Roy Jones Jr. vs. James "Buster" Douglas

I think prime Jones was the best p4p fighter of my lifetime. I think he could have cleanly out boxed the usual out of shape Douglas all night for a decision win. However I think Tokyo hungry and in shape Douglas would just have been too much of a task for a natural 168 (maybe 175) pounder. I remember how nervous I was during the Ruiz fight and he was trash for a heavyweight.

And stop with the bull**** Douglas beat Tyson so Roy would too crap. Tyson on his shitty Tokyo night was still loads fast enough to land some shots and Roy would not be able to stand up to them like Douglas did. Just not going to happen with that size and power mismatch. Roy would not be able to even earn his respect and Tyson would just walk through and murder him.

Roy was the best, but once again there are weight classes for a reason.

 

Sanders was better than Douglas.

 

IB, it's styles that make fights, not sentimental musings or "one night monsters".

Douglas used a jab, lateral movement, and clinching to negate Tyson. None of that is going to help him much against Roy Jones. Tyson was plodding right into Douglas' jabs, uppercuts, and everything, right up until the stoppage. Jones wouldn't be doing that. Douglas would have to try to find Jones. It's a different dynamic than Tyson-Douglas. I'm not one to make excuses for Tyson, but he did look sluggish in that fight, even in the early rounds. Prime Jones would be much faster than that Tyson, indeed any version of Tyson.

I don't see Jones getting jabbed up and outboxed by Douglas. I'm not saying that Douglas couldn't win. It's possible that just with volume and his reach that he gets to Jones and takes him out. The thing is, against an outside fighter like Jones, size and strength only make a difference if you make them make a difference. Jones was as good at avoiding jabs as anyone ever was and I don't think Douglas' greater reach will really mean much in that regard. The way you deal with a fighter like Jones is high volume, constant pressure, get inside and rough him up against the ropes. If you're trying to box Jones, you're basically looking at a puncher's chance.

 

I think Douglas would've knocked Jones out, even in 1998.

Buster could whack, always had good timing, and he had a very good jab. It'd only take 1 clean, solid shot from Douglas to put Jones away, and a tthat level, at least one good, clean shot will land.

 

I doubt RJJ would've been anywhere near 200 lbs. He's never been 200 for a fight. He was only 2 years removed from SMW, and didn't always weigh in at the 175 limit throughout his career. He would likely be in the mid to high 180's for the fight during that period of time. Low 190's at the very most (like Ruiz), but considering the year, I doubt he would've bulked that much. Outcome would've been the same in 98 no matter what he weighed. Douglas was a beached whale at that time.

 

I saw that fight where Douglas got hit and KO'd a second after the bell and remember how ordinary he looked. I'm not sure that he would have had the mobility, snap or timing anymore to deal with what Jones had to offer, especially if Jones is being athletic, unpredictable, and attacking from angles with his blazing speed.

Of course, all it takes is a momentary slip up or loss of concentration and Jones could have been caught with something big. I think it's unlikely, especially from a Buster who wouldn't have been fired up, didn't have his heart in it and might have been overwhelmed by the speed of Jones, but stranger things have happened.

I sure wouldn't bet on it though.

 

Roy would clock Douglas after the bell and the referee doesn't notice, ala Starling-Molinares

 

Hi mate,

He used to order a pizza when he was sparring? Ha! I don't remember that.

I agree with you regarding Holy, I don't think he would have beaten Buster that night. Psychologically he was a different person that night. It was terrible what happened with his Mum, and I think even though Mike hadn't trained properly, I think that Mike would definitely have beaten him, if that hadn't have occurred.

Oliver McCall, I'd forgotten about him. What a strange character he was. I remember his breakdown.

I agree regarding Roy. I'm sure that Roy had've beaten Buster back then. No disrespect to Buster, but he wasn't in great shape in the late 90's.

 

Fair enough mate, you maybe right about the weight. But I think if Roy had've been fully committed, I think he'd have been somewhere near 190. My original point was, it wouldn't have been like an average heavy beating up a 175 guy, because Roy would have put weight on and been quite powerful.

I agree with you, in that it wouldn't have mattered that much, what weight he came in, because at that point in time, Roy would have been too fast for him, and he'd have won a clear points decision.

 

Good post mate, and you've made some great points.

Buster wasn't some nobody, he had skills. But I just think he was too out of shape, and Roy was so ridiculously fast.

I agree that the first 3-4 rounds would have been extremely dangerous for Roy. But I think Roy wouldn't have engaged him, and just stayed out of his way. I think after the 5th, Buster would have gassed, and it'd have been a pretty uneventful fight with Roy pot shotting and picking up points.

I just can't envisage Buster been able to land a bomb. But again, he might have done, and I respect your opinion.

It's good that we have a difference of opinion.

The main reason I posted on this thread, is because I didn't agree with two points that you made.

1. I honestly don't think that Roy backed out just because he had cold feet.

2. He didn't cherry pick Ruiz because he was a weak champion. We know that Roy only fought once at heavy and then came back to 175, but that wasn't his intention when he went up.

So, I don't agree with the above, but again you've made some great points.

Of course nobody knows for sure what definitely would have happened, and it's fun debating it.


Thanks for the great thread.

Loudon.

 

Surprised to see the poll results really.

Did those picking Douglas actually see him fight during his comeback?

He was finished and didn't resemble his Tokyo self in any way whatsoever. Jones wouldn't have had any problems with him and his pulling out of their fight was a blunder as the Savarese result clearly showed.

Then again a win over this version of Douglas wouldn't have meant anything too much either, except that Jones could beat bigger and slower fighters (which he pretty much proved at Lt Heavy and against Ruiz anyway).

 

I might move over to General then.
They seem to have a better clue.