Roy Jones Jr's 'prime' coincidently ended the second he faced Antonio Tarver?

Really it's just the fact that Tarver jus completely had his number.

They were the same age and Jones was a massive favourite.. Tarver was just all wrong for him.

Roy did well to hide his glass chin for that long. But eventually that atrocious punch resistance showed.

 

He only had a glass chin when he started cutting lots of weight, in the first fight he took bombs from Tarver and didn’t go down and complained about the weight cut in the post fight interview

 

Jones built everything off of his athleticism, so there is no way he was in his prime in 2003.
Peak Roy Jones Jr. was from 1996 to 1998. After that he started slowing down.

 

There were major signs that Roy was slowing down before that rematch and don't forget, Roy won their first fight so the argument that Tarver was just all wrong for him really doesn't stand up to scrutiny.

 

Not to defend Jones, but didn't Jones win their 1st fight or am I missing something?

 

Ah beat me to it, lol

 

In the ruiz fight his reflexes were already slipping clearly.

 

Jones prime ended after he moved up to Heavyweight ! Jones had been advised from numerous sources iirc he would never be the same fighter again after the Ruiz fight and it proved to be true. Jones had dominated all his 49 fights before Tarver.Although both fighters were the same age Jones as mentioned was a veteran with 49 fights and Tarver the fresher fighter with only 22 fights.The first fight with Tarver even though he won it could be seen that he had clearly lost a step in both his athleticism and movement. Tarver was just in the right place at the right time when Jones wheels came off,just like when Douglas took Tysons scalp .

 

Roy literally beat Tarver in their first fight while being no longer in his prime, what are you talking about.

 

Tarver could have been a tricky match-up for Jones and Jones could have been past his prime. Nothing mutually exclusive there.

 

His prime ended when he moved back down from HW. That was a bad move.

Had he stayed up at HW we could have seen true greatness extended.

 

There's no coincidence in it at all. It just happened to he the fight where a long career caught up with him. Usually signs of declime are gradual but not in this case. I dare say, the weight cut emphasised it.
Whether tarver had his number is another question as we didn't get to see him Vs a prime Roy. What happened in fights post tarver is proof enough regarding Roy's decline.

 

G

Great performance Vs a very credible Ruiz at the time and amidst a huge weight jump but against the likes of Lewis, it wouldn't have ended well for him in my opinion.

 

roy was a freak of nature. reflexes of a mongoose. gave him insane reaction time. thats the first thing age takes from you as a fighter. the fluctuations in weight also played a role, like they would any other performer who performs physical movements that precise in timing and movement. your body has to learn perfect balance at the new weight again, because your center of gravity has changed, in order to pull off those precise moves. it doesnt matter as much with other boxing styles, because under most circumstances in doesnt come much into play, but when your calling card is precision, it matters.

 

This. His entire style was predicted upon quick reflexes. Fighters who rely on power and technique can maintain dominance into their 30s, sometimes even deep into their 30s. For a fighter who is completely reliant on his reflexes that is not the case.