1997 Roy Jones Jr (Griffin II) vs 2016 Artur Beterbiev

Given how fast Jones's hands were, unless you are elite defensively like Usyk or Mayweather, its not even an if, its a when. Jones has much quicker hands than anyone Beterbiev has ever faced including Bivol.

Beterbiev does have a weakness: when he is attacked, he merely goes back and resets rather than staying in the pocket and countering like a Tyson type swarmer. Jones had legit one punch power even at 175 and given his speed, once he lands, Beterbiev will retreat rather than try to counter punch. I doubt Beterbiev can pressure him without running into something big despite his solid defensive skills.

 

Roy could win a safety first decision, but he wouldn’t even hurt Beterbiev.

 

RJJ's speed was insane, true but Beterbiev's defense isn't about being untouchable. It's about a tight guard, staying balanced, and he's also a very effective counterpuncher. He'd catch shots and fire right back he’s not just there to be hit.

That 'retreat' isn't fear, it’s a smart reset. He steps back, re-calibrates, and often comes back harder, he showed that against Johnson after getting dropped. He’s not a swarmer, but he counters sharply and doesn't just absorb punishment.

And he wouldn't just run into something big. Beterbiev's pressure is calculated with a good jab, cuts the ring, and he forces his fight. Roy would land, sure, but he'd be eating heavy counters and dealing with a relentless, physically strong guy who can crack. Could Roy handle that for 12 rounds while also taking Beterbiev's own bombs? That's the million-dollar question and imo I don't think he would but I can see the argument for the other side.

 

Roy is too quick with his feet and hands. Roy UD

 

The Bivol fights reflect better on Artur than they do poorly imo, despite being 40 years old he still managed to keep up with a prime Bivol and at many stages got the better of him.

 

You’ve just Bivol fight him twice, with a disciplined game plan.

Bivol didn’t take any huge bombs.

He used his speed and movement to win a decision without getting hurt or stopped.

We’ve just seen it.

Roy was faster than Bivol. More elusive. More powerful.

There’s no logical reason why Roy couldn’t have replicated those performances.

 

He did great. They both did. But there’s little logic in seeing Bivol beat him, and then saying that Roy would have been crushed.

A prime Roy was faster than Bivol, as well as being more powerful and elusive.

 

He was touching 40 in the 1st fight and was 40 in the rematch.

 

Bivol has a better chin then Roy and better defense and even then he got hit plenty of times and forced against the ropes, which tells me Beterviev would probably catch Roy as well and I don't think Roy's chin can take Beterbiev's shots.

 

Nobody is claiming that Bivol beat a a very faded or shot fighter.

They were two great fights.

 

He doesn’t have a better defence at all. It’s just a more conventional one. But it wasn’t better. Roy was harder to hit. He was more elusive.

You don’t know that Bivol has a better chin. What absolutely flush power shots has he taken?

 

RJJ was harder to hit clean, yes. But Beterbiev's & Bivol's balanced and more conventional defense helps them absorb shots better than Roy who'd be more off-kilter if caught hence his struggle with good pressure fighters. As for Bivol's chin, he's taken solid shots from Canelo, Ramirez, Joe Smith Jr., and Beterbiev without crumbling so I'd say he's more then proven it.

 

Your first point is just nonsense.

Roy took solid shots off of Toney and Ruiz etc.

Taking solid shots is not the same.

Bivol has never been hit with a fully flush bomb.

He’s never been hit by the kind of shot Roy took off of Tarver etc.

 

The point about a balanced defense isn't nonsense being in proper position helps absorb impact, even from 'bombs.' because you have your feet under you to support you and take away the impact of shots. Its why when Jones got caught they effected him more because he didn't have his feet under him to help absorb the shot. Bivol absolutely got hit by som hard punches. He ate clean, hard shots from Canelo, took a flush shot from Joe Smith at the end of a round, and took Beterbiev's best in both their fights. Those are proven hard hitters, and Bivol stayed on his feet and kept fighting effectively which shows he has a solid chin.

 

Roy’s knockouts had nothing to do with where his feet were placed.

Roy was knocked out by taking huge, flush shots to the jaw.

Mostly when he faced big punchers, way above his best weights, when he was vulnerable.

Bivol has took solid shots, but not the kind of shots that Roy took from Lebedev and Tarver etc.

Roy took shots in his time. Just like Bivol. But Bivol hasn’t taken those kinds of shots, and shots that we’ve seen GGG and Canelo etc take.

He looks to be pretty solid. But nobody is saying he’s got a great chin because he’s taken bombs. It’s never happened.

Andre Ward fought Kovalev twice. But nobody says that he has a great chin.

Bernard Hopkins fought Tarver, Pavlik, Pascal, and Kovalev at 50. Yet he was knocked out of the ring by Joe Smith.

So obviously the perfect opportunity is needed.

I’m sure than John Ruiz hit harder than Glen Johnson. He even knocked Evander down with a right hand.

So it depends on the opportunity.

The circumstances.

At the end of the day, a prime Roy had all of Bivol’s gifts, but was even faster, with a better defence and more power.

So it’s nonsensical to think that Roy couldn’t have replicated his strategies.

There’s also the myth that Roy couldn’t in-fight when on the ropes or in the corners. And that’s baffling to anyone who watched his career.

People here are just looking at Beterbiev’s power and Roy’s bad knockout losses, then joining the dots. But it wouldn’t have been as simple as that

But thats what happens when you can’t let go. Roy has ruined his reputation.