Hopkins never beat an A-level fighter in his entire career at a fair weight

Jones was waiting to be Ko'ed for years, he was very carefully matched and let's face it, if journeyman Johnson can spark him out then it shows how well managed Roid Jones JNR was.

It was a great win, years past his prime, blowing up in weight, fighting in the lions den with a corrupt ref, hands brittle and ineffective for years and still winning 9 of the 12 rounds against a prime Hopkins.

Audley Harrison was also an Olympian.

 

Glen Johnson peaked late at LHW, and knocked out a 36 year old version of Roy that had been to HW and back and should have never been in the ring so soon after Tarver... Roy was clearly past it at this time..

Roy may have been a KO waiting to happen for his entire career, but he was just too damn good to get caught, and lets face it, he did beat something like 20 world Champions, and covered 5 weights..

I think Calzaghe beating Hopkins was a great win, very close fight, there were some of those rounds that were hard to score... I don't think a 43 year old should ever be considered prime, but I obviously hold Hopkins at a much higher regard than you.:yep

I actually have Hopkins as Joe's best win, for the fact that Joe moved up in weight and beat the man there, becoming a 2 weight world champion.:good

He was, but I don't ever remember him knocking out the the fighter of the decade.:-(

 

You should be in the gym pumping someone!

You're out of your depth here. :good

 

Jumping weight when taking steroids isn't that impressive, infact it isn't impressive at all with all that synthetic help, let's not forget the fighter of the decade is a verified cheat and his legacy should be questioned. He had undoubted natural talents but a lot of synthetic ones which with a very carefully guided career definitely causes severe questions to be raised.

Hopkins game is mainly hinged on experience, tactics and skill, this doesn't deteriorate with age but is enhanced, at 43 he peaked in all these areas and his body was better than it was even in his 20's, he showed this with his demolition job on Pavlik.

I think Hopkins is a good fighter but horribly over-rated, I do admire his dedication and longevity which no-one can question.

 

Winky fair enough on both counts (shot and well above his optimal 154) but Pavlik?

Pavlik, who is naturally quite a bit larger than Hopkins?

Pavlik the MW with a LHW frame? (as compared with Hopkins, who competed all the way up to LHW despite being essentially a normal-sized MW)

That was an unfair weight?

No. It was an unfair disparity in skill. :deal

 

I think steroids have been commonly used in boxing for decades with little testing.. But I know Roy was tested going up to HW, I credit it more to Mackie Shilstone.. I have doubts about how much roiding did for Roy, I think he naturally had those super human type skills.. He was one of a kind..

I agree, in Hopkins' old age he has become very smart at using controversial tactics to win fights.. Pavlik was a young power puncher, with not much more.. It wasn't a hard riddle to solve for the old master... Calzaghe on the other hand was in a different league than Pavlik, and his sheer volume of punching at all angles, Hopkins couldn't handle and would have been stopped if not for the ***** tactics.. Hopkins is super good at taking cheap shots when he knows the ref can't see it...

Bernard was a great fighter, so was Jones, so was Calzaghe...:yep

 

I actually reevaluated my rating of Joe's win over Eubank, Eubank was in much better shape than people give him credit for.. I am sure that green harder hitting version of Joe, stops the version of Hopkins and Jones he fought..

08 Hopkins would be outworked and couldn't keep up with the just as frequent but harder shots, 08 Roy would not have been able to take some of those shots period..

I rate that win above Lacy, I used to rate Lacy above..

 

RJJ testing to HW is likely to be as dubious as these ''natural'' bodybuilders. He was probably using fast esters and easily disguising test results, he had the wealth and the team to implement it and taking steroids wasn't beyond him. Bob Fitzsimmons going from MW to HW is impressive, a steroid cheat not so, Jones not matter how sugar coated it is told is a cheat, if it didn't do much for him, why did he do it? the rules were there and he disregarded them for something he clearly felt was so important he risked his career for.

Hopkins with the exception of a prime Joe would fight anyone, Calzaghe would fight anyone, Jones was always carefully matched, people who were big names past their prime, people who were unatheltic counter punchers tailor made for RJJ style, or people who were just sanitation workers, he avoided aggressive power punchers with good speed and footwork like Benn, McClennan and even Eubank.

 

What steriod did Jones test positive for? And how many times? Fits for his era was also one of the best of all time, I rate him in the top 10 actually.

He wanted no part of Roy in 2002, and priced himself out.. 60-40 to get his ass kicked didn't sound too good to Nard.

Sir Joe made multiple statements about not wanting to fight prime Roy and knowing his capabilities..:yep It would have been a great fight though..

Roy Jones beat a long list of current former or future world champions across 4 weight divisions. Including 2 fellow ATG's and a now official HOF fighter that he beat with a single body shot.. That fighter was still good enough to move up in weight and win a major world title after Roy broke his ribs..


Did you know that Eubank recently stated that fighting a prime Jones would have been "suicide?"

 

The same Eubank also stated that in a street fight, if he picked on the average guy for no reason he would lose, because only people with just reasons win street fights.... Eubank has always had an odd character and his comments about Jones I think is more of a mark of respect, many people respected Jones and professional boxers can succumb to media hype in their admiration for fellow professionals.

Jones was tested positive, the steroid he was caught with isn't relevant as when you're so well managed with that much wealth it certainly wasn't an oversight and was most likely used numerous times and stacked.

Joe also made statements about wanting to fight Jones, his comments again were probably negotiation posturing, Benn, Collins, McClennan all publicly stated their eagerness to fight Jones.

On closer scrutiny of RJJ resume you can add a question mark next to Toney on how good he really is, what his best weight was and of course he went on to be busted for steroid abuse as he jumped weights, Hopkins again his resume is a lot of smaller guys, some losses and some good but not stellar wins, Jones also wasted a lot of his years fighting part timers to look like superman.

 

Eubank is a great guy from what I know of him, and very honest, I am sure he was showing Jones respect with that statement, but respect he gained through watching Roy's amazing ability as a fellow boxer, he also stated that common boxing technique didn't apply to Roy, as he was in a class of his own.

He was 6 times over the legal limit, there is no excuse, but we don't know exactly what he was taking.. I hardly consider him a convicted cheat when we cant even name what he was taking.

Collins really wanted Jones, and I think Roy should have fought him at SMW before moving up.. It was too late for the fight when Roy had moved up and Collins had been semi-retired.. As HBO wanted 4 different fights first, two of which Roy took directly after. Roy would have beat Collins though, I am very confident of this.. Been and McClellan had much better chances.

Any true fan of the sport can see that James Toney had amazing textbook skill and counter punching ability.. He was one of the very best when Roy looked like superman and made him look silly..

Also that Toney has also tested positive for roids, like I said, I think boxing has been full of it for decades with little testing. 3 of Jones' opponents have also tested positive, one having twice the amount of Jones when Jones tested positive...

I think it is beyond a possibility that Roy Jones wiped the floor with many roiders.

Roy had Robinson and Leonard type of natural ability.. Roids did not make that.

 

Erm, are you sure it wasn't Carl Daniels he elected to fight instead? This after agreeing the offer made by *****, then demanding almost double the amount when the contract was faxed through.

Either way I tend to agree with your opinion of Hopkins. How the **** he got the name " Executioner " puzzles me. He was far more likely to BORE people to death, rather than actually kill them.

 

The fact he took them whatever he took he felt was important to him as did his team.

I do think Jones would beat Collins easily as collins was just pure grit and work rate, Benn had great lateral movement, fast feet and devastating power which would have been completely wrong for Jones, McClennan very fast hands, awesome jaw and explosive concussive power, I see either so I can see why Jones didn't entertain these two.

Toney has great skill yes but he also lost to some rather dreadful fighters while accumulating his own list of has beens, Toney was tailor made for Jones, someone who would counter punch, low work rate, non-aggressive and moderate power, good victory on paper.

Jones beat a lot of people but he didn't beat everyone he should have because he didn't fight them. Yes boxers fight for money but he had the stage and power to call his fights as he was the biggest name in boxing, he chose a lot of fights he had no business taking and didn't make the ones which would have cemented his legacy and removed all doubts outside of the steroid effects.

Jones would beat most fighters over and over but there were a few I believe would have beaten him because they went against what he knew he could handle easily, each of the fighters I believe would have beaten him all had a lot of characteristics in common and all possessed attributes Jones never fought against.

 

Why don't the idiot Jones fanboys that try to hijack every thread even when they are fvck all to do with the junkie ****, tell how Toney was so weight drained for their fight he went from wearing a star of david on his shorts to honour his manager Jackie Kallan, to chasing her around some Las Vegas hotel with a gun because she took the fight at 168?

It is no coincidence that Toney never fought at that weight again, and inside 2 years was fighting at Cruiser.

 

I think most boxers are introduced to them young, and realize the good chance that their opponents are taking them as well. Which is why you don't get much stink from other fighters demanding testing.. Other than Mayweather, who was scared to fight Pac.

Both McClellan and Benn fights with Jones would have been fireworks.. I honestly think with Jones' skills and quick counter punching ability, he gets to Benn first and dramatically. With McClellan, I think if Roy survived the early 4 round onslaught, which I think Roy would be cautious and cover up a lot, he would put it on G-Man, making him look foolish in the later rounds, outpointing him in a great victory..

I agree, but before he lost to Jones, he was undefeated, and stacked up quite the MW resume, and was known as one of the best fighters alive.. His style would have never worked well against the prime Jones he fought, but the fact that Roy was good enough to completely school a fighter that good, deserves mention.

Roy did fight for business, as did Calzaghe.. They both had sons to take care of, and you can bet that was in their mind first...

That said, I think both could have chased fights and greatness more than they actually did.. Both had natural talent out of this world.. But when I put myself in their shoes, I can easily see why they sometimes got comfortable making pay vs. an opponent they knew they would whip..

I honestly don't think the roids played a huge effect on Roy.. I am sure you do, but I feel he had Robinson and Leonard ability, once in a lifetime talent.. How many exposed roiders have looked anything like Roy Jones?

That may be true... But a common belief to beat Jones was a big talented southpaw.. He dropped muscle weight to fight Tarver who arguably was all wrong for him, Tarver's jab landed over Roy's left shoulder, and Roy had to punch up to hit him in the head.. Roy's weapon of the leaping left hook didn't exist,(honestly had not been throwing it in a while) Roy had to hit his body with right hands..

Roy was tested against a variety of fighters MW- HW.