Roy Jones vs previous Lt.Heavy Greats

Ah, well, I may overrate him a bit. He was my man back then. Didn´t like DM or Maske - and still don´t. Rocky got srewed against both the first time around. Should have gotten the Maske fight and he was up against DM before the Polish´s acting job. And he easily could have gotten the Eubank decision as well. His resume with those name would rival anybody´s at lhw at the time.

And he was a two weight champ with a decent resume nevertheless. Not up there with Jones, DM or even Hill but with the Tarver´s and Maske´s of the world I think so.

Jones would have faced DM more like on 99 to 01 not in 03.

Toney is Jones best win. I think Ruiz is a better win than Hopkins for Jones taking everything into account. And Hill and Tarver are among the same.

Like said, he´s Top50 for sure, even higher for me. On talent and pure ability he would rank with the best ever and that´s what´s frustrates me so much with him. He chose money over history. I love watching the man but seeing him wasting his talent against police and mail men instead of the best of his era ... argh! :twisted:

 

That's the way the cookie crumbles I guess, soon it just gets too easy to lose and blame the judges. Hmmmmm tarver for a short period of time was an excellent fighter imo, then again I definitely overrate him!

Even in 03 he'd still have been one of jones best available fights no?

I feel ya pain! Throw in jackson, benn, and dm as well as a well timed retirement and history is completely different :-(

 

Jones on his best day was such a freak and so crazy sharp and cocky in there he's in with a chance against any of them.

I think Mike Spinks is almost as physically gifted in certain areas, and has a chin and a boxing skill advantage. He also had great timing. Of all the weight classes Roy contended in seriously (Fighting the weak link belt holder at heavyweight was a sideshow, albeit an impressive one. Roy had no heavyweight run, he had a heavyweight fight.), I think Mike Spinks is his true H2H kryptonite. Roy has problems winning that fight, the match up is just bad for him.

Next would be Foster, simply because he was crafty and could remove any man under heavyweight from his consciousness in one blow. Not a knock on Roy's chin at all, but when you are in with a man who hits like that, he's in with a chance, and Roy in his bravado might give him a window one too many times. I make that 50/50.


Everybody else, I just see Jones getting over on at his best. To beat a peak Jones, you need a gifted boxer puncher with really good fundamentals(Classic fundamentals, James Toney's were more unconventional East Coast style) and terrific timing on top of serviceable handspeed and a solid(At minimum) dig.

Of the guys he fought, I'd say Hopkins, if he'd have had a little bit more experienced and been just a little bit more athletically gifted, would have been the man to do it. Tarver would have also always given Jones hell, though I don't think he was fast or varied enough to get the job done peak for peak.

 

Ah, well, have you seen the first Maske fight? That wasn´t really a close fight. 116-112 I had it for Rocchigiani. And the DM-thing, again, seen it? Worst acting job ever. Eubank was a close fight could have gone either way. But I just posted this to highlight that Rocky was that good.

True, would probably still be his best win.

Yeah, he would definitly qualify for Top30 then, perhaps even Top25. And fighter of the decade would also be well earned rather than, well, have something of a gift.

 

You mean like Charles, Tunney, Conn, Moore ... ? :shock:

 

Seen him against dm and eubank. By the same stretch, tarver got jobbed in his first with johnson, winning that and he's fighter of the year instead of johnson.

Had jones fought dm instead of gonzalez it'd have been his defining fight even then.

Top 25 for sure imo if he beats them 3. To get any higher he'd have to have a serious run at heavyweight. Even if just the small guys like byrd, holyfield, tyson. I give him zero chance vs lewis or either bro at that time.

I think whittaker is a far better candidate imo. I know his prime ended in 97 but jones didn't start his until atleast 93.

 

True but as much as I like Johnson, he is not as good as DM, Eubank or even Maske. Tarver-Rocky would be an interesting fight.

Would be a Top3 win.Up there with Toney and Ruiz. Yeah.

Don´t know who would I drop for him out of the Top25 but yeah, good chance that he makes that.

Yeah, Whitaker has as good a case as Jones. DLH too I think.

 

Impossible to say with someone as unique as johnson. His fights seem destined to go the way of a close points decision. The almost certain likelihood is he loses to those 3 on points in a close fight.

He really should have fought dm instead of hill, 4 belt unification that would certainly clear up any lineal confusion. It's a shame about the olympic final screwing jones because it is partly the reason I believe he never travelled to fight dm. It aint fear cos the two were levels apart, I think he knew he wouldn't knock him out and feared he'd get jobbed on the cards. All because of some damn south korean officials :-(

Yeah hoya was top notch. I think whittaker beat him tho because of the kd. Might have to rewatch that fight tho. Very few people in history conquered both the lightweight and welterweight divisions.

 

Sounds about right. :thumbsup

I don´t think they were levels apart. Jones was better than him by a lot but not levles. DM would have had a good style to beat him though. A great jab, pressure, accuracy and timing to get to him and the defence and whiskers to take his punches. This fight would have pushed Jones harder than any other bar Tarver. I don´t doubt much that he would prevail but he would have to work for that.

Ah, I think that fight can go both ways. Close one. Whitaker is one of my favs, so I credit him with the win.

 

Well I think dm would have been one of his defining fights but I don't think it'd have been one of his hardest. As for levels, where is dm on your atg list? Or where is he on your lhw list? I don't think dm would have pushed him as hard as griffin in their first fight.

Yeah if he gets that decision before retiring i'm sure he gets fotd. I don't think it affects his atg rating that much because he never carried on too long imo, he was outgunned in a valiant effort against prime tito and suffered a freak injury in his last fight. His legacy is secure whether he gets the nod or not because we all saw the fight and how close even a faded whittaker could push him.

These two had similar careers except whittaker also fought the lineal champ. He had his atg's in chavez and hoya (even tho he was twice denied victory) and he was the true champ from lightweight to welter. Should have got fotd imo from 90-97 he was better than jones was from 93-99, imo

 

IMO that would have been the hardest fight for him. DM had all the tools and was a better fighter than either Tarver or Griffin. At lhw, probably only a notch behind Jones, Top20-25 somewhere. Jones Top15. My ATG list goes to 50 and he certainly isn´t there. Wouldn´t call him one either, I´m pretty sure he ends up in the HoF though.

All true, many had the fight for him too. The Tito fight enhances his legacy IMO, giving that effort with a broken jaw and beeing past prime and f*cked up from drugs. Hell, that´s quite something. Funny enough that Tito is the name Jones and Sweet Pea have in common.

Whitaker´s resume is better than Jones too. Got Whitaker in my Top25, Top5-7 at lw and Top15/20 at ww. Jones makes one Top15 (lhw) and Top40 all-time.

 

Total brain fart. Charles, yes. I think Charles beats him. I think Roy beats Conn, Moore and Tunney, but I would absolutely put money on Ezzard Charles to beat Roy Jones.

 

I dunno I just think jones pulls out all the stops vs dm and puts on a great display.

Definitely, such a valiant effort for someone with his reputation. Top quality fighter I have him about 17 I think, just above leonard. Top 5 at lightweight and not sure about welter, he was a champ for a fair bit tho, not ranked welterweight fully but I can't think of ten greater welterweights off top of my head.

Jones I have at 10 lhw and outside top 30.

I think both pea and hoya are greater than jones. And I believe both hopkins and pac will be remembered as greater.

 

I always wonder why people use this kind of language, don´t they get it that it makes anything they say/write absolutly irrelevant? :think

 

If we b realistic with ourselves, there is no fighter under heavyweight that could beat peak Jones Jr.