Ward would have been a very difficult match up for Joe. You saw how close and scrappy the Hopkins fight was. Ward was better and more effective than a 43 year old Hopkins. H2H, it's quite clear that a prime version of Roy was the greatest SMW of all time. He was faster, more powerful and much harder to hit. He was on another level to any version of Joe.
He wasn't shot. He was faded though and he had horrible preparation as well as bad knees. But IMHO, I think that Joe would have beaten any version of Eubank.
A non elite fighter in Glen Johnson bullied Roy for 9 rounds before knocking him cold 4 years earlier.
LeftRightDownThePipe, People preferring to watch Joe is completely irrelevant to the points I've made. Sure. I'm English. But back in the late 90's-early 00's, the U.S. was the home of boxing. The landscape has changed over recent years, but back then the U.S. was the place to be in order to fight the biggest fights possible. It was home to the biggest promotes, the biggest networks and the majority of the world's best fighters. Joe could have been in the mix the the sport's most recognisable names. But he spent the majority of his prime defending a lightly regarded WBO belt against C class opposition. And the worst part is, he had to literally starve himself in order to make weight. He wouldn't move up even when he knew Ottke wouldn't fight him and there was nothing else on the horizon. For a man of such talent, he wasn't overly ambitious. 1. I can't stand Hopkins. 2. In no way did Joe embarrass him. 3. Roy looked awful in his fight before Joe where he beat washed up Tito. A Tito who hadn't fought for 3 years, and who couldn't even make the agreed upon C-W of 170 pounds.
Going into the fight with Joe? He was 3-3 in his previous 6. From 2004-2005, he lost 3 consecutive fights to Tarver and Johnson.
Hopkins' miles better than Ward. He even went to war at +47 (Murat) ffs. Ward instead fights to protect his chin. He often runs out of gas at the end of his fights because of it. He retired in his early thirties as soon as the Russians came. His stalling tactics wouldn't have worked vs Joe. His chin would have been tested early on and he probably would have looked for a way out like he did vs Kessler and Kovalev 2.
Not as wily or crafty imo, he had old veteran tactics Hopkins to spoil..I actually think Hop and Calzaghe prime, joe wins clearer
Top post..Wards a poorer mans version of Hopkins, Joes takes him in to deep waters and ups the pace again for a minimum clear UD