The ducking thing is wildly exaggerated. McClellan was still fighting at middleweight when Jones was already dominating at 168. When McClellan did make the step up, well, we know what happened. The only person he should've fought was Michalczewski, but it's not like Darius was jumping on the fight, either. Didn't want to come out of Germany.
Other than Michalczewski, pointed out by ChrisPontius, Nigel Benn is the only fighter Jones may have missed. After Benn's defeat of McClellan, Benn vs Jones was being talked about. Promotional differences prevented that fight. Benn lost to a previous Jones victim, Thulani Malinga, just over a year after defeating McClellan. Not saying the Malinga win really proves anything in Jones' favor, just the fact that Benn was done as a top notch professional within a year of the McClellan fight.
I would never have given Benn a chance against Jones Jr. He was too sloppy, and Jones would have easily picked him apart.
Excellent post. I too wish he would have remained at heavyweight and fought some of the smaller guys like Byrd, Holyfield, or Toney, maybe even Tyson, although I wouldn't like his chances. Personally, I think dropping weight once your body gets use to a heavier weight, in terms of muscle, is extremly hard on the body of an elite athlete, especially one over 35. The other option he had was to fight as a cruiserweight.
Bottom line? Jones is the biggest underaciever in the history of the sport. Based on his talent he should have been the next Mickey Walker. He wasted his talent by taking easy fights when he could have broken down the walls of Jerico. A few knockout losses would have hurt him less than fighting weak opposition. Fighting weak opposition is the only thing that could ever have made him anything other than a top pound for pound great.
Unless he got hit on the chin by a puncher in his prime and stopped moving in his prime, like he did after it...we'll never know now.
Please explain who should he have faced. Can you list the fighters you think if he would have fought would have elevated his career higher? Im just curious as to who you think?
I don't think Jones could have faced anyone that would have silenced his critics when it comes to opposition. If he took out Dm, would anyone now actually look at that fight as his lynch pin to greatness?? I seriously doubt it. Dm would have been looked at by Jones detractors as just another overprotected Euro fighter that didn't belong in the ring with Jones. Benn would have been a joke. Jones would have crushed him and detractors would have been asking why he didn't fight Malinga or someone like that. THough his quality of opposition isn't great, it is more than adequate to qualify his greatness. Keith
Mickey Walker? You're living in the past and there is no comparison in styles at all. I like to think of Roy as more the Sugar Ray type. Much more complete fighter than that bumbling bull dog
He was the kind of fighter I formed a definite opinion of. he was slick and elusive, like a lighting bolt. All due to his reflexes. Some have it some don't. In that department he had it. Like Ali, whom he resembled in style, he was almost untouchable. Unlike Ali he was not able to contend with continuous pressure. Or you could look at it this way; no one put continuous pressure on him. I was truly happy to see him get beat the night he got beat on HBO. I think it was his first defeat. By that time I had sickened of his persona, and his skills / desire proved to be waning as well.
jones was problably the most athletcially gifted fighter ever but he invested way too much on his talent. once he started to diminish physically, he became beatable. and once he lost, he became a mentally and physically fragile fighter, lying on the ropes, doing a poor rope-a-dope imitation
You have a lot of "woulds" in your post but the matter of fact is that Jones did not pursue those fights in earnest. He talked a big game for wanting the Buster Douglas or Tysons of this world but never backed it up with deeds. Hell, even for his Huggybear fight he was MIA and hardly anybody knwe if he would actually show up. Would he beat DM ? Probably but it would be no cake walk like the cops or mailmans he liked to feast on. His chin was always suspect but hidden by his outstanding athletism and I can guarantee you that he knew that he could not rely on his chin when the going got tough.
So Roy knew his chin was no good but he continued to rise up in weight to risk it against larger and more powerful men? Doesn't sound a very sensible thing for a chinny,cowardly fighter to do. Then again you may just be talking nonsense. As for DM he couldn't even beat one of the garbage men Roy whipped so I don't think he'd stand a chance against Jones himself.The overrating of Michalczewski's prowess is getting to be ridiculous.