The Answers You Wanted :)

May 18, 2006 : FightFan dot com is proud to present another mailbag hosted by our resident boxing expert "Iceman" John Scully. The "Iceman" answers fan's questions, telling it like it is from a fighter's perspective! To see the archives of past "Ask The Iceman" Mailbags, Click Here! HERE'S WHAT THE "ICEMAN" HAD TO SAY! 1) I know you spent a lot of time with both Roy Jones Jr. and James Toney. What did you make of their 1994 match up both before and after it happened? Also, if they would have fought again at heavy (after Jones beat Ruiz and Toney beat Holyfield), what do you think the result would have been? -- James ICE SAYS: I was out in Las Vegas for that fight and the night before the fight I was in Roy's managers room at the MGM and he asked me who I thought was going to win and I told him this: James Toney is a great fighter, one of the best in the world, but all the things that make him great will never come into play against a guy with the speed, power and most of all the mindset of a Roy Jones. At heavyweight, if they fought the fight right after Roy beat Ruiz, I think Roy still would have won a 12 round decision. See, the great thing about Roy Jones at his best is that he recognized and respects an opponents strengths and won't give him the chance to use them. As a perfect example, I will tell you a good story to illustrate exactly what I mean. I can remember a simple conversation we had way back in 1994 that put it all in very simple perspective for me in regard to him and his boxing. When Terry Norris got knocked out badly by Simon Brown when they fought each other it came at a time when Norris was at the top of his game. He banged it out with Brown and paid the price. A few months later they had a rematch and Norris turned the tables on Brown with one of the greatest boxing displays I have ever seen in Boxing. He went out here and proved that not only was he the better boxer but that there were no ill-effects from the crushing KO that Brown put on him a few months earlier. Terry juked and jived his way to a convincing twelve round decision. I happened to be in Great Gorge, NJ the next day at the apartment complex Roy was staying at where he was training for his upcoming fight with Thomas Tate. We sat down and talked for a while and I said "Wow, did you see Terry Norris last night? He looked real good." And Roy said to me "Shoot, I wouldn't have had to fight Simon Brown twice to figure out that was the best way to fight him." His idea of boxing was as simple as that. 2) Who did you think won the Hatton-Collazo fight? Can you give your take on the fight and what it says for Ricky? -- Dan ICE SAYS: I was there live for the fight and thought that Luis won a decision that night. I don't know how it looked on TV but I do know that Luis landed some monstrous shots in the fight and he visibly dazed Ricky several times. He fought a very smart fight and showed that even on the inside he could fight back and neutralize the best work of Hatton. I think the southpaw style of Luis was a huge factor as well. Ricky can still do real well at 147 but its obvious that there are certain styles that will trouble his style every time out. 3) Do you still do any sparring? If so, being only 38 years old, do you ever think about returning to the ring? Who is the best guy you ever fought or sparred against? -- Hugh ICE SAYS: I still spar as often as I can and, actually, on Saturday before I headed up to Boston for the Hatton fight I sparred 10 rounds with a small cruiserweight from here in Connecticut. Over the years I have sparred with many great fighters. James and Roy stand out to me. Mike McCallum, too. I would say the hardest puncher I ever sparred, punch for punch, was Lamar 'Kidfire" Parks. I have sparred other good fighters, too, like Otis Grant, Eric Harding, Steve Collins, Lonnie Bradley, Chad Dawson, Vinny Pazienza, Jose Antonio Rivera, Marlon Starling and so many others. More than 500 people in all. I tried to secure fights for myself from the day of my last fight (a decision victory in Toronto over Cleveland Nelson in June of 2001) all the way to the summer of 2003. I had nine consecutive fights fall out on me for different reasons and in the meantime I began training Lawrence Clay-Bey. After all the disappointments I just said to myself that I can still spar often enough if I want and I will just concentrate on training boxers. I plan to spar all the way until am 50, though. 4) Do you think Tarver would make a good heavyweight? Who would you pick in a Tarver vs. Toney matchup if it were to take place in the next year? -- Joe ICE SAYS: I don't see Tarver as a physical enough guy or an elusive enough guy for the best heavyweights in the world. I think if James came into the fight with the fire and determination that everybody loves to see from him he would break Antonio down. But if he came in with a lazy attitude and the feeling that he was just going to outbox and outsmart Antonio based on better skills then Antonio could certainly outwork James and grab a decision. Like in almost every fight he's ever had I think the end result would hinge on what James Toney decided to show up that night. 5) Who do you think the best pound for pound fighter in the world, and where do you rank Winky pound for pound? -- Christopher ICE SAYS: I guess you have to go with Floyd Mayweather as the absolute best right now. The guy has beaten top names at every weight and he has done so convincingly and with a lot of style, power and skills, too. Winky is a very skilled fighter who probably doesn't get the recognition he should because of his laid back, methodical style. Winky is certainly top 5 in terms of skills, for sure, and if he beats Taylor in style then you could make a case for him as 1 or 2.