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AL Bernstein Q&A
RD: Do you think Roy Jones’ legacy will be hurt by his recent losses?
Bernstein: Yes it will. It will because it’s proof positive of something I’ve said many, many times. Roy Jones is a great athlete; he’s not a great fighter. Never has been a great fighter. He never made himself a great fighter. He didn’t work at his craft hard enough to be a great fighter. But he’s a great athlete, and so he ended up being great in the ring. When his quickness and some of his physical skills started to fail him, he had nothing else left to go back to. He didn’t have the technique.
very controversial
RD: How will history view Bernard Hopkins?
Bernstein: Well, I think he’s doing a lot to secure that legacy. As a businessman he could’ve hurt that legacy a lot because he did such a poor job after the Trinidad fight of capitalizing [on it]. But I think he’s one fight away from being thought of as one of the two or
three best middleweights of all time. He may already be there.
RD: Where do you rank Lennox Lewis on the all-time Heavyweight Champion list?
Bernstein: Really high. For this reason, he’s a very big man who has a great jab and a powerful right hand and fights tall. When he’s at his best, who’s going to beat him? If I take Lennox Lewis at his best, fighting as well as he can fight, I don’t know how many heavyweights
I’d pick him to lose to, simply because of his size and his physical stature and the way he fights. Who’s going to get to him? I don’t know. Not Rocky Marciano.
RD: Maybe prime Tyson?
Berstein: No, not Mike Tyson, in my mind. If we see Lewis at his best stylistically, he’s a tough match-up for Tyson. Would Joe Frazier be able to? I don’t know. Stylistically it’s not a good match for him. Would George Foreman be able to do it? The old Foreman would’ve had a hard time because he would have been less skilled. Foreman in later years does have that punishing jab, but that’s nullified by Lewis’ jab.
Let’s go right to the biggies. Ali. Does Ali have to beat him? I don’t know. Not if Lewis doesn’t chase him and get low, if he stays tall. Why does Muhammed Ali beat him? What does he hit him with?
Joe Louis, the most skilled heavyweight fighter of all time - possibly too small, [Lennox] Lewis can stay on the outside. Does Louis hit him?
I don’t know the answer to those questions. While Lennox Lewis’ overall resumé might not rival some of those people, I’m not sure how they beat him.
RD: Do you think Roy Jones’ legacy will be hurt by his recent losses?
Bernstein: Yes it will. It will because it’s proof positive of something I’ve said many, many times. Roy Jones is a great athlete; he’s not a great fighter. Never has been a great fighter. He never made himself a great fighter. He didn’t work at his craft hard enough to be a great fighter. But he’s a great athlete, and so he ended up being great in the ring. When his quickness and some of his physical skills started to fail him, he had nothing else left to go back to. He didn’t have the technique.
very controversial
RD: How will history view Bernard Hopkins?
Bernstein: Well, I think he’s doing a lot to secure that legacy. As a businessman he could’ve hurt that legacy a lot because he did such a poor job after the Trinidad fight of capitalizing [on it]. But I think he’s one fight away from being thought of as one of the two or
three best middleweights of all time. He may already be there.
RD: Where do you rank Lennox Lewis on the all-time Heavyweight Champion list?
Bernstein: Really high. For this reason, he’s a very big man who has a great jab and a powerful right hand and fights tall. When he’s at his best, who’s going to beat him? If I take Lennox Lewis at his best, fighting as well as he can fight, I don’t know how many heavyweights
I’d pick him to lose to, simply because of his size and his physical stature and the way he fights. Who’s going to get to him? I don’t know. Not Rocky Marciano.
RD: Maybe prime Tyson?
Berstein: No, not Mike Tyson, in my mind. If we see Lewis at his best stylistically, he’s a tough match-up for Tyson. Would Joe Frazier be able to? I don’t know. Stylistically it’s not a good match for him. Would George Foreman be able to do it? The old Foreman would’ve had a hard time because he would have been less skilled. Foreman in later years does have that punishing jab, but that’s nullified by Lewis’ jab.
Let’s go right to the biggies. Ali. Does Ali have to beat him? I don’t know. Not if Lewis doesn’t chase him and get low, if he stays tall. Why does Muhammed Ali beat him? What does he hit him with?
Joe Louis, the most skilled heavyweight fighter of all time - possibly too small, [Lennox] Lewis can stay on the outside. Does Louis hit him?
I don’t know the answer to those questions. While Lennox Lewis’ overall resumé might not rival some of those people, I’m not sure how they beat him.
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