Had elected to remain as the W BA Heavyweight champ and defend it, how would it have gone fighting these guys who were active at the time? Nikoli Valuev Ruslan Chagaev Hasim Rahman Andrew Golota How far s he get fighting those in order?
I suspect that he would have been more prudent, and that he would have taken on a big money name fighter, who was past their best. He would have generated far more interest fighting Tyson or Holyfield, than any of those names.
This is probably true, but if In the meantime he was forced to fight one how do you expect him to do? For example a fight against Valuev before a Tyson fight. Could we expect Jones to get past the giant? He should in a ideal world but look how fast Jones crumbled after beating Ruiz.
Let's go for the most realistic scenario. If he defended against his mandatories, then he is looking at guys lie Rahman, Oquendo, or a Ruiz rematch in his first year. He might even end up in a rematch with Toney next year! After that Valuev is in the picture. If he doesn't take the disastrous decision to drop weight, he might have successful defenses. In practice however, his mind was focused on bigger game. He wanted Lewis, Holyfield, or Tyson, for a huge pay day!
