Does RJJ v Ruiz compare to Duran v Barkley?

Nor was Jones. He was in stunning shape v Ruiz.

 

Had he been fighting a quick hw, I'd agree with you more strongly than I do now (I concur to an extent which falls short of total agreement). Ruiz was about as fast as an 80-year-old prostitute removing her underpants. Jones put on 20lbs or so of muscle, and did not look like he lost much speed to me, at least not in a p4p sense.

 

See now I disagree with that. I would consider Ruiz one of the quicker heavyweights of the bunch.

 

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:good

 

Quality illustration for this thread amigo. None of us should lose sight of the fact these were both special victories achieved by two amazing fighters. :good

 

Did you think he was any faster than slow as **** v Jones? For all that Jones was fast, Ruiz was ponderous, cumbersome, and plodding - and I mean even by hw standards not Jones's standards. Imagine a younger version of Holyfield in there with Ruiz, he would have made Ruiz look like a statue as well.

 

It is similar in that Ruiz and Barkley were good style matchups for Jones and Duran. Had Duran fought the other champ at the time Nunn and Jones fought Lennox, there would have been troubles for them both.

 

Style match-ups yes... but also Nunn and Lewis were simply better fighters. Plus Lewis had the obvious colossal physical advantages.

 

That is true. Duran/Barkley was a great fight. The Duran win hides the fact that the fight was a brawl. Iran fought a master inside fighter and Iran was an inside fighter.

 

I do not think the Ruiz win was that great nor was the Duran one. Jones at the time was rarely hit by anyone, and Ruiz could not punch hard at all, even if he outweighed Jones (since Ruiz was then a lot slower also). So what was the risk for Jones? He fights his same fight and uses his speed to win a decision. I do not think it was that great a win. And the Duran win I knew would happen. When they signed that fight I told myself Duran is going to win that one. Barkley landed a great punch with Hearns no doubt, but the fact was that had Hearns stayed on his feet and been a little more careful, a few more bodyshots would have knocked down Iran and that would have been considered and easy 3rd or 4th round knockout win for Tommy. Hearns was busting up Iran's body and face. It was a matter of time. Hearns was his own fault in that fight. He got careless like he tended to when he was winning easily. Kalambay had already beaten Iran in late 1987 anyway, and Nunn after Duran beat Iran also as did Benn in one round. Barkley was ok, but no great fighter., and Olajide almost stopped him. I think both wins are comparable in that Duran and RJJ had very ordinary guys in front of them who they could beat. The great thing about the Duran win was that he was hit with some clean shots and still came back to win, although the style matchup was perfect for him. That was Duran's fight. Yes they beat bigger guys, but in all honesty Ruiz or Barkley are not great fighters. Those two guys get more credit for those wins ,than Hearns did for beating Virgil Hill in 1991 when Virgil had 10 title defenses and was undefeated and 6 years younger than Hearns. That was a great win, yet no one talks about that. If it were not for the Hearns win, Iran Barkley would be considered a decent fighter, but not a big deal to beat. And also, Hearns offense did more damage to Iran than most of the guys who fought him. But like I said, Hearns got careless.

 

It isn't the same for me because of various things that defy statistics (though statistics favor DuranvsBarkley as well), namely, Duran fought inside with Barkley, took the best shots the man had to offer, survived an entire round while hurt against a brutal middleweight puncher, didn't have any advantages coming in (slight advantage in handspeed while giving up huge in height, reach, build and punch vs Roy Jones' always present athleticism).

Many could envision Roy Jones beating Ruiz the way he did -- using reflexes and speed of foot and hand to grind out a decision.

Duran beating Barkley by fighting the perfect fight, the very best he could do at that point in his career utilizing every single piece of his craft, every trick he knew, against a Barkley that imo fought one of the best fights of his career. Hell, he even floored him. Duran went to a dark place that evening. I don't think any of us realize how much pain he soaked up or how much mental strength it took to keep fighting on. It sometimes looked to be desperation, especially when Barkley manhandled him to the ropes and Duran didn't have enough strength to push back, and instead had to rally and slip all the way back to the center.

Jones vs Ruiz was a good win and a novelty. Duran vs Barkley was magical. It showed me how skill and mental prowess can trump sheer unsurmountable physical disadvantages.

 

I wish I had wrote this. Hits the nail right on the head. :happy

 

i remmber RJJ was touted to face Mike Tyson after Ruiz if he had beat Tyson would this have surpasses Duran Barkly