Does RJJ v Ruiz compare to Duran v Barkley?

I think the signficance of Ruiz being a solid heavyweight and Jones being a blown up middleweight who gained nothing by adding the weight, was the biggest factor in this comparison in my mind. Like I said, it was more than Jones just moving up, it was like Jones tieing lead weights to his arms, and facing a bigger puncher than he ever had because the weight hurt him more than helped.
Valueav is a total joke, did he really beat Ruiz? Does he have any track record of being a big puncher and you are comparing two true heavyweights. The body is far different at 215+ pounds, not so much in Valuevs case at 300+ Thats like comparing Butterbean to Larry Holmes.:dead

 

Jones was 34yo when he took this HW title

Jones was a natural MW

The fight was 2 traditional weight classes up, a man 65lbs above his prime weight

- The guy he was fighting was a natural HW & current world champ

- The only man to beat Ruiz in the previous 9 years was the superb Evander Holyfield

- Ruiz had beaten Holyfield and Kirk Johnson and would beat Rahman, Golota, Oquendo

- Ruiz took the excellent Valuev and Chageav to controversal SDs way past his prime at 36yo

- Ruiz was bigger, stronger, younger, fresher, had better power

- Jones won the fight by shut out it wasn't even competitive. His performance was nothing short of magnificent

- Jones hurt Ruiz

- Ruiz was a better HW than Barkley was a MW

- When was the last time a MW champ moved up and won a HW title?

- Jones was in his 14th year as a pro (started a long way away below HW) not including many years as an amateur

 

I tend to agree that Ruiz was a little underated. The KO loss to Tua and his unpleasing style, overshadowed some decent wins and accomplishments in the divison.

 

Absolutely, Barkley was considerably better. I don't think you did address most of those points in your opening, not satisfactorily anyway.

Yes. Jones was brilliant. But Barkley performed on the night and was outfought, Ruiz did not perform at all. For all Jones's skills, Ruiz was horribly inept and impotent. Had he showed a bit of fire and conviction, perhaps people would view Roy's win as better than they do currently. Unfair perhaps, but understandable. People don't like easy shutouts (see the current rating of Pacquiao-Oscar for example).

Jones-Ruiz was a great achievement, but Duran-Barkley was clearly superior IMO.

 

It is on another level to me, but I do see your point. Jones-Ruiz was a historic win and I wouldn't quarrel with anyone who said it was of a comparable level.

 

:good

 

Oh Yeah! (Like I track Ruiz' career). Any Middleweight who takes a Heavyweight Championship is a great feat in itsself. But to really mean something, Jones should have taken on one of the more decorated Heavyweight Champions. It's like Leonard stepping up to take LaLonde's title. Yeah he stepped up and did it, but there was alot better opposition out there. back to the subject, Barkley was a more formiddable champion, who had defeated Thomas Hearns. & had a better reputation as champion.

 

At the time of the fight, with exception of Lennox Lewis he did take on the best available, certainly the most accomplished of the sh*t bunch.

 

word on th grapevine is that Roy Jones Jr is going back up to heavyweight afterhis next fight

 

Sooo True, The Heavyweights were sure in a sorry state then!

 

Oh Yeah! Any Lightweight who takes a Middleweight Championship is a great feat in itself. But to really mean something, Duran should have taken on one of the more decorated MW Champions like Nunn, McCallum, Kalambay, Leonard, Benn

 

I take it you mean winning LW and MW titles, but the thing is Barkley wasn't Linear champ and had lost to Kalambay who had just lost to Nunn

 

Very doubtful Nunn,Kalambay or Benn could have defeated Hearns two out of two times. Duran took the best(Hagler) the distance. To keep in perspective, Could Jones have extended Lewis to the distance?

 

Ruiz was by far better fighter than Barkley, much more consistent, staying at or near the top of the division for at least 10 years.