Prime RJJ's toughest fight.

[BKM-2010]

I think the rematch did just as much, if not more.

How about this:
-Roy KO's Griffin in the first fight after all that adversity.
-Roy still goes on to dispose of him in the first round of the rematch.

[IMDAZED]

How about this:
-Roy KO's Griffin in the first fight after all that adversity.
-Roy still goes on to dispose of him in the first round of the rematch.

If he went on to win the first fight people would've said he struggled with someone he shouldn't have (even though Griffin was an excellent fighter in his prime).

But the mystery left behind by the disappointing outcome made the rematch so interesting. Some people thought he was overrated and that Griffin had exposed him. Others thought he'd come back to win. But no one expected a first round shellacking. Good point though.

[Sugar Adam Ali]

Good question..


Hopkins was a stiff test because it was roys first world class opponent and a guy roy couldn't just simply dominate with ease. Even though roy won big, hopkins really made him work to earn it..

Toney was on paper the biggest challenge, but to yes flat footed style is tailor made for roy to dart in and out using speed.. Easy work for roy

Montel caused roy a lot of problems using the jab and especially when he doubled it up.. But I think roy came in kinda unmotivated and montel is skilled and awkward enough to win some rounds over roy. But in the end, Roy's higher class showed and he was on his way to stopping montel before the DQ...
I can't have montel as his toughest fight simply for the fact that the dude wasn't going the distance and was about to get stopped.. This fight reminds me of floyd-zab, especially if floyd had been DQ for roger storming the ring..

Harding is a very tough out.. Even in a win you won't look good vs Harding.. Harding really knew how to frustrate guys as a southpaw.. He had just schooled a green Tarver prior to fighting jones..

I would say Harding or hopkins as his toughest fight in his prime

[IMDAZED]

Good question..


Hopkins was a stiff test because it was roys first world class opponent and a guy roy couldn't just simply dominate with ease. Even though roy won big, hopkins really made him work to earn it..

Toney was on paper the biggest challenge, but to yes flat footed style is tailor made for roy to dart in and out using speed.. Easy work for roy

Montel caused roy a lot of problems using the jab and especially when he doubled it up.. But I think roy came in kinda unmotivated and montel is skilled and awkward enough to win some rounds over roy. But in the end, Roy's higher class showed and he was on his way to stopping montel before the DQ...
I can't have montel as his toughest fight simply for the fact that the dude wasn't going the distance and was about to get stopped.. This fight reminds me of floyd-zab, especially if floyd had been DQ for roger storming the ring..

Harding is a very tough out.. Even in a win you won't look good vs Harding.. Harding really knew how to frustrate guys as a southpaw.. He had just schooled a green Tarver prior to fighting jones..

I would say Harding or hopkins as his toughest fight in his prime

I don't think Jones was in his prime when he fought Hops. Still a little green at that time.

[therealpugilist]

I don't think Jones was in his prime when he fought Hops. Still a little green at that time.

^^^^^^ I think his prime was from around 95-99

[soul_survivor]

Depending on when you view Roy's prime and I for one think it started around the Hopkins fight and probably ended around 2000/01, although he was still close to his best up until Ruiz. In that time frame, it has to be Hopkins. Now, at no point in the 90s did Roy look to have a physically grueling fight and the Hopkins fight wasn't tough in that manner.

Having said that, Hops, even then, was a tricky customer. He didnt have the tools and trick he would later on but he could still stifle your best work, make you look ugly and wear guys down. Roy had to come through all that, stick to a game plan, out land Hopkins and win. He did all those things. Yes the Harding and Griff fights may have been tough but against Bhop, Roy learned things.

I don't feel he learned anything from Harding or Griff 1 apart from not being ******.

[Scott9945]

Griffin is an underrated fighter I'd pick him over most, if not all of today's Super MW's.

The problem with that is that Griffin spent his entire career at light heavyweight.

[Sugar Adam Ali]

I don't think Jones was in his prime when he fought Hops. Still a little green at that time.

True... To that point roy hadn't really fought anyone above club fighter level.. His best wins were Castro and vaca.. Periniel gatekeepers during the 90s.. And hopkins was also very green and had faced even worse competition

[IronDanHamza]

The problem with that is that Griffin spent his entire career at light heavyweight.

Excuse me, LHW's.

[Scott9945]

Excuse me, LHW's.

Would you pick him against Kovalev or Stevenson?