RJJ as dominant with McClellan around?

Calzaghe would have beaten G-Man because Calzaghe has a good chin and better boxing skills than Jones. Jones has a shit chin and only raw talent, no boxing skills. jones' chin was not shit! he had amazing skills, i dont know why some people think he was just a very fast fighter. he could feint better than anyone, make his opponent miss better than anyone and would just control the ring for the entire fight! just because he didnt look like the 'technical' boxer doesnt mean he wasn't

The Tua fight was very close and could have gone either way IMO. Byrd was outboxing him badly before he got caught. I'm not saying that Ike wasn't an excellent prospect, just that he wasn't the sure thing people made him out to be at the time of his arrest. The fact is that he never beat a good heavyweight over 6'0 tall. I thought he beat Tua close but clear. But the idea that Byrd was badly outboxing him before the KO is...very, very false. In fact, it was Ibeabuchi who was coming on in the two rounds before the KO as Byrd's corner PLEADED with him to get off the ropes. Even Lederman, who had a hard-on for Byrd had the fight even going into the fifth. And BTW, Byrd is 6'2.

Actually, Ibeabuchi wasn't overrated at all. He was pretty good. His win over a prime, in-shape Tua was extremely impressive and his KO of Byrd (where he fought the exact opposite fight he fought against Tua) were right up there with any other wins by heavyweights. Tua and Byrd were both two of the best up and coming guys in the division. Also, he was lined up to take on Michael Grant next - who he surely would've KO'ed. That would put him in line against Lewis. Whether he would've beaten him or not is anyone's guess. But the fact that they were headed to a collision within the next two fights speaks volumes to Ibeabuchi's skill and stature at the time. The Tua fight was very close and could have gone either way IMO. Byrd was outboxing him badly before he got caught. I'm not saying that Ike wasn't an excellent prospect, just that he wasn't the sure thing people made him out to be at the time of his arrest. The fact is that he never beat a good heavyweight over 6'0 tall.

Very true. Fighters whose careers are terminated early are usually overrated, whether they are prospects (Tony Ayala) or truly great (Salvador Sanchez). Another one is Ike Ibeabuchi who had only 19 fights with just two wins over anyone respectable. Actually, Ibeabuchi wasn't overrated at all. He was pretty good. His win over a prime, in-shape Tua was extremely impressive and his KO of Byrd (where he fought the exact opposite fight he fought against Tua) were right up there with any other wins by heavyweights. Tua and Byrd were both two of the best up and coming guys in the division. Also, he was lined up to take on Michael Grant next - who he surely would've KO'ed. That would put him in line against Lewis. Whether he would've beaten him or not is anyone's guess. But the fact that they were headed to a collision within the next two fights speaks volumes to Ibeabuchi's skill and stature at the time.

Fighters with the "what could have been" thing about them tend to get overrated. If G-Man were boxing right now, you can bet that people all over boxing forums would be saying "McClellan only beat a shot John Mugabi, and a half-blind Julian Jackson". I liked watching McClellan though. His KOs of Mugabi and Jackson were fun to watch. His left hook to the body was vicious. Jay Bell lasted, what, 30 seconds? Very true. Fighters whose careers are terminated early are usually overrated, whether they are prospects (Tony Ayala) or truly great (Salvador Sanchez). Another one is Ike Ibeabuchi who had only 19 fights with just two wins over anyone respectable.

In an interview Nigel Benn said that if Calzaghe was active.....JC could have beaten them all Steve Collins, Benn, Mclellan, Eubanks etc etc... .....JC would have schooled GM. Benn kicked his arse convincingly...what a fight. i could have won the lottery last saturday..... but i didnt

I think young, prime RJ at his best coulda beaten him.

yo silencers... off topic but... skills breakdown for cotto marg power, heart, chin, stamina? i need 4 selections You fuckin threadjacker!

Good post. I agree. The McClellan that fell in love with his power and went for the knockout from the opening bell would have lost to Jones because he would have left a lot of opening for Jones to exploit. McClellan the boxer-puncher would have given Jones a very tough fight, I still think Jones would have pulled off the victory though. yo silencers... off topic but... skills breakdown for cotto marg power, heart, chin, stamina? i need 4 selections

Great thread! Congrats to the starter. McClellan and Jones were friends and close competitors. In fact, Jones worked McClellan's corner in Gerald's first few fights. Their Kronk sparring sessions are legendary - many people forget Manny Steward signed both Jones AND McClellan out of the amateurs to their first pro contracts. They had hotly contested wars in the gym. And as Michael Moorer said, "I don't where this Roy has no chin talk came from cuz he and Gerald used to go at it all the time." McClellan would've been Jones toughest opponent (and everyone else's) except for one thing...he began to fall in love with his power. Sorta like Tito, he began forgetting the little things he did that made him great. Tito in his prime at 147 was an excellent BOXER - he would barely throw punches the first couple rounds; just circling and feinting as he sized you up. By the third or fourth, the fight was over. McClellan forgetting those kind of skills really came back to haunt him against Benn. Against Jones, who was always improving, he would've been stopped. he simply left himself too open, often neglecting his jab and stance. Jones at 168 was a machine--a little too much for McClellan. Good post. I agree. The McClellan that fell in love with his power and went for the knockout from the opening bell would have lost to Jones because he would have left a lot of opening for Jones to exploit. McClellan the boxer-puncher would have given Jones a very tough fight, I still think Jones would have pulled off the victory though.

Great thread! Congrats to the starter. McClellan and Jones were friends and close competitors. In fact, Jones worked McClellan's corner in Gerald's first few fights. Their Kronk sparring sessions are legendary - many people forget Manny Steward signed both Jones AND McClellan out of the amateurs to their first pro contracts. They had hotly contested wars in the gym. And as Michael Moorer said, "I don't where this Roy has no chin talk came from cuz he and Gerald used to go at it all the time." McClellan would've been Jones toughest opponent (and everyone else's) except for one thing...he began to fall in love with his power. Sorta like Tito, he began forgetting the little things he did that made him great. Tito in his prime at 147 was an excellent BOXER - he would barely throw punches the first couple rounds; just circling and feinting as he sized you up. By the third or fourth, the fight was over. McClellan forgetting those kind of skills really came back to haunt him against Benn. Against Jones, who was always improving, he would've been stopped. he simply left himself too open, often neglecting his jab and stance. Jones at 168 was a machine--a little too much for McClellan. Thank you. Great post btw.

Great thread! Congrats to the starter. McClellan and Jones were friends and close competitors. In fact, Jones worked McClellan's corner in Gerald's first few fights. Their Kronk sparring sessions are legendary - many people forget Manny Steward signed both Jones AND McClellan out of the amateurs to their first pro contracts. They had hotly contested wars in the gym. And as Michael Moorer said, "I don't where this Roy has no chin talk came from cuz he and Gerald used to go at it all the time." McClellan would've been Jones toughest opponent (and everyone else's) except for one thing...he began to fall in love with his power. Sorta like Tito, he began forgetting the little things he did that made him great. Tito in his prime at 147 was an excellent BOXER - he would barely throw punches the first couple rounds; just circling and feinting as he sized you up. By the third or fourth, the fight was over. McClellan forgetting those kind of skills really came back to haunt him against Benn. Against Jones, who was always improving, he would've been stopped. he simply left himself too open, often neglecting his jab and stance. Jones at 168 was a machine--a little too much for McClellan.

In an interview Nigel Benn said that if Calzaghe was active.....JC could have beaten them all Steve Collins, Benn, Mclellan, Eubanks etc etc... .....JC would have schooled GM. Benn kicked his arse convincingly...what a fight.

It doesn't work like that. You can't just say he hits Roy, and he wins. Jones didn't have such a horrible chin as some people think, but hitting him on the chin was near impossible. You can count the amount of times he's been hit flush in his prime on one hand probably. Great defense. McClellan would not have beaten Roy Jones JR. First of all, amateurs and the pro's are 2 completely diffirent things. And most importantly, Gman was on a downward spiral as a fighter after ditching Manny Steward. He became just a puncher with no plan B to fall back on if his bum rushing style didn't work in the first few rounds. I would have seen Roy pick him apart from all angles, and maybe get hit with some good shots and be in a couple of scary moments on the ropes covering up, but he had too much foot quickness around the ring, reflexes were out of this world and his stamina excellent. Wide UD, Roy Jones JR. It would have been very interesting if a developed, skilled version of Gman with Steward was put in front of Roy, though.

Jones would of beat McCellan.

Hard to say, it would have depended on how their fight would have went.

How would Calzaghe's career be with the G-Man around?

I think he probably would. I believe McLellan beat Jones in the amateurs, but the pros is different. It would have been interesting to see how Jones's chin stood up McLellan's KO power, but I think it would have and Jones would have beaten Mclellan the way he beat all his opponents back then, too fast, too good.

I'll take that a step farther. McClellan is a VERY OVERRATED fighter. Take away the Jackson wins and you have just a better than average fighter with good power. He wouldn't have touched Roy Jones. Fighters with the "what could have been" thing about them tend to get overrated. If G-Man were boxing right now, you can bet that people all over boxing forums would be saying "McClellan only beat a shot John Mugabi, and a half-blind Julian Jackson". I liked watching McClellan though. His KOs of Mugabi and Jackson were fun to watch. His left hook to the body was vicious. Jay Bell lasted, what, 30 seconds?

mcclellen was a very good fighter, but not on roy's level.