Who is the greater figther: RJJ or Thomas Hearns

I rate Jones 5-10 spots ahead on my personal ATG list.

 

You make some good points here, but I give alot of credit to Hearns for his deeper resume (though he lost more) and willingness to take risks to achieve greatness.

Also, regardless of what anyone may think of Hearns' win over Benitez and 2nd loss to SRL, it's my opinion that his demolition of the great Duran trumps Jones' victories over B-Hop and Toney which,imo, were RJJ's best wins.

 

Actually, everything about his post was garbage.

 

Jones never REFUSED to fight anybody.:deal

 

rumours were he turned nigel benn down.

 

Rumors mean ****.... I also heard a rumor that Nigel Benn turned down a 7 figure contract to fight Jones...

Roy has never refused to fight any fighter, he has a big ego and they may have failed to come to his terms, but I dont believe he has ever refused to fight.

 

you may laugh, but the story goes he was so disturbed by what happened to gerald he wanted no piece of benn
pity for jones, cos nigel was never the same after that fight.
also, if rumours mean ****, why did you come back with one of your own ?

 

Jones, he was freaking amazing in his prime time! Superman!

 

I think the rumour was he was spooked by what happened to McClennan, ie the inherent risks of boxing and what he could do to someone, rather than scared of N.Benn's performance.

Benn was great that night, but he and RJJ and everyone else knew then that Jones Jr would have wiped the floor with him, two completely different standards of fighter.

 

would you say jones and mclellan were two completely different standards of fighter ?

 

I stated what I heard from Roy's mouth and the hbo crew, just mostly because it was opposite from what you said, doesn't mean it is true but said none the less... no hard feelings.:good

 

obviously i agree jones is in a different class to benn, but i can't agree that benn ran scared from anyone, especially seeing as though he was very motivated by money, and didn't seem scared of anyone, so why not fight him?

on the original question, its hard to pick between jones and hearns, hearns for me is a more legendary name, maybe due to the times that he fought in.jones obviously was very attractive on the eye style wise .

there's something about roy jones for me that says he may have been lucky to have fought in the era that he did, i just see the likes of hagler knocking the **** out of him.

 

Jones but only just.They are both top 50 atg's

 

Yes, I certainly would to be honest.

But the point is I think STYLISTICALLY, Benn v Jones Jr would have been a mismatch. McClennan was a KO artist, he was always going to give Benn the chance to brawl with him if he couldn't get Benn out of there early, and Benn was a master brawler, so Benn always had a chance in that fight even though he was the underdog. Think of the mid-1990s electrifying Jones, the speed, the skill, do you seriously think that anyone (including RJJ and Benn himself) thought that Benn had a chance in that fight? No way.

 

The same way he knocked the **** out of Hearns?

James Toney in 1994 was pound-for-pound#2 behind Pernell Whitaker, look at his resume from 1991-1994, he was magnificent. Since then Toney has never applied himself properly to gain the status of a Hagler, but IMO he had the talent. RJJ wiped the floor with him. RJJ could beat top top quality fighters, as he proved v Toney and Hopkins.

Hearns lost to the 2 best fighters he fought (Duran when Hearns fought him and at that weight was not vintage Duran), and other than the Duran, Benitez and Cuevas wins, his resume is not stellar, so the times in which he boxed don't have that much bearing on this discussion.

I do think Hearns had a marginally better resume, but I still go with Jones.