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I read, reread and rereread, post about roy either proclaiming him as the greatest thing since sliced bread, or I read those that say he was overrated, ducked all opponents that would issue him a serious challenge. Both are way off base. However lets examine the facts, how show it is very very hard to accurately review the legacy of Roy Jones Jr.
Roy Jones talentwise has to be ranked the best since SRL and IMO he was even better talent wise. His speed per weight class has to be up there with the fastest ever, yes even faster at middlweight than Ray was at Welterweight. When you combine his speed with his natural power he had at Middleweight at least as a middleweight he makes the case for being ranked up there talentwise with the best to ever lace em.
I hear many say he was not a great boxer just had speed. How idiotic is that. If that is what allowed him til the age of 35 to hit and not get hit, and win fights, then he as great at it. Maybe you should say he did not have great technique, and the usual fighter that didnt jab and do certain things would not be successful, however Roy's speed and unorthodoxness allowed him to get by with so many mistakes, and still win,,just like, hmmmmm ALI. Roy was a great great boxer, I bet you cant name a person that would outbox him at middleweight during his peak years....The only way to beat Roy would be like a Duran or Monzoon type of middleweight...Monzon being a mIddleweight IMO would be the great challenge to Roy. Duran was too small, but a Middlweight version, IMO would be a great challenge. We know Durans issues with a boxer who is elusive (leonard), but we know that a Duran like fighter would test any one's heart, and Roy at his Peak never had to deal with that.
This is the very reason many try to fault him. What they say is Roy didnt have a quality resume. I ask you this who since Whitaker, and Leonard has fought and beat better champions in 4 different wieght divisions. NO he has not beaten a durnan,hearns, Hagler, Mosley, dlh, Barrera, but he did beat Toney, Hopkins, Hill, gonzales, etc. These peopel that slam Roy but Hype Duran simply twist the facts. Duran fought 72 fights at lightweight beating the best there. However the best were good at best. marcil, Buchanon, dejesus...then stepping up palimino. What made Duran legendary was his dominance over the lightwieght division with a greatly padded record of bums...and then beating Leonard the 1st time. They leave out his record of 1-4 vs the best at the higher weights. Then on the other hand they slam Roy, who simply owned the Middleweight division. No he didnt have 72 fights, but he clearly best most of the best figters from 160 to 175 and was undefeated in doing so (except for ****** dq) until he moved up won the heavyweight title and then had to lose 20-25 pounds of muscle mass in a short period of time and still barely won a title fifht with Tarver. At that time you saw Roy never ever has been the same due to the rapid weight and muscle loss and how that impacted his reflexes and speed along with age. Anyone who cant see this, simply does not want to see this.
There are fights that he did not make. I personally agree that he should have done whatever it took to make these fights. However, the fault is not all his. He wanted to fight Benn, but Benn wanted no part of him. He was signed to fight McCllelan if McClellan beat Benn, we all know what happened there. I am not personally sure why he never fought Eubanks, or Collins. I do know that to me he punked out of fighting Nunn. That is a fight that should have been made. I know Tony beat Nunn, but we dont let others off the hook of fighting fighters simply because the opponent in question may have lost to a fighter that Roy or any fighter has already beaten. Styles makes fights. That analogy is out the windown when you see historically how this shapes up. One example.. Mosley beat Dlh, dlh beat Mayorga. Forrest beat Mosley thus,,,,Forrest should beat Mayorga since Mosle beat dldh and dlh beat Mayorga..Right...Hmmmmmm Styles makes fights, and Roy should have fought Nunn, and Dm. Now Nunn did shorten the window of opportunity by his losses, and issues with the law, but there was time whenhe was a big name, and roy was a "getting bigger" name. In the case of DM, they both should share the blame that this fight never came off, but where to pigheaded to cross contininets to fight each other.
Overall, I rate Roy in my top 10 of all time. This will piss a lot off, but outside of Monzon and Ray Robinson I dont know of any Middleweights that I think "could" beat a prime Roy, and based on Roy's speed and unorthodoxness, Roy had a great great chance to beat both of these fights. He was simply that good, fast and hard to figure out.
Finally had he fought in the 80's IMO we would not be hearing as much about the dominance of the great 4. Leonard and Hearns would be great at welter, but I know that Leonard would not dare move up to Middle to face Roy, he would get slaughtered, and Leonard is my favorit fighter of all time. Hearns would get obliterated unless he landed that big shot, but if Ray leonard stopped him at 147, what do you think he would do when he caught that left hook at Middleweight by a faster and harder punching Roy. Hmmmmm. Roy would EASILY outbox Hagler, would not even be a fight, it would look sort of like how Roy beat Toney. Could you imagine Hagler (who never ever learned to cut off a ring) try to catch up with Roy, and how many left hooks and combinations Roy would land repeatedly on Hagler. It would not be a pretty sight. Duran would have stopped his movement up the ladder at 154, as thus he told Vinnie Pazienzo before Vinnie fought Roy.
Roy was a talent that we will miss dearly, if only he had the Durans and hagler, and leoanrd to have fought we could get a better understanding of is heart and how he would have done vs the best ever. But what we have seen is that Roy sinmply was so good and awkward that maybe just maybe he made very good fighters look simply average.
Roy Jones talentwise has to be ranked the best since SRL and IMO he was even better talent wise. His speed per weight class has to be up there with the fastest ever, yes even faster at middlweight than Ray was at Welterweight. When you combine his speed with his natural power he had at Middleweight at least as a middleweight he makes the case for being ranked up there talentwise with the best to ever lace em.
I hear many say he was not a great boxer just had speed. How idiotic is that. If that is what allowed him til the age of 35 to hit and not get hit, and win fights, then he as great at it. Maybe you should say he did not have great technique, and the usual fighter that didnt jab and do certain things would not be successful, however Roy's speed and unorthodoxness allowed him to get by with so many mistakes, and still win,,just like, hmmmmm ALI. Roy was a great great boxer, I bet you cant name a person that would outbox him at middleweight during his peak years....The only way to beat Roy would be like a Duran or Monzoon type of middleweight...Monzon being a mIddleweight IMO would be the great challenge to Roy. Duran was too small, but a Middlweight version, IMO would be a great challenge. We know Durans issues with a boxer who is elusive (leonard), but we know that a Duran like fighter would test any one's heart, and Roy at his Peak never had to deal with that.
This is the very reason many try to fault him. What they say is Roy didnt have a quality resume. I ask you this who since Whitaker, and Leonard has fought and beat better champions in 4 different wieght divisions. NO he has not beaten a durnan,hearns, Hagler, Mosley, dlh, Barrera, but he did beat Toney, Hopkins, Hill, gonzales, etc. These peopel that slam Roy but Hype Duran simply twist the facts. Duran fought 72 fights at lightweight beating the best there. However the best were good at best. marcil, Buchanon, dejesus...then stepping up palimino. What made Duran legendary was his dominance over the lightwieght division with a greatly padded record of bums...and then beating Leonard the 1st time. They leave out his record of 1-4 vs the best at the higher weights. Then on the other hand they slam Roy, who simply owned the Middleweight division. No he didnt have 72 fights, but he clearly best most of the best figters from 160 to 175 and was undefeated in doing so (except for ****** dq) until he moved up won the heavyweight title and then had to lose 20-25 pounds of muscle mass in a short period of time and still barely won a title fifht with Tarver. At that time you saw Roy never ever has been the same due to the rapid weight and muscle loss and how that impacted his reflexes and speed along with age. Anyone who cant see this, simply does not want to see this.
There are fights that he did not make. I personally agree that he should have done whatever it took to make these fights. However, the fault is not all his. He wanted to fight Benn, but Benn wanted no part of him. He was signed to fight McCllelan if McClellan beat Benn, we all know what happened there. I am not personally sure why he never fought Eubanks, or Collins. I do know that to me he punked out of fighting Nunn. That is a fight that should have been made. I know Tony beat Nunn, but we dont let others off the hook of fighting fighters simply because the opponent in question may have lost to a fighter that Roy or any fighter has already beaten. Styles makes fights. That analogy is out the windown when you see historically how this shapes up. One example.. Mosley beat Dlh, dlh beat Mayorga. Forrest beat Mosley thus,,,,Forrest should beat Mayorga since Mosle beat dldh and dlh beat Mayorga..Right...Hmmmmmm Styles makes fights, and Roy should have fought Nunn, and Dm. Now Nunn did shorten the window of opportunity by his losses, and issues with the law, but there was time whenhe was a big name, and roy was a "getting bigger" name. In the case of DM, they both should share the blame that this fight never came off, but where to pigheaded to cross contininets to fight each other.
Overall, I rate Roy in my top 10 of all time. This will piss a lot off, but outside of Monzon and Ray Robinson I dont know of any Middleweights that I think "could" beat a prime Roy, and based on Roy's speed and unorthodoxness, Roy had a great great chance to beat both of these fights. He was simply that good, fast and hard to figure out.
Finally had he fought in the 80's IMO we would not be hearing as much about the dominance of the great 4. Leonard and Hearns would be great at welter, but I know that Leonard would not dare move up to Middle to face Roy, he would get slaughtered, and Leonard is my favorit fighter of all time. Hearns would get obliterated unless he landed that big shot, but if Ray leonard stopped him at 147, what do you think he would do when he caught that left hook at Middleweight by a faster and harder punching Roy. Hmmmmm. Roy would EASILY outbox Hagler, would not even be a fight, it would look sort of like how Roy beat Toney. Could you imagine Hagler (who never ever learned to cut off a ring) try to catch up with Roy, and how many left hooks and combinations Roy would land repeatedly on Hagler. It would not be a pretty sight. Duran would have stopped his movement up the ladder at 154, as thus he told Vinnie Pazienzo before Vinnie fought Roy.
Roy was a talent that we will miss dearly, if only he had the Durans and hagler, and leoanrd to have fought we could get a better understanding of is heart and how he would have done vs the best ever. But what we have seen is that Roy sinmply was so good and awkward that maybe just maybe he made very good fighters look simply average.
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