Golovkin vs. Roy Jones Jr. @ 160 lbs both in their prime.

Yup. Golovkin way too hittable, it would be a brutal stoppage win for Jones Jr. Not to mention Jones used to take a good shot. Golovkin wouldn't even have touched him much though.

 

It's a huge assumption that you're making.

You make it sound so simple.

What makes you think he could have taken away Roy's speed?

What's this based on?

 

My impression is that Roy didn't have the same devastating power at MW as he showed at SMW and LHW, even if he still could bang of course. Here, as a reference, is a video of him fighting Jorge Castro who took him the distance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC3G_b-tdHQ

I think it's very likely that Golovkin could cut off the ring and push Roy to the ropes. Roy was good when fighting of the ropes, both in defence and offence. But was he better close up than a specialized pressure fighter like GGG and could he stay safe in that position if beeing persistently battered? I think those questions are very relevant.

I like Roys chances against almost anyone. But not against GGG and not at MW. That's because the calculated pressure GGG applies when he has his opponent cornered, and how easily Roy ends up in that situation.

 

You'd need an A level pressure fighter who wouldn't have been fazed by Roy's offense. You'd need someone who was willing to fight him, without being deterred. Someone like Nigel Benn, who would have jumped on him, with the philosophy of 'He's got to take me out to beat me' Again, we don't know if GGG has that mindset. He may well have, but we don't know. But for all we know this great pressure fighter, may have stayed back and fought ultra cautious against Roy. It's more than possible. As I've mentioned last week, I think Joe Calzaghe would have fought Roy cautiously. I don't see how Roy would have had any trouble with Glen Johnson in his prime. You also have to ask whether guys like Tarver and Glen would have employed the same tactics had they fought earlier versions of Roy.

 

It wouldn't matter if GG cornered Roy on the ropes. Roy fought off of the ropes about as good as any fighter that has done that. The speed is a major difference in this fight only Roy had speed AND power.

 

GGG would be a threat.

But Roy was one of the smartest fighters ever.

He'd have done his best to have kept the fight in the centre of the ring, because he obviously would have respected GGG's power.

Roy was happy to go to the ropes in a lot of fights against average punches, because he conserved energy and he liked to counter.

I think his tactics against GGG would have been a lot different to the ones he'd employed against lesser threats.

 

As a dedicated fan of Roy Jones, what do you think of the power he displayed at the different weight classes? Wasn't Roy a natural LHW? Du you think he had the same pop at MW as he had at SMW and LHW?

 

He didn't go looking for knockouts like GGG does.

Of course he knocked someone decent out.

Thomas Tate was decent, and he knocked him out with a left hook in under 6 mins.

 

:good

 

This is the thing.

People are looking at GGG as a huge punching pressure fighter, and they're looking at Roy's knockout defeats.

But hardly anyone has mentioned that GGG is easy enough to hit, and Roy would have had no trouble whatsoever finding him. Unless GGG could have walked through Roy's shots, he'd have been in serious trouble.

 

Well said.

 

I'd agree Jones Jr was more of a light heavy. Hell, he struggled to make the weight in his first title fight and entered the ring at a whopping 180lbs, which is probably the reason why he didn't look as spectacular at 160 as he did at 175.

Either that or the roids hadn't kicked in.

 

I respect your opinion, and I love debating with you.

Regarding Castro, that was Roy's biggest fight at the time, and he was only 23. He had a lot of respect for him, and he never tried to take him out. Castro had fought over 70 times. It was always going to be a distance fight. It was his first big test, because his father had stifled his early progression.

Again, it's easy for you to envisage GGG cornering Roy, but you have to ask if GGG would have fought Roy in the same manner as what he's fought everyone else? We just don't know. GGG is fighting decent fighters, and he's got the supreme confidence to employ his great tactics. But in facing Roy, his advantages would have been minimal. You also haven't taken into account how hittable GGG is. I think that Roy would have found him easy, and then you have to ask if GGG would have been deterred by it. IMHO, there's just too many unanswered questions surrounding him.

 

so, you've done your homework assignment. Good job! That's right, in his 17th fight, Roy Jones got a better win than GGG has in his career.

Castro finished his career with a record of 130-11.

Wins over Reggie Johnson (twice), John David Jackson, Roberto Duran (admittedly faded).

He went from welter all the way to heavyweight (getting a win against a decent opponent) and fought at cruiser losing a UD to GGG's countryman Vassilly Jirov. At the time Jirov faced Castro he was 31-0 with 28KOs -- but he couldn't get a former welterweight Castro out of there.

Castro had an iron chin. Iron.

 

The only person that I can see beating Jones on his best night at MW is the Bernard Hopkins that dismantled Trinidad.