Beating Ruiz @ Heavyweight was Roy's GREATEST feat, IMO

Dude I agree it was a great accomplishment but to me it was like beating a contender not a true CHAMPION at HW. Also his regain of the title at LHW was questionable as some people thought Tarver won that fight. (I was not one of them) but some did. All in all going up to HW and coming back down was the beginning of the end of Roy he was never the same after that. He needed to stay at HW and maybe take on a few contenders there put on another 10-15 pounds. To me he could have cleaned out that division if he stood there. (everyone except the BIG boys Klits and Lewis) I mean Chris Byrd did what he did there so to me Roy was leaps and bounds above Byrd....Lefty No because staying at HW, outside of fight Lewis wouldn't have completed what he set out to do. Which was match what Bob Fitzsimmons did. Fitzsimmsons didn't just go from MW to HW but also regained the LHW title. If he stayed at HW he wouldn't of completed what he set out do and matched what Bob had completed. And Roy closely but clearly beat Tarver. It isn't questionable whatsoever. Roy got the win, and deservably so.

It's not about Ruiz... it's about coming from middleweight to LHW... putting on 20lbs and still being outweighed by 30lbs in the ring. It's also about moving back down to LHW and regaining that belt over the best fighter in the division. Dude I agree it was a great accomplishment but to me it was like beating a contender not a true CHAMPION at HW. Also his regain of the title at LHW was questionable as some people thought Tarver won that fight. (I was not one of them) but some did. All in all going up to HW and coming back down was the beginning of the end of Roy he was never the same after that. He needed to stay at HW and maybe take on a few contenders there put on another 10-15 pounds. To me he could have cleaned out that division if he stood there. (everyone except the BIG boys Klits and Lewis) I mean Chris Byrd did what he did there so to me Roy was leaps and bounds above Byrd....Lefty

Why do people underrate Ruiz? A two-time HW champ who was a solid top five contender for at least a decade. He beat Holyfield, Rahman, an in-shape Kirk Johnson (unlike the blubber Klitschko fought), Oquendo, Golota, was robbed against Valuev. A GREAT win when you couple Roy's moving up. And how cmoe nobody else has done it in 100 years. 100 years? Surely Ruiz wasn't the only sub par HW belt holder? How come nobody else could do it?

It's not about Ruiz... it's about coming from middleweight to LHW... putting on 20lbs and still being outweighed by 30lbs in the ring. It's also about moving back down to LHW and regaining that belt over the best fighter in the division. Why do people underrate Ruiz? A two-time HW champ who was a solid top five contender for at least a decade. He beat Holyfield, Rahman, an in-shape Kirk Johnson (unlike the blubber Klitschko fought), Oquendo, Golota, was robbed against Valuev. A GREAT win when you couple Roy's moving up.

It was defintely a great accomplishment going from MW to HW and grabbing a title. Truthfully Ruiz is and was slow not just for Roy in comaprision but in general. I think some of the things Roy did at the lower weights were more defining then just a win over a title holder at HW. if he had fought a few fights there and then took a belt from the HW Champ (Lennow Lewis) to me that would have been his best accomplishment. Ruiz to me although he was a belt holder and titlist was like winning a fight over a very good contender not a champion. Just IMO.....Lefty It's not about Ruiz... it's about coming from middleweight to LHW... putting on 20lbs and still being outweighed by 30lbs in the ring. It's also about moving back down to LHW and regaining that belt over the best fighter in the division.

Starting at 160 lbs to HW and get a title, I say yes

i still think it was the win over toney. fukk you guys and your weight draining excuses, that was toneys problem, not roys. I hear you EL...I don't get why people blame a fighter when his opponent is having weight issues before they fight.

Yea man, it was crazy seeing him at that weight. I'm going to try to find the whole fight somewhere online, its been a minute since I seen it. I vividly remember watching it at a teammates house in college. It was defintely a great accomplishment going from MW to HW and grabbing a title. Truthfully Ruiz is and was slow not just for Roy in comaprision but in general. I think some of the things Roy did at the lower weights were more defining then just a win over a title holder at HW. if he had fought a few fights there and then took a belt from the HW Champ (Lennow Lewis) to me that would have been his best accomplishment. Ruiz to me although he was a belt holder and titlist was like winning a fight over a very good contender not a champion. Just IMO.....Lefty

RJJR = The greatest fighter EVER!

1) His rapping & acting career 2) Toney 3) Ruiz

What do you all think? Roy Only Had one Heavyweight Division Fight...so yeah

i still think it was the win over toney. fukk you guys and your weight draining excuses, that was toneys problem, not roys.

He went up to HW from MW and clearly beat a HW Champion. He dominated Ruiz, something that has only been done just a few times by other Top HW's..Jones was not a top HW, he was a LHW coming up in weight. That was his biggest win if you put everything in perspective, not just the opponent.

Second on my list to the win over Toney. But still incredible. Moving up three divisions, then skipping a fourth to go to heavyweight, and STILL being outweighed by 26lbs! Christ, that was a great performance. That was a great win on paper but I don't think it was that huge in hindsight. James was extremely weight-drained for the fight and clearly had no energy in the ring that night. He lost something like 50 lbs during training camp. Roy's performance was masterful but Toney was a shell. Immediately after the Williams fight James started eating and was in the worst possible shape come November 18. I think Roy's style was always going to give Toney trouble, but I think the weight beat JT as much as Roy did

his great feat wasn't beating ruiz, it was moving from junior middleweight-heavyweight undefeated good post. that can't be overlooked.

his great feat wasn't beating ruiz, it was moving from junior middleweight-heavyweight undefeated

What do you all think? meh... ruiz was just a titleholder. I think his dominance over lt HW for many years was better feat.

yes you are most proberbly correct he was the only guy in over 100yrs to achieve that feat

His greatest win but it also messed him up for good. He was never the same after that great win.

I think the fact that nobody has done it in over 100 years speaks volumes... I think him moving back down from heavyweight to lightheavyweight and beating Tarver AFTER the HW win... is almost just as great, and it completed his quest to match what Bob Fitzsimmons did. Fitzsimmons wasn't just the only MW to goto HW, but also to drop back down to LHW and recapture that title. Roy did it. That's why when Bernard talks about it, just getting the HW strap isn't the whole quest. The other two guys that did it, dropped back down to regain the LHW title. WHich is JUST as difficult. Good post Reed.