If RJ hung'em up after breezing past Ruiz...

he'd be up there I know that

 

Robinson
Ali
Charles
Gans
SRL

There are five fighters who possessed more ability than Jones beyond a shadow of a doubt. There's more to boxing than speed and reflexes.

 

Hed still be a piece of **** that spent his whole career fighting nobody's...

 

Except for the fact...that this is your opinion not fact!

Don't get me wrong, I would not pick him in that tier (But to include SRL and to a lesser degree Ali in a top 5 is pretty funny)....but I won't dismiss as easily as you have that he is a candidate worthey of debate.

 

Hopkins, Toney, McCallum....yup, good argument my friend!

 

Tarver too!...I just cant help myself

 

...

 

People have short memories. I remember plenty saying Roy was the GOAT after the Ruiz fight.

 

you must have come to that conclusion with all the footage we have on gans.

 

My recollection is that there was a lot of talk about Jones being a pound for pound ATG great after he beat Ruiz.

The Guardian talked about him being "the first middleweight since the 19th century to win part of the heavyweight title".

People were talking about him beating Lennox Lewis.

This would have been a good point for him to retire.

 

what if i already have him top 5...

i think hed be in contention for top 10. which begs the question: whats changed?

 

Well said both posts.As good as Glen Johnson was,never would have got near a peak Jones,let alone stopped him.If anybody effed his legacy up it was Jones.If hed stopped after Ruiz I think hed have been in anyones top 5,with a few exceptions,for generations to come.

 

Tbh a well placed retirement shouldn't increase a ranking.

Objective posters should be able to break down a fighters career to atleast green, prime and shot. Losses before and after a certain point shouldn't mean much where as victories mean even more.

Anyone holding any loss after his return to lhw against him is doing him a disservice imo. Noone cares about the late losses of Ali, Charles, Leonard, Duran, Robinson and the same should be said for Jones.

Based on skill he's in my top 3 as it is. Based on greatness I'm not sure but I do think he's a lock for top 10 lhw and he's the best fighter below 175 given 24 hours to weigh in.

 

I don't think his career since the Ruiz fight should lower his all-time rating.

He's one of the greatest ever. But there have been so many great fighters, I wouldn't have him in the top 5.

 

His achievements wouldn't make him the GOAT, but H2H he'd be seen as pretty much invincible between 160-175.