How impressive are Roy Jones Jr’s victories over Hopkins, Toney, McCallum

Hopkins pre prime, Toney prime and McCallum past prime. Saying that all 3 opponents were winning and ranked very highly when RJJ got them and made them look inferior.

I believe McCallum had lost a close one to Fabrice Tiozzo right before but still.

Roy Jones Jr. was that good. Damn I miss seeing that dude in the ring.

 

Hopkins and Toney were extremely impressive.

RJJ was 24 years old and had contested 21 bouts when he fought the 28 year Hopkins who'd fought 23 times professionally and who went on to dominate MW for a decade afterwards. Whilst I accept Hopkins was pre his absolute peak, I think people make too much out of the draw with Mercado a few fights later, which was fought at altitude in Mercado's home country. When they fought an immediate rematch closer to sea level, Hopkins dominated.

Toney is also an ATG, was prime and unbeaten when RJJ dominated him. To be sufficiently superior to a fighter as brilliant as Toney so as to make the fight a mismatch, is as clear and indication as to the brilliance of peak RJJ as exists.

McCallum was a decent, respectable win, but he was 2 weeks shy of his 40th birthday and 3 x weight divisions above his peak, it's not close to being as great a win as the other 2. Ruiz was a greater win for RJJ, given the huge discrepancy in size. Griffin, Hill and Tarver were better LHW wins, too.

 

A lot of the guys RJJ beat was either bald or had already started the balding spot features which are typical of olderness. You just don't see great, great fighters who's bald lest they shave they heads. Not like what happened with Sugar Ray. This was something different. Jones needs to have asterisk.

 

Hopkins was pre prime,McCallum past prime ,Toney wasnt in the shape he should have been,but that's on him ,very good wins, but not quite what they seem.

 

Yes. And I'd add Malinga and Johnson to that list.

 

These are really an amazing collection of three wins tbh. So amazing these wins were buying RJJ grace almost 20 years later.

 

All are great wins. Toney actually fought back well and landed a lot more punches on Jones than I remembered. Really nice fight. With Hopkins, when is a fighter truly at "peak"? Is a fighter's apex always around their best win? A lot of fighters have their best wins past their athletic best.

 

Roy Jones was incredible in his prime. It's hard to imagine anyone beating a prime Roy Jones.

 

McCallum was a husk of himself. Toney was drained to high Heaven but that's on him and it's still a good win I suppose. Hopkins hadn't quite found his stride yet but he gave Roy a good fight, which is demonstrative not only of his ability, but that he was still decently capable at that point in his career, so another good win even if Hopkins was still a fringe contender. His wins are better at a glance than they are under close inspection.

 

RJJ was McCallum's penultimate fight. Fair enough.

Hopkins and Toney were a combined 66-1 before fighting RJJ. Hopkins won 24 in a row after losing to RJJ then won at LHW. Toney won at HW.

I don't know how you take the Hopkins and Toney away from RJJ.

 

Hopkins himself doesn't. He said he could beat anyone but Jones. And that no one else could beat Jones either. Jones's performance against Hopkins obviously left quite the impression on Hopkins himself at least.