Roy Jones Jr. at Heavyweight

**robertzimmerman** · 07-26-2017, 07:53 PM

Originally posted by JakeTheBoxer

Lennox retired after Vitali fight in jun 2003. Roy Jones jr. beat Ruiz in jan 2003. I doubt Roy Jones had even theoretical chances to get Lennox fight. He could have fought Mike Tyson, Holyfield, Vitali, Wladimir, Brewster and other guys that were around than.

Instead of that he fought jr. heavyweights and cruiserweights and still got stopped a few times.

He couldn't get the Tyson and Holyfield fights.

**robertzimmerman** · 07-26-2017, 07:54 PM

Originally posted by juggernaut666

Beating Ruiz doesnt show RJJ was a great fighter ,his career does .

Yes, and beating Ruiz was a part of that great career.

**robertzimmerman** · 07-26-2017, 07:55 PM

Originally posted by VG_Addict

What if Roy moved down to CW after the Ruiz fight and won a title there?

Unless he'd have retired straight afterwards, I think he'd be pretty much be in the same position that he's currently in.

**cupcrazy01** · 07-26-2017, 08:26 PM

Roy was on the verge of signing to fight Holyfield, but it fell apart at the last minute.

USATODAY.com - Holyfield looks like Jones' most likely opponent

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/boxing/2003-03-18-jones_x.htm

He could have beaten Holyfield at that point; Toney dominated Holyfield the next year. He would have had a good chance at beating Tyson but never would have taken that risk due to Tyson's power.

Watching the Ruiz fight live, I could have sworn I saw Ruiz land a solid punch early in the fight - maybe 1st or 2nd round - and I thought Roy wobbled juuuuust a little bit for a split second. He recovered very quickly and never really got in trouble after that, but if I'm not remembering a dream, that happened, and was probably the reason he didn't stay at heavyweight.

**cupcrazy01** · 07-26-2017, 08:33 PM

Found Ruiz slightly, briefly wobbling Roy:
https://********/9ynKvpgrD8c?t=467

Right hand at 7:51

Completely ignored by HBO announcers; imagine that.

**Chollo Vista** · 07-26-2017, 08:51 PM

Originally posted by robertzimmerman

He couldn't get the Tyson and Holyfield fights.

I remember this exactly.

And he shouldn't have fought Holyfield anyway. At that point the Holyfield that was available wasn't the same guy that went through Moorer and hit that stretch of awesomeness like he did in the late 90s. In fact, Holyfield just couldn't get passed Ruiz.

Tyson in 03 was an interesting fight as well, but Tyson had fallen off.

I don't get what guys don't understand about Jones starting his career as a JMW and being the only fighter in history to win a HW title. Something that's been tried several times but never accomplished

**Elroy The Great** · 07-27-2017, 01:09 AM

obviously he wasnt built to last. his game was not the same as toneys. rjj picked the weakest link and gtfot and it ruined him.

im sure if he had it to do over again, he would have left the hw alone.

**robertzimmerman** · 07-27-2017, 06:18 AM

Originally posted by cupcrazy01

Roy was on the verge of signing to fight Holyfield, but it fell apart at the last minute.

USATODAY.com - Holyfield looks like Jones' most likely opponent

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/boxing/2003-03-18-jones_x.htm

He could have beaten Holyfield at that point; Toney dominated Holyfield the next year. He would have had a good chance at beating Tyson but never would have taken that risk due to Tyson's power.

Watching the Ruiz fight live, I could have sworn I saw Ruiz land a solid punch early in the fight - maybe 1st or 2nd round - and I thought Roy wobbled juuuuust a little bit for a split second. He recovered very quickly and never really got in trouble after that, but if I'm not remembering a dream, that happened, and was probably the reason he didn't stay at heavyweight.

Here's some more info from Jim Thomas' book - "The Holyfield Way"

The Holyfield Way

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=yfjzsb7BASMC&pg=PA221&lpg=PA221&dq=evander+holyfield+jim+thomas+the+holyfield+way+roy+jones+don+king&source=bl&ots=mV6lKJKz67&sig=2l9-5k_X7H2VwJ5HFyadLYdldhc&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjA68LtqKnVAhWLCMAKHc-dBawQ6AEIWjAP

In 1996 Evander Holyfield; the 34-year-old, undersized, overachieving, polite, humble, and religious former Heavyweight Champion of the World; symbolized all that is honorable and admirable in professional sports. At the other end of the spectrum was the reigning champion, "Iron Mike" Tyson, the vicious self-proclaimed "baddest man on the planet," who had emerged from a prison sentence for rape to recapture the heavyweight crown. Virtually every boxing expert in the world had declared Holyfield a "shot" fighter whose career was over. When the surprise announcement was made that Holyfield would fight Tyson in November 1996, there was universal agreement that Holyfield had no chance to win, and the odds were set at 24-1 against him. But on November 9, 1996, Holyfield emerged from his locker room with a euphoric smile on his face and walked to the ring to the sounds of the gospel hymn "The Spirit of David," as song inspired by the story of David and Goliath. An hour later, Holyfield shocked the world by knocking out Tyson, and, for one shining moment, good had triumphed over evil. Holyfield's victory over Tyson and his subsequent triumph over Tyson in a rematch in which Tyson savagely bit off a piece of Holyfield's ear in one of the most infamous events in sports history, marked an incredible comeback for a man whose career had been written off, but this was only one of many comebacks in his life and by no means the last. Holyfield is one of the most famous, popular, and financially successful athletes ever. He is the only man to have won the Heavyweight Championship of the World four times, and he has won more than $200 million in the ring, more than any other boxer and almost any otherathlete in history. Now at age 42, having lost his last three fights, Holyfield refuses to retire until he has recaptured all three of the major heavyweight championships one more time, no matter how long it takes. For 13 years, Jim Thomas was at Holyfield's side on a daily basis as his attorney, adviser, close friend, and confidant. The Holyfield Way is an eyewitness account, along with Holyfield's own personal reflections, of one of the most successful, relentless, and sometimes controversial athletes of his era. Experience life behind the scenes of boxing as a firsthand observer inside the Holyfield camp and watch the story of Holyfield's perseverance unfold as the "Humble Warrior" fights on.

**robertzimmerman** · 07-27-2017, 06:20 AM

Originally posted by Chollo Vista

I remember this exactly.

And he shouldn't have fought Holyfield anyway. At that point the Holyfield that was available wasn't the same guy that went through Moorer and hit that stretch of awesomeness like he did in the late 90s. In fact, Holyfield just couldn't get passed Ruiz.

Tyson in 03 was an interesting fight as well, but Tyson had fallen off.

I don't get what guys don't understand about Jones starting his career as a JMW and being the only fighter in history to win a HW title. Something that's been tried several times but never accomplished

Evander was obviously past his best, but it would have been a huge fight.

**robertzimmerman** · 07-27-2017, 06:22 AM

Originally posted by Elroy The Great

obviously he wasnt built to last. his game was not the same as toneys. rjj picked the weakest link and gtfot and it ruined him.

im sure if he had it to do over again, he would have left the hw alone.

Roy has no regrets about fighting Ruiz.

He was open to fighting Evander.

Roy's biggest regret was not adapting his style to compensate for his age.

Roy Jones Jr. at Heavyweight

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