Roy Jones Junior : The Greatest Fighter on ability of all-times..!

He indeed was special. I have to say, I got a little excited every time he came down from above to grace my television set. I'd been waiting, and waiting for so long, and then there he was. To see the glistening drops of sweat on his sculptured body was marvelous, I reached ecstatic heights, I wanted more, more, I dropped down from my couch and crawled over until I was mere inches away from the screen displaying his supreme excellence. As he dispatched his foes I felt a tinge of release, as if he had not only done away with his foe but with me personally as well.

Suffice to say, you have found a kindred spirit in me, Primadonna Kool. I suggest we rewatch some of his matches together some time. What a man...

 

He got dropped by a perfectly timed straight left by Lou Del Valle, but he got up and dominated.. This was at LH too.

 

It still sticks in my mind how the cast of Hank's fist was the tiniest one on display when I visited Canastota.

 

Pure ability... Well, since Ali, Leonard and Robinson all had way better ability to take a punch (and survive) a pretty compelling case can be made to have them ahead of Roy. Duran hardly lacked for anything, either. We haven't seen enough of Langford, but he probably belongs here. Whitaker had it all except for punch, but his chin was way better than Roy's.

Ir's not like Jones is a class for himself. In terms of pure speed I think only Ali can compete p4p, though.

 

When discussing a fighter like Jones, he does have a unique style all to his own. Roy Jones was not a text book fighter. His style was derived from fighting roosters. He led with hooks, and rarely threw a righthand behind his jab. His jab was used more as a measuring stick for his lunging hooks. This is what separates him from the rest. You cant compare a guy that has the ability to take a lot of punishment to get a win to a guy who fights like Jones.
Jones was special because of his speed and his ability to use his speed to hit and not be hit, and the style he had would have never worked if he was ordinary.

 

Yeah, Roy Jones was Sui Generis boxer, in a category of his own. I think Larry Merchant summed it up perfectly when he described Roy Jones during one of his earlier fights as being like a ''virtuoso jazz artist''. You cant teach what Roy did, it was pure physical talent and natural instincts. One of boxings truest artists in my opinion and my own personal fave boxer. I rewatch more of his fights than of any other i think. Spectacular.

 

I prefer it when Merchant says, "I've seen Sugar Ray Leonard, and Roy Jones is no Sugar Ray".

Damn right he wasn't, but he was very athletic. That's how I like to describe Jones. He was athletic.

 

He was great, but he's one of many.

People say "talent" and "ability" often just mean a cocky style of displaying their speed, relexes and athleticism, esp. speed.

You'll never see a prime Evander Holyfield sticking out his tongue, dropping his hands and shuffling his tassled feet at an opponent before launching an uninterrupted pin-point accurate barrage of a dozen beautifully picked varied shots at an inferior rival.
But if he had done his "talent" and "ability" might have been more legendary.
But what you will see is Evander Holyfield launching an uninterrupted pin-point accurate barrage of a dozen beautifully picked varied shots at an inferior rival.

(BTW, not saying Holyfield rates alongside Jones necessarily, just a reasonable example to make my point with)

 

Armstrong didnt prove his talents to a greater degree Jones did. Jones completely dominated great opponents, Armstrong had close fights with many of his better opponents, dominating opponents is part of being a great fighter. If there was a 168lb versions of Ambers/Zivic I'd expect Jones to win every round against both. Jones had 28 world title fights, around 15 of the world champions, Armstrong 26. Its become too fashionable to talk down the achievements of Jones

Yes Jones missed a few fights in his career, but he still fought the 2 best P4P fighters in his weight classes amongst other near greats, Armstrong fought most of the best but he also didnt face Charles Burley, Holman Williams, Cocoa Kid and no one

 

I do have a certain affinity with this p-o-v for several reasons. One is that I love Roy Jones Jr. I think that at his peak he was the most electrifying and entertaining fighter I ever saw. He didn't need to do all the Naseem Hamed stupid **** coming to the ring on a flying carpet and all, he just did his business in the ring. Another reason is that in his prime, Roy was indeed one of the hardest to beat fighters of all-time. Who from 160-175lbs would have had an easy night with him? If Roy was on fire physically and mentally, no-one can rule him out of being too fast and too powerful for anyone. He was an elite fighter in h2h terms.

However, I do have a little problem in saying he is the greatest on ability. I do take issue with comments like the guy Addie's on here, more or less saying that he was only athletic. Sorry, but Usain Bolt is athletic. Stick him in a boxing ring and see where he gets. Roy's effectiveness was founded on his athleticism, but there was more to his game than that. At his best, he was elusive and had good instincts for fighting off the ropes. He had great variety to his punching, a variety that confounds mere 'athleticism'. Yet I don't believe he was the best fighter ever on ability.

To look at things from the negative side for a moment: did Roy have a plan B? I'm not sure there has ever been one, but if Roy did fight someone as fast as him or faster, how would he have adapted? If you have Ray Leonard's career set, you will see him dance and box like a genius, and then in the first Duran fight you will see him show chin, heart, and an outrageous infighting ability like he just should not have. If you have Duran's career set, you will see him crush opponents at lightweight where he is stronger, tougher and more physically potent than them. In another era and another decade, you will see him apply his boxing skills and defeat opponents who are bigger, stronger, and who physically outgun him in every way (Moore, Barkley, etc). If you have the Sweet Pea career set, you will see him jab, box and move like an absolute dream in his lightweight days (Haugen, Ramirez II, Nelson), then at welterweight he digs his heels in and shows an infighting skill, venom and resilience that he just should not have either (McGirt I especially).

Roy Jones was one of, if not the, most physically gifted fighter ever. And this, allied with the fast, elusive, varied boxing skills he had made him an awesome fighter. But to say he is the best fighter ever on ability means you are saying he was the most skilled fighter ever. And I believe other men proved their ability more over long careers and in tough fights. Leonard, Duran and Whitaker would be but three. :good

 

Hagler also acknowledged Jones as unbeatable.

 

Excellent post. Part of being great is the ability to fight in adverse circumstances...to keep fighting when the chips are down - and winning, or at least making things competitive in a losing effort.

In some ways, Bernard Hopkins is a superior fighter. I like it when an old warhorse uses savvy and intelligence to overcome youth and strength. Duran did the same thing. Holmes too.

Jones was a phenomenal fighter in his prime. His overpowering physical gifts saw him beat technically better fighter like Toney or Hopkins, and he made some decent competition look pedestrian.
Once his physical gifts started to erode though, he fell from grace fairly quickly.
I guess that happens to most fighters though, so there's no shame in that.

 

He was great but I put SRR, Ali, Duran, Whitaker, Armstrong, Monzon and Chavez above him, for beginners. Talent is manifested in results and only in results, in my book. Style, pinnache, dancing, clowning prove nothing to me. At the end of the fight, who is on the floor and who is taking the belt home? Jones had a carefully constructed career, at a certain point he rarely fought the best available opponent and withered late in his career. That's being hyper-critical but when you ask for the best ever, you ask for that level of scrutiny.

 

Well, I won´t take anything away from Roy Jones jr. He is definetly one of the best. But he will never rate above an Ali in his prime or a Sugar Ray Leonard in his prime, never.

My toplist
1. Muhammad Ali
2. Sugar Ray leonard
3. Roy jones jr

All the best
The predator