Jones, Benn and King

Don King ! How many times does Benn mention King in those videos by the way

 

Zod,

Hi mate, many thanks for this great post. I saw these links when you originally posted them about three months ago, and I meant to ask you to repost them a few weeks ago, but I forgot. Someone on here was asking why the fight hadn't come off. I ordered the Dark Trade a few months ago, after your recommendation, but when it came, I only got to read about 10 pages of it. My Cousin came around to my house, and when he saw it, he tormented me to lend it to him and I haven't seen it since. I'll have to get it back from him.

It's a real shame this fight didn't come off. I know Roy never wanted to be tied to Don, and he only worked with him about four times throughout his career. People have got different opinions on how Roy handled his career, that are very interesting. But I don't agree with quotes such as this one:

"As well as the sums on offer, each of them ha the prospect of meeting the unbeaten Roy Jones for more money than they'd ever earned before. McClellan reckoned that the match-up was his: he'd beaten Jones as an amateur, and he was getting better with each fight. Neither boxer was to know that Jones had no intention of risking his reputation against anyone remotely dangerous, that he would pad out his career against a succession of second-rate opponents while somehow convincing his media admirers he was the best pound for pound operator in the business."

He'd just beaten James Toney the previous year in 94, and he was an underdog going into the fight. Also if the above quote was true, then why did he move up another weight class to try and unify the 175 division? A reluctant fighter, who was playing it safe, wouldn't do that.

As I've said before, Nigel would have been a threat early on, due to his agressive style. But James Toney was a better fighter than Nigel, and I think he was a bigger threat overall. As I've said to Knockout a few times, I don't think he'd have gotten any credit if he'd have beaten Nigel anyhow. I think the critics would have said "Benn had already lost to Watson and Eubank, so it's a good win but nothing more etc" That's what I honestly think would have happened.

I don't agree with Seth Abraham's opinion either. He was never going to stay at middleweight, because he was too big for the weight, especially when he'd turned 22/23.

Again in my opinion, he beat the best guy at 168 in Toney. A Eubank fight wasn't viable and I don't think Collins would have been a serious threat either.

At 175, apart from him travelling to Germany in 2001, he did everything he possibly could at the weight. Nobody could have expected him to have gone over there at the time, and DM wouldn't go to the U.S. But apart from that, he did everything there was to do. So I think the critics are harsh on him. I know I'm a huge fan, but I do try to be objective. I think the only fighters that he swerved were Nunn and Collins. But at the time, I don't think either of them would have been big fights.

Great post!

Regards, Loudon.

 

Nigel Benn was almost done at that point I think.

It's hard to tell, is this after Gerald? If it is, he was close to finished. That being said, Nigel got surreal punching power and was one scary warrior. I know a Prime Roy Jones was supposedly unbeatable, but his chin make Wladimir's Chin look like Granite, one good flush shot from Benn might have killed Roy Jones Jr.

 

Good thread Zod, it lays down the negotiations completely. Obviously his biased detractors will still say he ducked Benn

 

Hi mate, sorry for the late reply. I can't believe this thread only has one page, yet Bailey's ridiculous thread "Did Roy Jones lose when his competition stepped up?" has nearly 80 pages. What's all that about?

Roy did hurt his career a little by fighting the Kelly's and the Frazier's etc, but I think his resume is still very good, and a lot better than people like to make out.

I think they'd have had to have given him credit, if he'd have beaten Benn, but I don't think they would have done. There's people on here that don't give him credit for the Reggie Johnson win, on the basis that he'd had a few losses. So I think, and it's only my opinion, but I think they'd have said " Watson knocked him out 5 years ago when he was younger etc"

Frankie was a great fighter, and he'd have been a problem for Roy. I recently watched their amateur fights.

Nunn was also a great fighter. I know we've debated this before, and we know that Roy didn't want to face him in the late 90's. My take on it is, Nunn in the early 90's at 160 was a fantastic fighter, but when he moved up in weight in the mid to late 90's, he wasn't the same. I don't think a fight with them at 160 was really viable, because Roy was too young then. I honestly think he was too young for Nunn and Jackson etc. Roy Snr had held him back, and he wasn't fighting guys of that calibre.

When he strated to get recognition, it was harder and harder for him to make the weight, he was just too big. By the time he was in his mid to late 20's and at the top of his game, Nunn wasn't the fighter he once was. In my honest opinion, a fight in 1998 wouldn't have been relevant.

He definitely should have fought Jirov, but at the time, he could only see the bright lights of the Heavy division. He never gave the cruiserweight division a seconds thought. I'd have liked to have seen him fight Jirov after Ruiz. But would he have got any credit after Toney had beaten him in a great fight?

Regards, Loudon.

 

an amazing well prepared post, and look at the responses it gets. this is way too well thought out for most of the spastics on here.

for the record i would have love to seen this fight but as other posters have said, at the point of the first video i think its would have been a one sided affair with jones winning comfortably.