Comments Thread For: Roy Jones Jnr admits Dmitry Bivol, Artur Beterbiev would have been tough opponents

[SouthpawRight]

In his wins over Bernard and Floyd’s Cousin James Roy beat better fighters than the ones Floyd and Manny beat

but both are comfortably ahead of Roy in all time great rankings

it’s odd

Roy career reminds me of Thomas Hearns. Seemingly invincible offensive boxer with a defense and chin that could fail them

won belts in multiple weights ko’d by opponents that they’re much better than

[Oracle01]

Roy pieces both of them up especially Beterbiev who would have been target practice with his come forward style. Roy would stop him. Bivol would be harder but he would have nothing for Roy. He would just run around and get picked off.

[SouthpawRight]

Roy pieces both of them up especially Beterbiev who would have been target practice with his come forward style. Roy would stop him. Bivol would be harder but he would have nothing for Roy. He would just run around and get picked off.

faster AND bigger too

Roy was buff enough for heavyweight

Artur a buff light heavy while Bivol a small light heavy

[dannnnn]

Roy Jones has got to be hands down (no pun intended) the most overrated boxer of all time.

He was very good, obviously, but the way people make out like he was untouchable is nonsense. He wasn't untouchable. He made plenty of mistakes but largely got away with them, and he always had a bad habit of laying on the ropes even in his prime.

A 40 year old Mike McCallum showed how a savvy boxer with an educated jab could create plenty of punching opportunities against Roy and neutralise much of his athleticism. Anyone who thinks two very well schooled fighters like Bivol and Beterbiev would not do the same is living in a fantasy land.

[Oregonian]

Ok since you just introduced a measuring stick and you used canelo as the "stick" . Lets be objective.

Canelo was 42-0-1 so he had double the pro fights of Hopkins. Canelo was also the unified light middleweight champion and he also held the ring belt at 154.

Hopkins After serving almost five years, Hopkins was released from prison in 1988. 5 years later he fought Roy Jones. I am just saying thats a major learning curve. Yes Jones had 20 + fights but look at all the ameture experience he had over a 28 year old hopkins who was in prison for 5+ years. I am just putting it in context. That canelo argument really made no sense. You cant be a green unified champion who was also a ring magazine belt. Hopkins never held a major belt before that Jones fight. Yes he was highly ranked by the IBF but I can see how he was a late bloomer once you put it in context.

Like I said before we can agree to disagree but Roy Jones resume isn't the best.

I never put importance on that people who move up and claim belts. Its the four belt era anyone can do that now. If their was only one belt per division people like Broner and Cotto would never be multiple division winners. Let's keep it a buck. If the heavyweight division only had one belt Roy Jones would had got laid out by any legit heavyweight champion. Thats why he didn't stay at heavyweight. He picked the weakest champion.

He looked good in the ring against nobodies but he never looked good in many of his higher level fights. That toney fight was trash and that first hopkins fight was trash. Ruiz fight was also trash. That Tarver 1 fight was actually pretty entertaining.

———
What I said was the argument that Hopkins was “green” is the same one being used to discredit Floyd when it comes to Canelo. Both are incorrect.

I was not using Canelo as a measuring stick so I do agree with you 100% on that.

As for Roy, let’s try a different angle. Are there any guys at 168 or 175 that you believe Roy ducked and had he fought them, how do you think those fights will play out?

For example, I’ve watched a couple of Michalczewski fights. Roy would have destroyed him so I’m not really fixated on the should have could have.
A prime Roy at 168 or 175 would have destroyed Calzaghe and I love Calzaghe.

Nigel Benn would have been a great fight. That’s a good argument to make.

As you stated, Roy’s problem was the weak era he fought at, however, based on the obvious eye test, we’re speculating that Roy could have held his own against the ATG at 175.

I’m not sure why you think the Toney fight was trash.

[Oregonian]

Roy Jones has got to be hands down (no pun intended) the most overrated boxer of all time.

He was very good, obviously, but the way people make out like he was untouchable is nonsense. He wasn't untouchable. He made plenty of mistakes but largely got away with them, and he always had a bad habit of laying on the ropes even in his prime.

A 40 year old Mike McCallum showed how a savvy boxer with an educated jab could create plenty of punching opportunities against Roy and neutralise much of his athleticism. Anyone who thinks two very well schooled fighters like Bivol and Beterbiev would not do the same is living in a fantasy land.

———-
If he wasn’t untouchable, how do you explain his total domination at three weight classes. He was 36 when he got beat.

[Stuntman Mike]

I think eventually we saw that for all of Roy’s gifts he didn’t have a great chin.

That would be bad against Beterbiev.

Against Bivol I could see him winning on points.

There could be a scientific reason for that

Losing all that muscle and going back down to light heavyweight probably played a big factor in his chin resistance and i know he wasnt kod in the first tarver fight but the second

The ruiz fight and the two Tarver fights were in the space of 14 months

The first fight dropping 20 lbs of muscle to make weight and then another fight not long after to keep the weight off did permanent damage to roy


He also fought and got ko'd 4 months after by Glen Johnson

I feel like the recovery times he gave himself werent very educated and we dont see that sort of return to the ring in such short notice or against high level competition when someone loses by ko in recent times

I feel it was more the camps he put himself through especially the second Tarver fight that caused his problems

i dont beleive he was chinny i just think he broke his body down and we all know once you get cracked your chin resistance plummets and id guess it varies depending on who you are but it was drastic in Roys case

[MalevolentBite]

———
What I said was the argument that Hopkins was “green” is the same one being used to discredit Floyd when it comes to Canelo. Both are incorrect.

I was not using Canelo as a measuring stick so I do agree with you 100% on that.

As for Roy, let’s try a different angle. Are there any guys at 168 or 175 that you believe Roy ducked and had he fought them, how do you think those fights will play out?

For example, I’ve watched a couple of Michalczewski fights. Roy would have destroyed him so I’m not really fixated on the should have could have.
A prime Roy at 168 or 175 would have destroyed Calzaghe and I love Calzaghe.

Nigel Benn would have been a great fight. That’s a good argument to make.

As you stated, Roy’s problem was the weak era he fought at, however, based on the obvious eye test, we’re speculating that Roy could have held his own against the ATG at 175.

I’m not sure why you think the Toney fight was trash.

No. I never ever thought Roy ducked anyone in his era because their wasnt really anyone he could really fight. It was a weak era. I think Roy probably would had beaten the Tiger (Dariusz Michalczewski) but it would go to the cards.

Idk if Roy could had beaten Calazage, Ward, Bivol, Kovalev, Stevenson or Beterbiev at 175. I will say prime Roy running that gauntlet would lose at least 3 of those fights. Each would have a tool that would bother roy at one point.

I think Roy would beat Benn but Benn also was a wild dog in that ring and anything could happen.

That Toney fight was not a fight. I would ever rematch ever. Its not a classic fight in any sense. Yes it was a big fight between two big names but its a fight that gets lost in the 90s when much better memorial fights happened.

[Oregonian]

No. I never ever thought Roy ducked anyone in his era because their wasnt really anyone he could really fight. It was a weak era. I think Roy probably would had beaten the Tiger (Dariusz Michalczewski) but it would go to the cards.

Idk if Roy could had beaten Calazage, Ward, Bivol, Kovalev, Stevenson or Beterbiev at 175. I will say prime Roy running that gauntlet would lose at least 3 of those fights. Each would have a tool that would bother roy at one point.

I think Roy would beat Benn but Benn also was a wild dog in that ring and anything could happen.

That Toney fight was not a fight. I would ever rematch ever. Its not a classic fight in any sense. Yes it was a big fight between two big names but its a fight that gets lost in the 90s when much better memorial fights happened.

——
The Toney fight wasn’t a classic because it was a total domination.
The reason fights are dubbed classic fights is they are fought on an almost dead even see-saw battle. When one guy is superior, the fight gets diminished in the classic sense.

Look at Crawford vs Spence. Total domination but not a classic.
Gatti vs Ward was two blue collar fighters beating the crap out of each other. Classic fight but not a purist’s cup of tea.
Floyd is considered an ATG but I can’t think of any of his fights being dubbed a classic even though he put on a boxing clinic for the most parts.
Calzaghe’s destruction of Lacy was a domination I haven’t seen in a long time yet it’s not considered a classic.
I’m sure you know all this so I’ll just shut up.

I think Stevenson, Kovalev and Bivol would be very tough opponents for Roy. In fact, Stevenson KO power would probably come through.

Now imagine if Stevenson and Kovalev fought? Or Ward vs Stevenson. Goodness! Those have the making of a classic

[RJJ-94-02=GOAT]

other way around

Bivol has a significantly better defense and chin than Artur who been put on his ass twice being hurt in one instance by Roy’s favorite left hook

Bivol has the better jab and is a cautious defensively minded who would see the final bell

Artur would be coming forward all night until he’s hurt and unable to

Bivol can juggle between forwards and backwards

Bivol has nothing for Roy. Beterbiev has a punchers chance albeit a very slim one. Both lose decisively to the far superior fighter.