Finally did research on Roy Jones. He actually did avoid most of the top MW-SMW.

I would not say Jones ducked Toney but he certainly keen giving Toney a rematch. Here are some of the reasons that


- 1995-1997: Toney lost (although unfairly) the Griffin rematch.HBO was keen at that time to rebuild Toney and make Toney-Jones II.

- 1997-1999: Toney did not fight.

- 1999-2003: Jones was not willing to fight Toney as Toney needed first to rebuild his career and become champion.

- 2003-2004: Toney became champ in 2003. There was a small window opportunity to do the fight. However, Jones decided to give Tarver a rematch in 2004 as there was still some unfinished business there. (Toney just became champ in 2003).

- 2004-XXX: Toney was fighting as a heavyweight. Jones was fighting as a lightheavyweight. After his losses Jones was on the downside.

However, it is true that Toney was always willing to fight Jones.

 

:thumbsup

Ya it's a real shame that people always go on about how great Eubank and Benn were when they mention 90's middleweights. Collins beat both those guys twice each and he's rarely brought up in conversation.

Though he may not have been a huge draw he was the biggest danger to Roy from across the Atlantic. Collins was fearless.

 

It's crazy for anyone to criticise Roy for seemingly not wanting a rematch with Toney, after he'd dominated him the first time.

 

I've got a huge amount of respect for Collins, but he beat faded versions of Benn and Eubank, and especially Benn.

You're right, he was fearless. But Roy tried to unify the SMW division in 1996. And when fights against Liles and Nardiello were unable to be made, he left Collins and his WBO belt behind to try his hand at LHW.

Everyone has different opinions, but in my opinion, Roy would have fought Collins if he'd have had a major belt. There was no point in fighting Collins for the lightly regarded WBO belt, which at the time wasn't respected or even rated by The Ring magazine, if he couldn't obtain the WBA and the WBC belts.

:good

 

He was considered the no.1 by many between 94-04.

He was also declared the fighter of the 90's.

 

Such an awful thread.

 

Who should Roy have fought?

 

In perfect world

1995 Benn
1996 Hopkins rematch (instead of McCallum)

Doesn't get DQ'd against Griffin, he gets to Hill before Michalczewski

1998 Rocchigiani or Michalczewski instead of Grant

 

:good

 

In a perfect world, every great fighter he never had the opportunity to fight.

A Hopkins rematch in 96 wouldn't have meant anything. It's such a shame nothing could be worked out in 2002 though.

 

Roy Jones had no chin. NONE.

 

The thing Jones ducked the most was the level playing field. He loved a salty delicious PED on a regular basis. :---(

 

Awful, pure hatred. Whoever Roy didn't fight in a decade and a half, he ducked. Well guess what, It takes two to make a fight.

 

That's Rico's line.

 

I don't think he missed many, I think that was more my point.

In 1996 Hopkins strongly considered taking the fight, while no one at 168 did. Hopkins turned it down and he ended up fighting McCallum. Not sure who else he could have fought to close of the year.