles etc. He’d just knocked out Tim Littles in 3 rounds.

So why wouldn’t he have fought Canelo?

It’s Canelo who’d have been facing the far tougher challenge.

 

Loudon, I agree with you about the styles favoring Roy. But then again, Roy was so incredible in his prime you’d have to favor Roy over just about every other fighter in history except for a rare few.
Regarding Roy going after Toney, that Roy didn’t exist at 175 and that is the weight where OP has set this mythical matchup to take place. Roy was risk adverse in his 175lb run. You and I have gone over this before; Jones was very comfortable with fighting weak mandatories and letting them go the distance. That’s why he was called “Reluctant Roy” and the “Roycott” to not purchase his PPVs became a grassroots movement. That might not be 100% fair to Roy but he only has himself to blame. In fact, Roy’s willingness to not fight the best available paved the way for Mayweather, who turned ducking into an art form, and now Clenelo is carrying on that legacy.
You mentioned that both men have huge egos and that the money would have to be right in order for Jones and Alvarez to fight and that is why I’m saying that the fight wouldn’t happen.
Just picture this scenario: Alvarez has brutally knocked out Kovalev, broken the eye socket of Billy Joe Saunders and methodically demolished Plant. Roy has just stopped some poor assistant grave digger with a behind-the-back left hook the pour soul never saw coming (probably because he was tired from having worked two shifts earlier that day) and Larry Merchant steps into the ring for the interview.
“Roy, earlier today you played a game of semipro basketball and you just now stopped another overmatched mandatory opponent; when will you fight Alvarez?”
“Well you see Larry, first Roy Jones would like to thank God for making me so great and humble. And you know Roy Jones is willing to fight the best, that’s just who Roy Jones is. If Clenelo wants to be the best then he has to beat the best and the best is Roy Jones. I’ll fight Alvarez any time anywhere - you know that Larry, because that’s who Roy Jones is. In order to make this fight happen all HBO has to do is pay Roy Jones what he’s worth.”
“And how much is Roy Jones worth to fight Alvarez?”
“100 million dollars.”
“Holy ****! Are you fuccing serious?!”
“Like I said Larry, Roy Jones will fight anyone anytime, but first you have to pay me.”
“Roy, Oscar de la Hoya says that Alvarez is the draw and that you don’t generate PPV buys.”
“You see Larry, they already making excuses to not fight Roy Jones. You know, I know and boxing fans know that I’ll fight anybody they put in front of me.”
“Well then, how about Dariusz Mic…”
“Don’t you mention that name, Larry! I’ll get yo’ old drunk ass fired right now! Y’all musta forgot I got options. I’ll fight Mike Tyson, Holyfield, Jirov, Alvarez, Lewis…whoever they want me to fight as long as they pay me what I’m worth.”
“Back to you, Jim.”