How would Roy Jones be remembered if he retired after the first Tarver fight?

[Tedkidlewis]

Roy had achieved everything at that point. He'd come back down to light heavy and beat his rival in a close fight, but it was clear from that fight that Jones was not going to be getting any better. If he had walked away from the sport then and we never had to witness the massive downfall of this great fighter, how do you think he would be spoken of now?

His record would have been 49-1

[AddiX]

No one will hold his late part of his career against him.

Not unless there fcking morons at least.

[Boxfan83]

Roy had achieved everything at that point. He'd come back down to light heavy and beat his rival in a close fight, but it was clear from that fight that Jones was not going to be getting any better. If he had walked away from the sport then and we never had to witness the massive downfall of this great fighter, how do you think he would be spoken of now?

His record would have been 49-1

He shouldve retired after he won the HW title or fought Tarver at Cruiserweight. Moving up than down totally killed RJJ's punch resistance, IMO he wouldve kept his form better at CW than dropping back down to LHW. Either way RJJ is a G, dudes still fighting just because he likes it.

[IronDanHamza]

He'd be remembered as one of the all time greats.

Now? Sadly, he has damaged his legacy.

I don't agree with it but it's the case.

[D-MiZe]

The thing is that Roy should be viewed now as he was after that fight. On the contrary, close-ish first fight and Tarver wins 2 out of 3. I guess you can take a bit off him but not much. After Calzaghe I don't take much notice, nothing since then should effect his overall ranking definitely.

I don't have rankings to rank him accurately. So let's say Top 15 MW/Top 10 SMW and if he had retired he might make Top 10 MW because he doesn't lose the mysticism and aura he once had if he retires after Tarver. That is definitely a huge part of, not just fighters, but people in all walks of life. 2pac is always viewed as having the potential to be something huge, almost a *****-esque figure. Salvador always has the what if? question next to his name, Senna etc.

[imperial1]

Top 25....

[SergioMartinez]

Roy should have retired LONG ago.

But I don't see how any of these lost hurt his legacy.

Why do people seem to not hold, Ali, Tyson, Leonard past prime losses against them, but seem to pretend that they effect Roy's legacy.

The real Roy Jones ended around the 2nd tarver fight.

[Dirk Diggler UK]

He would probably be considered a "coward" or "fraud" on NSB for "ducking" a Tarver rematch

To be fair though, he was only 33 or 34, I don't see why he would have retired.

[IronDanHamza]

Roy should have retired LONG ago.

But I don't see how any of these lost hurt his legacy.

Why do people seem to not hold, Ali, Tyson, Leonard past prime losses against them, but seem to pretend that they effect Roy's legacy.

The real Roy Jones ended around the 2nd tarver fight.

I think it's because none of those guys had that unbeatable Aura (except Tyson in his early days but that ended quickly) Roy was looked at as unbeatable for a decade.

Then it's the fact that how he was beaten, brutally knocked out by Tarver, Johson, Lebedev, Macrinelli. All brutal KO's. Loss's to Danny Green and Calzaghe don't help.

[gmc_rfc_06]

He was clearly a shell of himself in the first Tarver fight, but as we've seen, he never had the desire to walk away. He still doesn't.

Had he walked away then, he'd be among the absolute best ever. He was genuinely untouchable for over a decade and had everything.

The losses to the likes of Calzaghe are bad, but the losses to the likes of Enzo are hard to even process.