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RJJ has just lost to Joe Calzaghe, and I'm reading a lot of RJJ is an All Time Great and Hall of Famer blah blah. I'm analyzing RJJ fight record.....
For me a boxing legend/All time Great has the following on his record:
1)Multi-World Champion with a very high wins ratio (not necessarily undefeated record)
2)Had at least a couple of wars/truly memorable dramatic fights where he comes out on top in at least one of them.
3)Long successful career
4)When in their prime, fought and beat other fighters (also in their prime) who also had legendary status of their own. (What some may call 'super-fights')
RJJ ticks the boxes for 1) and 3) but not on points 2) and 4).
A champion is measured against the opposition he faced. Now RJJ's era was the 90's - in boxing terms, the 90's did not measure up to the standard of the 70's and especially 80's middleweight boxing.... we're talking Marvin Hagler/Ray Leonard/ Thomas Hearns/Roberto Duran.
Now lets look at RJJ career record (LET'S FORGET the last 4 years and look at RJJ upto the age of 35 years old.)
I'm scanning his professional career record...Turns pro '89, OK early 90's- builds up an early unbeaten record. 1992 - still haven't heard of any of his opponents, until we reach 1993 where he gets a points decision over Bernard Hopkins (winning IBF middleweight belt). Follows with a win over Sugarboy Malinga.
1994 -Fights a few bums and then outclasses James Toney for IBF Super Middleweight title. OK good....but please don't tell me James Toney was a great fighter/legend.
1995 - Defends titles....never heard of any of his oppenents.
1996 - 4 wins but only Mike McCallum is a noteworthy name (to win light heavy-weight title- but McCallum was 40 years old!!!!) - sorry Roy no brownie points for that one...
1997 - suffers a blip on his record as his DQ'd against Montell Griffin but avenges this later in the year.
1998 - 3 wins including a KO of 34 year-old Virgil Hill
1999 - KO's some cop/boxer called Rick Frazier, defeats Reggie Johnson. Avoids fighting unbeaten Polish fighter Dariusz Michalczewski (who had been stripped of the WBA & IBF championship belts in 1997 without losing them in the ring)
So the 1990's end ...RJJ is 30 years old and I'm thinking "Is this a record of a boxing legend? Where are the superfights, "the war", the other great adversaries that he vanquished?"
2000 - Highlight looks like a TKO of undefeated Eric Harding.
2001-2002 -Racks up more wins against unexceptional fighters including Derrick Harmon and Clinton Woods.
2003 - Captures WBA Heavyweight Title against John Ruiz. Some acheivement ....but don't get me started on the state of Heavyweight boxing in the 2000's in that a fighter like John Ruiz is a champion.
2004 - Beats Tarver and loses to Tarver in rematch - TKO'd in Rnd 2.
Loses by KO to Glen Johnson.
Returning to the Calzaghe fight- considering the ages of both fighters-this could have been a superfight maybe 6-9 years ago, but due to modern day boxing politics - these fights rarely happen when they really matter, hence why so many boxing fans like me question the tag of ALL TIME Great when used with fighters like Roy Jones and Joe Calzaghe.
For me a boxing legend/All time Great has the following on his record:
1)Multi-World Champion with a very high wins ratio (not necessarily undefeated record)
2)Had at least a couple of wars/truly memorable dramatic fights where he comes out on top in at least one of them.
3)Long successful career
4)When in their prime, fought and beat other fighters (also in their prime) who also had legendary status of their own. (What some may call 'super-fights')
RJJ ticks the boxes for 1) and 3) but not on points 2) and 4).
A champion is measured against the opposition he faced. Now RJJ's era was the 90's - in boxing terms, the 90's did not measure up to the standard of the 70's and especially 80's middleweight boxing.... we're talking Marvin Hagler/Ray Leonard/ Thomas Hearns/Roberto Duran.
Now lets look at RJJ career record (LET'S FORGET the last 4 years and look at RJJ upto the age of 35 years old.)
I'm scanning his professional career record...Turns pro '89, OK early 90's- builds up an early unbeaten record. 1992 - still haven't heard of any of his opponents, until we reach 1993 where he gets a points decision over Bernard Hopkins (winning IBF middleweight belt). Follows with a win over Sugarboy Malinga.
1994 -Fights a few bums and then outclasses James Toney for IBF Super Middleweight title. OK good....but please don't tell me James Toney was a great fighter/legend.
1995 - Defends titles....never heard of any of his oppenents.
1996 - 4 wins but only Mike McCallum is a noteworthy name (to win light heavy-weight title- but McCallum was 40 years old!!!!) - sorry Roy no brownie points for that one...
1997 - suffers a blip on his record as his DQ'd against Montell Griffin but avenges this later in the year.
1998 - 3 wins including a KO of 34 year-old Virgil Hill
1999 - KO's some cop/boxer called Rick Frazier, defeats Reggie Johnson. Avoids fighting unbeaten Polish fighter Dariusz Michalczewski (who had been stripped of the WBA & IBF championship belts in 1997 without losing them in the ring)
So the 1990's end ...RJJ is 30 years old and I'm thinking "Is this a record of a boxing legend? Where are the superfights, "the war", the other great adversaries that he vanquished?"
2000 - Highlight looks like a TKO of undefeated Eric Harding.
2001-2002 -Racks up more wins against unexceptional fighters including Derrick Harmon and Clinton Woods.
2003 - Captures WBA Heavyweight Title against John Ruiz. Some acheivement ....but don't get me started on the state of Heavyweight boxing in the 2000's in that a fighter like John Ruiz is a champion.
2004 - Beats Tarver and loses to Tarver in rematch - TKO'd in Rnd 2.
Loses by KO to Glen Johnson.
Returning to the Calzaghe fight- considering the ages of both fighters-this could have been a superfight maybe 6-9 years ago, but due to modern day boxing politics - these fights rarely happen when they really matter, hence why so many boxing fans like me question the tag of ALL TIME Great when used with fighters like Roy Jones and Joe Calzaghe.
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