I've been reading comparisons, and I'll be honest. I don't think you can compare the two. A prime roy is just on another level, but that's my opinion. What do you guys think?
For me, prime Roy had more strengths than Calzaghe, but he also had more weaknesses.
Roy did not like to be put under pressure, and he was vulnerable to any boxer who could put together a proper tactical approach. It's been said before as Roy's "lack of fundamentals". His fight against Pazienza is a good illustration of Roy, maybe his best ever performance athletically, but the much inferior Pazienza was able to cause him plenty of problems simply by coming in from a variety of angles and doing good work inside. Of course, Roy blew Pazienza away in the end, but this is a good illustration too, Roys speed and athleticism enabled him to get away with having a lot of flaws as a boxer.
Prime Joe on the other hand, was a much more complete boxer. He was gifted compared with most other boxers in all the same areas that Jones was, just not when compared to Jones. He also did not possess Jone's weaknesses, he has always been astute and fights his best when under attack, unlike Jones.
Jones is made out to be a superman but really he was just a very good boxer. He did not look incredible in every fight and showed numerous vulnerabilities. The fight against Calzaghe would be a real fight, I very much doubt that Jones would ever have blown Calzaghe away or toyed with him. Based on his talent, prime Jones should win, but it is by no means a foregone conclusion.
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Calzaghe can SLAP as fast as Jones can HIT, his defense isn't good enough to get away from Jones whose reflexes are too good
Roy in his prime was not overrated, at all... at 168 pounds he WAS the welterweight version of sugar ray leonard... he could literally do everything... fastest hands in the game, 4, 6, 8 punch combinations... from every angle... reflexes beyond the elite level... his stamina was through the roof... he could knock you out in one punch, and you wouldnt see it coming...
Im not gonna say who would win between prime joe and prime roy... but... thats because it isn't necessary too...
It is really bugging when people say he would not have beaten him in his prime if Roy feels he is not at his best he should not fight ?
It is like me saying Hopkins would have lost every round if Calzaghe turned up last Saturday ?
Great points Benny. So many people here decide on their agenda, then just come up with spin to validate it without even watching objectively. Anyone who said that Calzaghe is weak defensively really has no idea of what they are talking about. Roy at his best would probably beat Joe, but it isn't like it wouldn't be a two sided story.
Yes, I always find it a bit baffling how these things work. :confused: I mean, before the Hopkins fight, most of the talk was either about how Calzaghe has never faced anyone like Hopkins and he just wouldn't be able to deal with his type of skills or that Calzaghe would simply blow Hopkins out with non stop barrages of punches. Really, how daft can you get? Has anyone been watching either of these guys fight lately?
There seemed to only be a few that understood that it was going to turn out exactly as it did. That Calzaghe had way too much skill to be simply over matched by Hopkins and that, in fact, they have quite similar attributes although with a very different way of presenting them or that Hopkins is simply not the type of fighter anyone can just go in swinging wildly against and beat by volume of punches alone.
The fight went exactly as I thought it was going to. Calzaghe was going to have some trouble with Hopkins' defensive prowess and adjusting to find a rhythm without being countered and clinched constantly and that Hopkins was going to also have trouble landing much on Calzaghe and that Calzaghes ability to adjust while being able to fight well on the outside and inside would probably win the fight for him in a horrible stop and start, scrappy affair.
What was most amusing was the fact that Calzaghe was always going to have trouble looking any good. Calzaghe in winning was always going to look worse than Hopkins would in losing. Yet, strangely everyone seems to think Calzaghe should have looked stunning doing what no one has ever been able to do, which is beat Hopkins reasonably convincingly. He was always going to look just like he did in that fight and yet he beat Hopkins more than I think anyone ever has, apart from maybe Jones. Even then though the Jones fight was so slow with both so cautious.
Hopkins was always going to look good and I, for one, thought he did a better job in this fight than he had in quite a while. He gassed because he was forced to fight and he actually did fight quite well at some points and more than many times in most of his recent fights. Taylor got so many props for beating Hopkins and yet he did it half as convincingly as did Calzaghe, with arguments for having lost the fights. Yet, it seems as though Calzaghe is now thought worse of. I can't remember when someone has ever looked as comfortable when fighting Hopkins and when Hopkins has ever looked as uncomfortable.
All the people who said Hopkins was going to whip Calzaghe are suddenly bringing out the age issue. It wasn't there before. It was only "Hopkins has too much skill and Calzaghe has never seen anyone like him." Or it was Hopkins has too many parts to his game. The fight I saw, saw Calzaghe adjusting and making all the necessary changes over the course of the fight and switching up his game to take Hopkins out of his. I thought it was a great performance in a performance that was always going to look bad any which way you looked at it. Now, it's suddenly "Calzaghe is shit. He looked like crap against an old man. Jones or Pavlik would own him." I even saw someone suggesting he should be fighting Miranda and Abraham and that they would beat him :ugh: :nonono:
Prime roy would KO Prime Joe anytime he wanted. Roy is unbeatable in his prime, almost untouchable. Its funny how all these limeys think that joe could have beaten a prime roy, joe got KD by hopkins at 43. imagine wat roy would do.
well,,,,calzache isnt exactly a spring chicken anymore either
Why not just wait and see what happens if and when they fight.There is only 3 years between them so if Jones is in a different class he shouldn't have no problem overcoming the 3 years.
Most sensible post in the thread.
RJJ is shot and Calzaghe beating RJJ at this stage of roy's career is meaningless.
But the excuses have already started! Awesome.
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Prime roy would KO Prime Joe anytime he wanted. Roy is unbeatable in his prime, almost untouchable. Its funny how all these limeys think that joe could have beaten a prime roy, joe got KD by hopkins at 43. imagine wat roy would do.
Jones wanted to fight Eubank but Eubank wouldn't fight him because of the risk-reward. Eubank wouldn't fight anyone, and made more money than anyone.
Jones wanted nothing of Nunn, because he knew he'd probably lose
Roy Jones Jr, James Toney, and Bernard Hopkins were leaps and bounds greater than Joe Calzaghe. Joe has no power therefor he would never beat those three, i mean i guess it would be possible for him to steal a decision based on workrate alone but if judging effective punches he doesnt win 2 rounds against any of those three.
Roy Jones the best of them all.
Same old, I remember you were the team classic member, right?
yes, indeed. Proud member.
Sorry it took so long to respond. I had to change to my new email....and forgot that I had to verify before I could access the forums again. :rolleyes:
Hey, KDogg is back!!!.
How are you my redneck cousin?
:D Never-better, brother!
I've discovered the use of library computers on my off days. ;)
How 'bout yourself??
Ya know, the weird thing is I agree; but kind of disagree at the same time.
I, for one, think that Jones was undoubtedly one of the most naturally gifted athletes I've ever seen, bar none. However, if you compare his record with Calzaghe in who they fought as much as who they didn't, they're not that far apart....oddly enough.
Sure, Jones beat Toney, Hopkins, Hill, Griffith, and a few others; but he never stepped in the ring with Nunn, Benn, McClellan, or Eubank. Because of tragic circumstances, I can forgive the McClellan and even the Benn fight(s); but the others are kind of ...eh-eh. "Why didn't they happen".
Yes, I know there's a variety of reasons and "he-said/she-said"; but the fact is there were unanswered questions concerning competition. And elite competition at that.
That fact alone closes the bias gap between the two, IMHO.
Jones was more gifted; but competition-wise, only a slight edge....and style-wise.....well, who knows how the two would have really matched up.
Just a thought.