I beleive losing the weight from 200+ back to 175 had an impact on his losses to Tarver and Johnson + his substandard performances after that. I think over time he has stabalised his weight and hence improved punch resistance. I remember Chris Byrd recently trying to do Light Heavy after fighting at heavy and getting beaten around like a rag doll vs a journeyman.
Roy's weak chin is a complete internet myth, there's absolutely no evidence of a glass jaw. A CW-sized Tarver caught him with a huge and perfect shot to knock him out and Johnson but on 9 rounds of brutal beating to take everything away before knocking out Roy. He took flush shots before and after these fights, so it's safe to say that his punch resistence was always good. But I'd agree that moving up and down had an effect, on his whole body. But then again: the clean KO punch and the beatdown were both pretty bad to stop any LHW out there.
Agreed... It's funny as well because Tarver landed alot of heavy shots through the gloves in their first fight, and clearly shook Jones up multiple times, but Roy took all of it standing up and battled back heartily. That was back when Jones had his full confidence. Tarver (then of course) knocked him out on a perfectly timed/placed shot (Jones was turning away from blind side whilst trying to counter) in the rematch - a perfect shot indeed. The Johnson KO, immediately following, came on an overhand right that landed high on the side/rear of Roy's head (another shot he never saw coming) after all sorts of collective punishment... Even the LDV KD was a punch Roy didn't see, if I remember correctly...
Jones didn't need a strong chin last night. Funny thing is that both Hearns and Jones had the same problem when they got older. They end up fighting with their back on the ropes sometimes and they start to get hit. They are better in the center ring with the speed they have. But when they get older they cannot dominate like they did, and they end up on the ropes. Jones has to stay off the ropes, and Hearns in his comeback has to also.
I'd say no. Jones chin is no better than it was when being KO'ed by Tarver and Johnson. Tarver's left hook would have dropped most light heavweights. Jones was throwing a left hook of his own as the panch landed so clearly he didn't see the punch coming and his feet were not anchored to absorb the punch. The Johnson KO he did see coming as if you look at the slow mo he tucks his chin behind his shoulder and tries to roll to his right to slip the punch. But while he saw it coming his reflexes are not what they once were and he couldn't react in time and was caught on the temple. What Jones has done though is alter his style. He fights behind a high guard and fights more flat footed now which means he is less likely to hit get hit cleanly and is anchored when he is caught flush. But the right punch against a true hard hitting light heavy could see Jones stopped again.
Jones weight was never an issue. That is was nothing more than a poor excuse. Jones weighed 193 against Ruiz. On fight night in his next fight against Tarver he weighed in at 186. So, other than water weight Jones lost a grand total of 7 pounds.
Mathematics. Can you do it mother ****er? He weighed in at what 175 for Tarver? That's 18 lbs. He then put 11 back on, but the fact is he had to lose 18 lbs, and most of that was muscle.
Tommy is cluless. If anything is a myth it is the "Roy Jones lost 25 pounds of muscle" garbage his nuthuggers spew on here as an excuse for that Glass Jaw.