Roy Jones Jr. vs Thomas Hearns

Hi Loudon, no worries mate, thanks for taking the time to respond.

Yeah, let me know what you think of him. He may surprise a few people if he keeps on developing.

Roy is one of those who finds it easy to motivate himself to fight, in my opinion he misses the spotlight. We can only imagine what it's like to be universally recognised as the best fighter in the world, Roy had that for almost 10 years. Unfortunately, the longer he continues the further he risks his health. Do you know if he's having money problems at all? As I've heard that before, like Holyfield. Unfortunately, for a lot of boxing, fighting is all they know, it's their only source of income, and if they're having money problems they end up fighting on way beyond their prime.

That was a great era in British boxing, with Frank Bruno and Lennox Lewis in the HW's, and Prince Naz coming on the scene in the lower weights. It's a shame Nigel Benn didn't get the decision, he showed how much he'd developed from their first fight. Have you seen the video of James Toney trash talking them both on Jonathan Ross in the build up to the fight? I'd have love to seen Toney one of them, the trash talking would have been unbearable! Someone like Nigel Benn would have gotten really wound up by JT. I hope they get into the HOF, they have both excellent resumes, and brought a lot of excitement to the fans.

That's a great story mate! Boxers in person I've heard are always very friendly, they don't carry the ego's of football players or other famous people. What are your favourite Eubank fights? I watched Benn-Eubank 1 the other day, that was a great fight, really launched Eubank's career. Before that, he was very much untested and many weren't convinced about him, he proved his chin, heart and skills in that fight.

I once met Frank Bruno briefly in the late 90's, he was also very friendly, we shared a quick joke and shook hands, unfortunately I didn't have an opportunity to get a picture with him. Shame to hear about the health problems he's having, I wish him all the best.

Beating Hopkins in 2002, would completely have changed people's perceptions of Joe. I do think Joe is a bad stylistic matchup for Hopkins.

As for Toney, once again the trash talking would have been hilarious. Hopkins trash talked Joe and he didn't seem to be bothered by it, but that was an older more mature Joe. Could you imagine the trash talking and exchange of insults between Enzo Calzaghe and James Toney??

As for the fight, Toney was hit and miss at SMW, on his best night he can beat Joe, but how often was his best night? The opposition he faced at SMW was generally poor (bar Roy Jones, who beat him) I'd go with Joe on this one. Joe's conditioning would be the difference, and Toney didn't generally finish fights strong at SMW and above. Toney could be outworked, and that is Joe's strength.

Ward will struggle to outbox Chad from the outside. Ward needs to close the distance and impose his physical strength. Once Ward can press him against the ropes, then he will win rounds. Fighting an opponent like Ward, who Chad was calling out, I'm sure we'll see the best Chad Dawson, he learnt his mistake from the Pascal fight. Chad's best chance of winning this fight, is getting on his bike, using his jab and keeping Ward away. No chance of a knockout in this fight.

All in all, I pick Ward in a hard fought decision, good opportunity to make some money on Ward winning a decision :hey

I've seen parts of the Lacy fight (highlights on youtube), and yeah Roy did look sharp. Maybe you're right about that being Roy's last great performance, what went wrong against Danny Green? I always wondered why Roy didn't employ a higher guard as he got older. Against Green, that was a shot he never should have gotten caught with. To be fair, the performance suggested he still had enough left for one more title, but that was a folly, I don't see him winning a legit CW belt. I thought the fight with Alexander back in December was a farewell fight, then after he announced he's going to keep on fighting. I think Roy just loves fighting, if he retired, he wouldn't know what else to do. Like Sugar Ray Leonard, who tried to comebacks in the 90's, both were terrible. He had more than enough money, it was just the boredom, and missing the limelight. I hope Chris Eubank doesn't attempt a comeback.

Joe got Roy's name on his resume like Lennox Lewis got Mike Tyson's name on his.

That's just mean

 

The book is really good, well worth a read. I read the Hitman's biography as well, let me know what you think.

Oscar did give away the last couple of rounds, but he had at least won 7 rounds by that point. Pac is very slippery, and would be a tough night for a prime Oscar. But DLH was so skillful, and had good speed I'd back him to win a hard fought decision over Pacquiao, because of how good a boxer he was.

I was never a big fan of Naz, he was good no doubt, but a bit overrated. People make out how talented he was, and how good he could have been, but he got so soundly beaten by Barrera, I don't think he was ever that good. I don't see him ever getting into the Hall of Fame.

Ricky Hatton was great fun, he wasn't the best fighter out there, but he was entertaining to follow. The Tszyu fight was a great win (albeit a bit suspicious), then the build up to Mayweather-Hatton was great! That fight got everyone in Britain talking about boxing. That was one of my favourite fights because of the build up, and the fight itself was good. Such an accomplished performance by Floyd, he completely broke Ricky down, then the hook that he floored him with was an amazing shot. He timed Ricky coming in, checked him, then hooked him and made him look like an amateur. Hitting the ringpost was the icing on the cake!

Alvarez looks exciting, I'd like to see him fight Cotto or Erislandy Lara. Then step up to the MW division and take on Sergio or JCC jr. I think JCC jr will move up to SMW though, I can't see Bob Arum putting him in with Sergio, as he'll get battered.

Khan has said he'll move up after Garcia, but to build up interest, Kell needs to win a world title. I didn't think we'd see Haye-Chisora, so hopefully we'll see Brook-Khan as well, that fight could be worth a lot of money.

Sorry I wasn't clear, I meant the double end bag.

By the way, how do you think Haye-Chisora will play out?

Thanks for posting those up! The one at the end, at 6 mins on the double end bag is unbelievable. I've tried that myself in the gym, and looked very silly. How he keeps the combination going for that long is immense. I hate the double end bag and speed ball, I'm terrible at them

Thanks for taking the time to respond. I'm very busy this week, so I may take a long time to respond. Speak to you soon mate, take care

 

Knockout,

Hi mate, fantastic reply, I really enjoyed that.

I don't think Roy does need the money. Last year everyone was speculating that he was broke, because he was issued with a massive tax bill. But that doesn't mean that he couldn't afford to pay it. I know he's spent fortunes putting together his rap albums, but he's made a hell of a lot of money from fighting, and I'd be surprised if he's squandered it all. I know he's got three kids, and a mansion, and cars etc, but he lives a clean life. He's a family man, and he doesn't party all the time. He doesn't drink or gamble etc. So I'd be surprised if he was broke. I know that he made $17 million for the Ruiz fight, and $5 million for Tarver 3, and that's just two fights, so I'd be surprised. But like i said previously, even if he'd made billions, he'd still be fighting in Poland on Saturday.

Yeah I've seen that Jonathan Ross show a few times. That was a great build up. The press conference for Toney vs Eubank would have been fantastic. Ha! I can picture Toney shouting "I'm gonna knock that mother****er out" and Eubank saying "I can't engage this man in conversation" ha!

My favourite Eubank fights are Benn and the Carl Thompson fights.

I loved Frank Bruno when I was a kid. I was so pleased when he beat McCall. I felt bad for him when he went into the Tyson rematch. I'd have loved to have met him, that's great.

Great analysis on Ward vs Dawson. I read an interview the other day with Naz Richardson. He said if Ward wins, Dawson will use coming down in weight as an excuse.

I'll let you know what I think of the Hearns book after I've finished. I bought Hands of Stone a few years ago, and I loved that. What a life Duran had!

I think Prime Oscar definitely beats Manny.

I think Naz was great. I wanted him to lose for a long time, because of how cocky he was, but a lot of it was just an act. But he had some great skills. I think he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. The only thing that let him down was complacency. When Brendan had Naz in his gym at a young age, Herol Bomber Graham was at his peak in the 80's. Naz absolutely idiolised Herol and tried to copy his southpaw skills. Brendan treated him like a son, and the money and fame went to his head. As soon as he split with Brendan, it was the beginning of the end.

He let his older brother take charge of everything, and then he didn't train properly and became complacent. I don't know if you remember, but he brought Manny Steward in to his corner. Manny said he couldn't do anthing with him. He just wouldn't listen. He trained less and less, and basically just did what he wanted. He then brought Oscar Suarez in to train him. About 18 months before he retired, he bought a building in Sheffield and opened his own gym. But he never trained in it at all. It's a Pharmacy now, and he's moved down south.

But you had to respect his unorthadox skills. I think that he definitely had the skills to beat Barrera, but he didn't have the mental strength to do it. He'd hardly done any real training for the fight. As each round went by during the fight, he got more and more frustrated, and he was just trying to take him out with a single shot. I think if he'd have stayed with Brendan, and he'd have been focused, I think he definitely had a good chance of beating him. Brendan treated him like a son, it must have been incredibily hard for him when they spilt up. Brendan had him in the gym from being 7 years old. He used to go to Brendan's house all the time, and Brendan's wife and sons all treated him like family. I'm glad that he retired when he did, and he must have a lot of regrets. If you're interested, there's a few interviews on youtube with Brendan explaining what happened.

He lost a lot of fans, and a lot of respect, after breaking up with Brendan. Also after he retired, he was involved in a high speed crash that left a man with serious injuries. You may have read about it in the papers? He went to jail for it, for a short period. Then when he was released from jail, he was picked up in a big stretch limo, for all of the tv cameras. He really went down in my estimation after that, and a lot of Sheffielders were disgusted by his behaviour. There's not a lot of people around here, that's got a good word to say about him. A lot of people were glad when he moved down south. But I've got to give him credit as a fighter, he put on some great shows.

That was an amazing finish by Floyd at the end of the fight with Ricky.

I think Sergio Martinez is going to fight Chavez soon. They've been having a war of words recently. I'll have to find out some info.

Alvarez vs Cotto would be great. Alvarez is so big at the weight, he'll definitely go up to 160 soon.

I think Haye vs Chisora will be fun, and I think Haye may stop him late.

Yeah that video of Roy was amazing wasn't it? I think there was 21 punches thrown there. Someone counted them and posted it a while ago.

I've tried the speed ball before, I couldn't believe how hard it was ha!

Don't worry about replying to me, just wait while you've got some spare time mate. I'm quite busy at the moment too. But thanks again for the great debate, I've really enjoyed it.

Regards, Loudon.

 

Still laughing at the thought of Jones taking a right hand from Hearns :roflatsch

Hearns fought better competition and was much more battle tested than Jones who for the most part just handpicked his way though Divisions.

Hearns was much much tougher than Jones ever thought of being.

 

Rico,

You're boring!

Who says Roy would have taken a right hand off Tommy? Did Tommy knock out EVERYONE he fought? If he'd have landed fair enough, but the keyword here is IF?

Ruiz, Toney, Griffin etc all had the power to knockout Roy.

 

I haven't seen the fight, but you called it right earlier, Roy beat a journeyman and now somehow he's in line for a title shot at the WBC, the commissions and promoters are cashing in on Roy's name, to the detriment of his health. This is the corrupt side of boxing unfortunately. Whilst it would be fantastic for Roy to win a CW title, it's unlikely and instead of calling it a day, he's encouraged to keep fighting. Hopefully he doesn't get hurt.

The build up for those fights would have been brilliant. I think Toney would have really got in their heads, they looked uncomfortable when he was badmouthing them on Jonathan Ross.

Eubank put on two brilliant performances against Thompson, and the first was very close. Testament to the mans greatness, that he pushed a future world champion all the way twice, fighting 20 pounds above his natural weight.

I saw Eubank-Watson 2 the other day again, and that was a brilliant fight. Chris looked finished at the end of round 10 and round 11, yet somehow he conjured up the energy through sheer willpower to get to Watson, unbelievable finish. Such a shame about what happened though, Michael Watson was an excellent fighter, and deserved better than the way he was treated by the BBBoC.

I really admire Frank Bruno, he was willing to step in with anyone and he always put on a great fight and gave it his all. The win over Mccall was brilliant.

No doubt the weight loss excuse will be used, but Chad and his trainer are on record to say that they are happy to fight at 168.

[I'll let you know what I think of the Hearns book after I've finished. I bought Hands of Stone a few years ago, and I loved that. What a life Duran had!

I think Prime Oscar definitely beats Manny.[/quote]

I will have to read the hands of stone book.

Thanks for taking the time to type that out, I really enjoyed reading it. Seems Naz's life really spiralled after boxing, which is a shame, as he was a lot of fun whilst he was active.

Whilst it is considered that Barrera 'schooled' Naz, it was actually a closer fight than is made out. Naz turned into a one punch stalker, and that fell perfectly in Barrera's hands. It reminds me of Tyson after prison, when he fought Holyfield, in that they became one dimensional punchers, making them much more predictable and easy to beat. I still think Naz had some good fights left in him when he retired, but his heart wasn't in it anymore.

Floyd really showcased his skills and class that night. He broke Ricky down and got under his skin, and reduced him to lunging in wildly, which is bread and butter for a counter puncher like Floyd.

 

Sergio is going to clown him! I struggle to see Chavez effectively cutting off the ring and getting to Sergio. I'd be surprised if Bob Arum let this fight happen, maybe he's bought into the Chavez jr hype?

That would be an excellent fight, and it would be worth a lot of money. Although, I've seen Alvarez is looking at Maidana as a potential opponent, that's a terrible choice. Maidana is limited and has been exposed at 147, and 154 what threat does he present? GBP need to start making better matchups, and stop padding the records of up and coming fighters. Matthew Hatton, Cintron, Mosley then Maidana, you'd be forgiven for thinking Alvarez fought in the 147 division, as he's not making any serious match-ups at 154.

I have tickets for the fight, though I'm disappointed with the undercard, I hope the main event will make up for it. I don't see this one finishing early, it's going all the way. I doubt Haye will stop chisora, his work-rate is too low to stop a guy as durable as Chisora.

You see the likes of Floyd do the speed ball on 24/7, and make it look so easy, but most don't really bother with it, I can hardly get it going!

How do you compare Roy to Floyd in terms of abilities as fighters, and their rankings all time?

Sorry for the late reply, thanks again for the great debate

Regards

ko artist

 

What about the idea of Hearns taking a lefthook from Jones? How`s that rank on the laughter scale?

 

Jones wouldn't be close enough to Hearns to land his left hook. That means he would be in range of Tommy's right. Tommy is more warrior than Roy and he would win by knockout. Stylewise this is not good for Roy. A warrior with speed and a big right and jab.

 

Tommy breaks glass wins by ko

 

A lot of people are giving their opinions on this match up based on Jones last 8 years in the ring. At 168lbs Jones loses to no one. I loved Tommy Hearns, but he ain't beating Roy Jones jr at Middle or Super Middleweight!

 

to be fair. Jones did not fight a Hearns caliber at 160 or 168 who came to get the knockout. Hearns best weight was 147 and 154 where he was great, but 160 he was still very good.

 

Thats exactly why he would probably lose. He`s going to run into one of Roy`s lightening counters. Roy Jones was better defensively than Hearns.

 

Yep, Jones would TKO Tommy at 168