Roy Jones Jr or Tommy Hearns? Who do you Rate Higher?

Prime for prime at middleweight, Jones

 

Looking at it quickly...

Records:

Hearns:
Smashing Duran probably the best win on either of them
Smashing and ruining Cuevas
Clear win over Benitez
Beating Hill long before Roy touched him
Probably deserving the nod over SRL the second time

Jones:
Shutting out Toney probably just short of Hearns' win over Duran
Whipping Hopkins probably better than Hearns' other wins
Dominant win over Hill, but DM and Hearns got him first
Griffin, old McCallum, Ruiz

Very close, slight edge to Hearns

Ability:
Roy is to 160 what Hearns is to 147 IMO - not their best weight but still very much up there with the top fighters. Overall I'd say Jones beats more fighters at 160, but then it's not as strong a division as Welterweight talent-wise. Both are probably the GOAT at their respective peak divisions - Jones at 168 and Hearns at 154. However, Jones is also a proven commodity at 175 where Hearns' ability drops off somewhat once he faced big power and loses his size advantage, so I don't see him as having as much range as Jones from a H2H standpoint. Also Hearns has the glaring weakness of his chin where Jones can dodge that issue to some extent.

Clear edge to Jones.

Other considerations:
Dominance: Similarly dominant, both getting lots of stoppages and losing rarely if ever in their primes. Perhaps slight edge to Jones
Weight jumping: Hearns picking up straps all the way up to Cruiser is probably bettter than Jones doing so at Heavy, though Jones was the man at 175 despite DM in the background.. Perhaps slight edge to Hearns
Jones had a much more embarassing fall from grace.

Very close, I'd say Jones gets the nod mainly based on ability.

 

I rank Roy Jones slightly higher, but there's not much in it, I wouldn't argue with anyone who had Tommy above Roy. Both of them are on a similar ATG level IMO.

 

Jones. Not much but he is higher imo.

 

Jones for me.

 

I'd go with Hearns on this one. Jones Jr in his prime rates higher H2H but Hearns has the better resume.

 

Hearns

 

Hearns fought the better competition.

 

Roy edges Tommy by a hair. Both had suspect chins, but Hearns got stopped in his prime by Hagler and Leonard. Was slightly past it when Barkley got him. All of Roys k.o losses came when he was shot to bits.

 

Nice one.

 

Hearns but really not by that much. I consider Hearns to have a much higher ring IQ and that he had to fight the better men and prove himself while at his best and beyond it in a way Jones didn't so much. Jones is close to Hearns in my book just on my perception of his h2h ability in his best weights.

 

Jones didnt fight that kind of comp to get ko'd,nor would he have been brave enough to take those fights,and Hearns wasnt even in his prime yet when he fought Leorard he was 21 years old.Jones was a low to high HF'mer,Hearns is a ATG,its big difference between them,plus Hearns would have starched him out fairly quickly.

 

Based on...?

 

You can debate either way depending on criteria. Hearns probably fought and beat better fighters overall but Jones had a brilliant long term run without an unaided defeat.