Bernstein:Roy Jones is a great athlete; he’s not a great fighter

[abadger]

I think Jones was a great athletic talent and was a very, very skilled attacking boxer. Defensively I think, not so much. He did rely on simply being able to get out of the way of being hit rather than anything you would call true defensive boxing, which is why he got KOd those times, when he slowed down.

[Pugilistic™]

When Roy fought Ruiz, a fighter that out weighed him by about 35 pounds... he knew that he needed to use a fast jab to keep Ruiz at bay all night... and he did just that.

When Roy fought Virgil Hill... he kept giving him an over hand right, Roy said he noticed Virgil started adjusting, and expecting, the overhand right... so Roy feinted with the overhand right, and went underneath to the body, and KOed him with a body shot.

When Roy fought Grffin in the rematch, he said he noticed how Montell was a bit hunched over, and did so even more when he would move... so Roy let his left arm hang down in anticipation of an uppercut, to take advantage of Montells stylistic flaw. The rest is history.

Those are not examples of athletic ability, those are examples of a thought process, a game plan, and an execution.

Roy Jones Jr. is a great fighter whose athletic abilities coupled with his understanding of the game is what put him on the next level. Not just his athletic ability.

Otherwise Kobe Bryant and Lebron James should be able to come in and do exactly what Roy has done.

And they can't.

Thats a good post.

[Chupz]

Lamotta would've koed Roy prime vs. prime at 160 and 168.



-Big *****

[Dynamite Kid]

I think Jones was a great athletic talent and was a very, very skilled attacking boxer. Defensively I think, not so much. He did rely on simply being able to get out of the way of being hit rather than anything you would call true defensive boxing, which is why he got KOd those times, when he slowed down.

i dont think he was a great defensive fighter either TBH

like JMM his defence is his counter punching ability and his footwork

although JMM does not have as good as footwork as Jones i understand that

[!! Shawn]

dont you think he is a decent analyst though i think for a commentator he knows quite a bit about Boxing

Jim Watt was a fighter and a decent one at that and he does not have god damn clue what he is talking about

I like Al as a commentator, but he doesn't really understand the sport.

[abadger]

i dont think he was a great defensive fighter either TBH

like JMM his defence is his counter punching ability and his footwork

although JMM does not have as good as footwork as Jones i understand that

He clearly wasn't. Most times anyone did land anything approaching a combination on him he would either unleash some awesome combo himself and fight them off, great, or if not he would just back up like crazy and wind up covering up on the ropes. He had no clue what to do when Johnson was jumping all over him and had great trouble whenever tarver landed anything in those fights. I think this is all Bernstein means really, Jones was an attack machine, but not a well rounded, subtle boxer.

[Dynamite Kid]

I like Al as a commentator, but he doesn't really understand the sport.

u dont think he is one of more knowledgable non Boxing pundits though?

which non Boxing pundits do you view as better than him just out of interest ?

[Chunk..]

I think Jones was a great athletic talent and was a very, very skilled attacking boxer. Defensively I think, not so much. He did rely on simply being able to get out of the way of being hit rather than anything you would call true defensive boxing, which is why he got KOd those times, when he slowed down.

Do we remember Ali for getting beat up by Trevor Burbuck?

Do we remember Ray Leonard for getting smoked by Terry Norris and Hector Camacho?

Do we remember Julio Cesar Chavez for getting destroyed by Kosta Tszyu?

Why does Roy get thrown under the bus for his losses in the latter days of his career?

[abadger]

u dont think he is one of more knowledgable non Boxing pundits though?

which non Boxing pundits do you view as better than him just out of interest ?

Bernstein is the moustache guy from Showtime right? I didn't actually know that he didn't specialise in boxing, but he ought to know it pretty good as he's been covering it for a lot of years and a lot of big fights.

[abadger]

Do we remember Ali for getting beat up by Trevor Burbuck?

Do we remember Ray Leonard for getting smoked by Terry Norris and Hector Camacho?

Do we remember Julio Cesar Chavez for getting destroyed by Kosta Tszyu?

Why does Roy get thrown under the bus for his losses in the latter days of his career?

I'm not throwing him under a bus. He deserves to be remembered for his skill and speed, which was different class. Thread is about whether or not he was a 'great boxer' which he was because he was excellent at it, but it doesn't mean I can't note that he had a few flaws.

Also, it is my job to disparage Roy at every opportunity.