I remember a fight between the two was talked about for a little while.. if they fought when they were supposed to would Jones have been able to take him?
The pre -Tarver Jones would have painted Jirov red.That is, if you could get Roy in the ring with him.There were so many great potential match ups for Jones, but after he beat Hopkins and Toney, he woulnd't take any interesting fights.I know Roy wasn't scared, he just wanted too much money, and he wanted everything on his terms.As a result we never got to see him fight Jirov, rematches with Hopkins and Toney, Michaelzewski,or Lennox Lewis.Roy was certainly good enough , but all he wanted to do was fight second raters, shoot off his mouth, posture, and strike a pose.
I'm a Jirov fan and he's one of the best Cruisers ever, but no way does he beat Jones. This is simply a matter of speed. Jirov would try to pressure but Jones was too fast, and would hit and get out of range. I see this as a UD for Roy. Jirov/Gomez would have the fight to be made at Cruiser in the later 90's but it never happened.
At the very least, it is fair to say Jirov was like a Cruiserweight Glenn Johnson. Johnson really beat Jones ass down with constant pressure. You can make of that what you want. It would of been an intresting fight.
I don't think Jirov would be too reluctant to take any of Jones' punches doing so, either. It's a tough fight to call.
But did movement not give Jirov trouble? Dale Brown was doing pretty well against him until he stood and slugged. That was in Jirov's prime and Brown is no RJJ.
This would be another Roy Jones showcase fight. Jones easily dances around the MUCH slower Jirov and probably puts on a 12 round show( unless Jirovs corner stops it )
I like Jirov, but even on his best day he was well too slow for a prime-RJJ. Roy would be in and out, in and out... just confusing Jirov. Jones by late TKO. When would Jones have ever mentioned fighting Jirov though? Moving up to cruiser to fight? Doesn't sound likely - in regards to fan interest.
I agree. Alot if fighters simply gave up against Jones. They became frustrated by his elusivness and when they felt his one shot power would often become reluctant at letting their hands go in the anticipation of a fast counter. Jirov would not succumb to such doubts. You only have to watch his fight against Toney to see that the harder the fight got, the harder he fought. Even when Toney was landing counter after counter Jirov simply turned up the heat even more. While this tatic was flawed against such a good infighter like Toney against Jones it could have been very effective. I think the fight would have been much tougher for Jones than many think which is why Jones probably didn't fight him. Jones would have won though he was simply a better fighter.
