Jones-Tarver 1 - Jones proves his chin in a war

I think so too. Jones probably still has good enough hand speed to compete at the highest level, but his reaction time and legs are gone. He was never really suited to take LH punches even in his prime, but he rarely if ever, got hit cleanly. If a guy like Richard Hall would have landed that shot that Lou Del Valle did, Jones would have been unconscious.

 

I wouldn't say he necessarily proved his chin. I think he proved a lot in that fight, taking it to Tarver while completely spent, but he hardly got hit with a left hand bomb like in the second fight. He got hit with some good shots but was mostly prepared for them and Tarver did not follow up well. The third fight was much of the same except Jones didn't show the heart he did in the first fight.

Look at the difference in Jones's physique between the first and second fights with Tarver, I'd say he was a lot more prepared for the rematch actually, but just got caught. It could be argued that he gave it what he had left in the tank against Tarver the first time, but then Jones looked better in the first round of the second fight than he ever did during the first fight, clowning Tarver at points.

I'd say it applies to Jones even more so than most fighters. He relied a lot on his fast feet and impeccable reflexes, which failed him at 35. See the way he turns away from the Glen Johnson and even the Danny Green right hands, far from textbook stuff but something he got away with in his prime.

 

Well, for example the left hand in the 10th round wasn't exactly flush on the chin. I don't think Jones could have ever taken the punch Tarver hit him with in the second fight, thus it's difficult for me to believe that his chin somehow went in between the two fights, especially since Jones was less weight-drained for the rematch. It's just that he wouldn't have ever been hit by it in his prime, atleast 9/10 times.

Jones should have gradually gone to more textbook boxing in order to have more longevity. I guess it's difficult to prepare for though, since he got away with everything he used to get away with against Ruiz, yet the overall athleticism just wasn't there agianst Tarver and Johnson.

 

Ray's chin was tested from his second professional match against Fireball Rodriguez. It was sturdy enough in Montreal to help him survive when stunned against one of the deadliest finishers who has ever lived, and his ruggedness was not in dispute after that. His own promoter, Bob Arum, actually said on camera before his unification against Hearns that he expected Tommy to catch Ray and take him out early. He also took solid shots from Benitez, Kalule, Finch and Geraldo. During SRL's first career, the quality of his defense was questioned, but his ability to take a hard shot to the head and body was not. He was a tough kid. Roy, on the other hand, took very little in the way of physical abuse during his prime.