Rank James Toney, Roy Jones Jr. and Bernard Hopkins

Roy


James
Bernard

 

Roy
Toney
Hopkins

Toney has more depth in his resume but RJJ has 2 exceptional wins.

Hopkins was good but stayed at 160 lbs too long.

 

Roy was def the best among the three after that it comes down to what you prefer. Hopkins had consistency and longer reign at the top Toney has better wins and success in multiple weight classes but also several losses to fighters he really shouldn't have lost to. I'll take Toney over Hopkins though just because I think his wins over Nunn, McCallum, Jirov, and Holyfield are better then anything Hopkins has but that's just my personal opinion.

 

1. RJJ- Clearly the best. At first I thought it might be close between Hopkins and Roy because of longevity but the more that I thought about the more it didn't make sense. Roy was arguably the best fighter in the sport for a decade. Hopkins can't say that. Won titles in more weight classes. Beat more world champions (including Hopkins). Was fighter of the decade. Hopkins was never seriously considered for that. Then just the eye test. Roy was far more dominant. He made it look like he was fighting on easy mode.

2. Hopkins- Longevity and consistency is why he ranks over Toney. Was a championship level fighter for 19 years. Undisputed champion (Toney never was). Unified champion at 175 (Toney was never unified). Hopkins was actually number 1 P4P for a couple of years.

3. Toney- More talented than Hopkins but far to inconsistent. I don't understand how anyone can rank Toney higher unless they are rating the eye test heavily in their rankings. Toney arguably beats McCallum then in his very next fight he should have lost to an unknown Tiberi. Didn't even come in shape for arguably the biggest fight of his career. Then didn't win another world title until 8 and a half years later when he beat Jirov.

 

Jones: breathtaking at his best and extremely dominant. That period last for nearly 10 years. His decline was long and dramatic, but his prime years were something I've never seen before or since in a fighter. Plus he beat the other two at a point in their careers when it mattered (even if wins over both a few years later would have maybe meant a bit more).
Hopkins: probably the least naturallly talent of the three but honed his craft and had an incredibly dominant career. His mindset and technical experience became his biggest attributes.
Toney: more naturally talented than Hopkins, but didn't quite have the discipline. A wonderfully skilled fighter on his day though, But ultimately inconsistent.

I love all three though. Special fighters in very different ways.

 

1. RJJ
2. Hopkins
3. Toney

 

Toney

Roy
Bernard

 

I - Roy Jones Jr
2 - Bernard Hopkins
3 - James Toney

 

The guy who lost to Roy and Drake Thadzi and Dave Tiberi while in his prime is better than Roy?

 

For me quite simple.

1. RJJ
2. Hopkins
3. Toney

 

Toney, despite his inconsistency, has a way better resume than Hopkins. I don't rank any of Bernard's wins as highly as the Nunn or Jirov wins.

Toney at his best was magical.

Bernard was a consistent well schooled fighter who maximized his talent. But i have little desire to see his highlights these days.

Whereas i could watch Toney's highlights for eternity.

 

I believe that James got busted for taking something for his ankle injury from back in his football days.

But James was not on the typical get bulked steroid.

 

Absolutely Thadzi was a career move IMO - Tiberi was at the end of a murderers row and a war with his waist… look who he’d been fighting on a monthly to bi monthly schedule prior… Nunn, Sosa, Johnson, McCallum etc Tiberi was a banana peel, lots of old timers had slip ups in the busy season against guys they should’ve beat and finally Roy? lol if I can’t convince you that’s a dead at the scales fighter I don’t know what to tell you.

 

Another feather in Roy's cap that he never slipped on a banana peel during his prime.

If only he had the chance to face Toney and decide this argument. Oh, wait... I'm being told... hold on...

 

So you don’t believe Toney was weight drained and dead at the scales for the RJJ fight Mr Seamus?