will there ever be another roy jones jr???

Are you not too high on DeGale, Strike? Do you think an alphabet is the limit of what he'll be able to achieve?

 

Well I have not seen the Smith fight which was apparently impressive, but thus far....no I'm not overly excited. He is quick and awkward, especially when ducking down illegally low.
But I don't think he hits especially hard and his punching technique is latter day Calzaghe with lots of slapping. Calzaghe adopted this due to repeatedly injuring his hands, but early days he turned shots over far more.

Degale seems to hit like this through poor technique rather than protecting himself.

He is quite easy to hit when he attacks, but to be fair has made quite rapid progress. 12 months I said Groves would beat him, but I'm far less sure of that now, as Groves seems to be regressing and becoming more and more interested with being flashy rather than working on fundamentals.

But I think Degale is a slick counter punchers dream.

I can certainly see him winning a world title if his progression continues but we know little about his chin or ability to suck it up, and we do know that he is not a banger and not very cute defensively. Even though he would much quicker than the likes of Froch, I see him getting bullied and beaten up. It would be interesting to see him in with the likes of Andrade in a years time.

However he is young and stepping up in class pretty quickly and so far with success. And I was way off with the Olympians thus far, I thought Billy Joe Saunders would make the best transition to pro and that Gavins style was all wrong to adapt easily to the pro ranks.

 

Doubt it, just like they'll never be another Ali or a Tyson. The guy was just a freak of nature! I just wish he would retire and stop damaging his legacy. Suppose the mans gotta eat.

 

Gotta love Roy, great boxer with underrated cv.

We will see alot of guys copying Roy's style (you could say that has happened already!) b ut its hard to say if we will getr someone as good to watch as him.

 

I think it's pretty fairly assessed. Some quality names separated by a lot of mediocre crap.

 

Yep, Roy was awesome, before people say '**** resume', consider this;

-Blitzed Virgil Hill, who is arguably a top 30 alltime Light-Heavy, with one of the greatest bodyshot KOs of all time.
-Didn't lose a round against a weight-drained, but still never disgraced (in boxing) Toney, who went on to have a horrible run at ligth-heavy afterwards but was, along with Jones, the most naturally talented fighter of the era
-Took it easy on old man McCallum; as wiley as he was, that was not easy.
-Beat B-Hop with one hand; Hop was not full of the tricks we think of him being associated with now, the fact Roy was one handed makes it a better achievment IMO
-Has a win over a top 5 HW (at the time) in Ruiz
-Sneaked a poitns win over Tarver

It's everything post Ruiz that has caused peopels opinions of him to fall; he was a fighter who relied on his legs, once they were gone, the mystique was. But compare his achievments to say, Floyd Mayweathers and it's night and day; Roy, despite not having an outstanding resume, was so awesome he proved himself as one of the 50 greatest boxers that ever lived IMO.

A phenomenal talent, and the fighter who, when my Dad showed him to me aged about 8, got me into the sport. I actually thought he was Superman, his ability was so alien to me.

 

Exactly this, if I'd seen this above it would've saved me expending a lot of energy typing. :good

Some awesome, some pithy, but with out-of-this-world ability. I'd pick him to beat Bob Fitzsimmons and Monzon, and there aren't many styles that formidable that I'd pick someone to beat those two (Hagler would be tenacious and versatile for 160lb Roy IMO)

 

its impossible to say...... i cant predict the future.

 

honestly think the nearest in todays game is JAMES DEGALE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

:bowdown

Prime Roy is the most impressive thing I've seen in a boxing ring.

 

Agreed. Not from a technically fundamental standpoint (Jones did everything "wrong", but so wrong it was right!), but from the freak-of-nature speed, reflexes, ring smarts, etc, Roy was phenomenal.

Still to this day I rate Jones' victory over James Toney as one of the most impressive performances I have ever seen. Forget all the "Toney was weight drained" bollocks, regardless whether he was or whether he wasn't, Toney was still an elite, classy boxer and Roy PLAYED with him. Roy's footwork was incredible. Toney, a master ring technician himself, tried cutting the ring down and Jones just literally stepped around him as if moving out of the way of a pensioner with a zimmer frame. Absolutely brilliant performance.

 

Yep, the Toney win was unbelievable.