Roy Jones Jr vs James Toney - Underrated win for Roy ?

Hopkins fans usually "forget" this.

 

For sure. I feel like some fans treat B Hop's longevity as his prime.

 

Oh, but he was so green y'know?!!!

(Even though B-Hop was 4 years older and they had the same number of fights)

 

Mercado n Echols fights were fun. Ppl forget Hopkins wasn't always the spoiler we all know him to be. "The Executioner" used to b fitting b4 he became "The Decisioner". Still credit for his longevity.

 

The best Jones was always beating him and impressively at that.

 

Jones was miles further along his career progression than Hopkins. Citing age with fighters like Hopkins and Moore is a joke at best. Hopkins was an extremely slow burner who thoroughly learned the sport vs Jones being an athletic freak who had little effectiveness later on after the physical gifts had dimmed. Hopkins was ring rated #9 around the time (barely a top tenner) Jones #4. He was a half a dozen fights off being able to win a title while by that time Jones had already been rated #3 P4P in the world and then whipped P4P #2 in Toney.

If anything the win over Hopkins gets overrated in name and the context is both plain and easily understood. That's not to say Hopkins would have ever beat him at their best, Jones had the style advantage and then some over guys like Hopkins and Toney and to be frank most boxers in history from 160-175. He was an absolute freak.

 

And here is comes, folks. As predictable as the sun rising in the East.

 

And as easily digested, by anyone with an educated digestive tract.

 

The trouble for guys fighting an elite speed freak like Jones is that unlike pretty much every other athletic (in the ring) speed freak he had the power to knock you out with one punch, from nowhere. Guys like Ali, Camacho (yes lower level than the others), Pep and co didn't have near the one punch pop Jones did. That makes taking risks while trying to round him up and time him extremely dangerous and it goes all catch 22 in there. How are you ever going to catch peak Jones without taking a lot of risks and putting some pressure on him?

SRL is an interesting talent too. He wasn't quite as freaky as Jones but he had better technique, immense speed and really good power himself. In his own way an absolutely sensational all round package himself.

 

This

 

WTF '94 Toney was a seasoned pro and as good as he ever was. Trying to compare the Toney win to the Hopkins win like that?? What an absolute brainfart.

...and wtf are you babbling on about.

Also, Toney was a little below par vs Williams due to being ill close to the fight.

None of you know what you're talking about really.

 

Nobody I’ve ever debated with sees this as an underrated win.

Many people actually see it as an overrated win due to the weight loss.

It’s a crying shame that James wasn’t at 100%.

For me personally, I honestly don’t believe a fully fit James would have fared any better. And I only say that due to the stylistic match up. And because it was a very slow paced fight with a low punch count. They both went feint for feint, in a fairly cautious fight. But of course, people will rightly question it. And we’ll never know.

I don’t know if he didn’t take Roy seriously, or he had the weight there as a ready made excuse.

He says that his manager, Jackie Kallen made him sign for the fight. But she claims that she never made him sign, and that he was full of confidence. So I don’t know what went down.

Regarding remaining in the division, James could have done that had he have lived the life and been 100% professional. Even when he moved up to fight Griffin at 175, he had weight issues. He just didn’t have the discipline.

Roy could definitely have remained at SMW if he’d have gotten the fights he’d have wanted.

 

Tell me more about this.

Toney actually whined that he didn’t want to fight/was afraid to fight RJJ and his manager forced him?

I mean, why would she have to ‘make’ him fight Jones? Why wouldn’t he want to fight the best and make the biggest fights that could be made? James always plays the tough street thug type, but this makes him look like a coward.