Which boxers had the prime RJJ star power?

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At that time Sky was a small satellite station that maybe 1-2 in 30 of your classmates had access to. Eubank turned that into 3-5+ in 30, he sold dishes and Sky Sports subs. Heck his fights matched the Grand National and Fa Cup final before that in figures, equiv of a US fighter matching the Superbowl

 

Roy didnt have star power. HBO invested heavily in him and complained that they could never really get the numbers out of him that they hoped or expected.

 

For most of his career HBO complained he wasn’t fighting anybody…..

 

Thinking outside the box here but I think Tatsuyoshi was about as famous in japan as Roy was in America. Tatsuyoshi fights have this special aura about them. The crowd makes them seem so cinematic it doesn't even feel real sometimes. Almost every fight had fans who brought their own instruments to play.

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Look at 30:15

In the final round in the Richardson fight, the fans were so loud that no one heard the bell.

 

I’m sure he was a bigger star in Japan than Jones was in America.

 

He seemed a bit .. stupid..

 

I think he liked a quiet life in Pensacola

 

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Nigel Benn- "If Hamed ever gets back in the ring with Barrera, the Mexican will wipe the floor with him yet again - only next time it will be easier for him. He has turned on me but I gave what the public demand - value for money - and I never had one complaint for as long as the fight lasted.

"I fought real wars against the likes of Doug de Witt, Collins, Watson, Eubank, McClellan, Barkley.

"The British public were my life and soul. Those fans got me through fights, they are the ones who willed me to win and I responded.

"Don't give me the bad knuckles c**p. Stop it! Don't give me or anybody else that. There's not a fighter in the world who comes out of a 12-round fight without bruised hands.

"As for quitting on my stool against Collins, he obviously isn't aware that I bet £100,000 on myself to beat him.

"Hamed has never been in a war like me. He has only ever fought old champions like Tom 'Boom Boom' Johnson and he couldn't hurt a fly.

"Forget the Ali shuffle stuff and the running on the spot, Hamed needs real fights not fakes.

"And what a crock of s*** it is when we hear a boxer say he's going to be a legend.

"I let the fight public make up their minds about me - they loved me and I loved them back."

 

Roy really wasn't a "star", he also didn't really try to be one. He was more of a country, stay on his farm and fight roosters kinda guy. He wasn't big city lights.

 

You know for a long time watching RJJ highlights and the occasional fight here and there I had the impression that RJJ was this massive star. I found forums and read he was largely unrecognised and a media fail. His style would’ve sold a billion dollars today if he’d had some charisma. Shame how that works but that’s business.

 

This guy would’ve caught Americans imagination the rest of the 90s;

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Prob travelled through the weights with that frame, taking out everyone.

 

lol for the majority of his career Roid Jones couldn't draw flies. I don't know where this "star" bs is coming from.

 

The early 90s should've been a GOAT period for boxing with two dream tournaments at middleweight & heavyweight;

Middleweight;
Semi final 1: Jackson vs McClellan
Semi final 2: Jones vs Hopkins

Final: McClellan vs Jones

Heavyweight;
Semi final 1: Ruddock vs Lewis
Semi final 2: Holyfield vs Bowe

Final: Bowe vs Lewis

 

Imagine a super middle one;

Benn-Eubank II
Nunn-Toney II

Eubank or Benn v Toney