Roy Jones's prime competition... exactly how good was it?

[Shanus]

You think Gonzalez was an E? I admit, he was absolutely pathetic, and actually crying after the fight! But he still wasn't as pathetic as Frazier, who I also gave an E.

I give him more credibility than a D, possibly C when he fought Jones, he was quite a prospect, then he beat DM by SD, that was at the peak of his career.

[GEOFFHAYES]

It does seem Jones wanted the Benn fight, Jones told Boxing News:

"I want the three-fight package. My bro's must go with me. I must have cover if I go to another country. Bruno-Cole would be a good fight. Let's make it a great night. I've seen Hamed. He's a pretty good fighter but Gainer watched the fight against Robinson and said he could beat him. Derrick don't turn anyone down. Bruno can punch, but Cole has more skills. That will balance out into a good fight. Me and Benn - enough said. I like Benn and that's why I want to fight him. It's a sportsman challenge. (But) they can't speak for themselves. They can't make their own decisions without King. We can. They don't have the power. They're denying the public of some great fights ... people want to see something which is intriguing to their minds. Something which will look good ... I really like the biggest challenge out there. When I fought James Toney, it was a project. Benn is a project because he is a warrior and he will be a tough fight for me. He's always been an awesome performer. I really believe Benn wants to fight me. I have a lot of faith in him. I respect him."

(Cole = Al Cole)

[Mr. Ryan]

I give him more credibility than a D, possibly C when he fought Jones, he was quite a prospect, then he beat DM by SD, that was at the peak of his career.

Gonzalez is perfect example of how you can't be a champion with no fundamentals. There was alot of hype about him cuz he was a Mexican Olympian, but Mexico isn't exactly known as having a Soviet amateur system.

[GEOFFHAYES]

I give him more credibility than a D, possibly C when he fought Jones, he was quite a prospect, then he beat DM by SD, that was at the peak of his career.

Have you even seen the fight? He was crying! He was pathetic!

Michalczewski was way past his best when this Gonzalez guy fought him..

That Jones fight with Gonzalez was a horrible fight, I remember actually falling asleep during that fight.

Benn wasn't impressed either: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/1466456.stm



Benn: Jones not impressive



Nigel Benn was one of Britain's greatest ever world champions during the 1990s.

During a glorious career, Benn held two world titles and engaged in memorable fights with Chris Eubank, Michael Watson and the ill-fated Gerald McClellan.

In his first column for BBC Sport Online, Nigel looks at recent developments in the fight game, including Roy Jones' latest fight.

People ask me whether I have any regrets about calling it a day nearly five years ago, but I do not have any.

I had a pretty full career and sometimes I just wish I had come along now because I would have been a world champion for much longer.

I made 10 defences of my WBC Super-middleweight title but since I lost my title, it has changed hands ten times, with Sugar Boy Malinga holding it twice!

One of the guys still around from my time in the ring is Roy Jones. I watched him the other day and I was not impressed with him. I was shocked really.

I like fighters that go in and have a go so I was not impressed at all with this Jones fight.

Having said that he is a different class of fighter - he is a very good technical fighter who does not like to get in there and mix it up.

He will not throw a shot unless he knows he can hit you without getting hit.

The top British super-middleweight is Joe Calzaghe who I really like to watch.

I just think with Joe that he needs to fight the best people in the division and he is wasting his talents - he has had just one fight this year but he should be fighting four or five times - he needs to stay busy and I have told him that!

Joe would be a good fight for Jones and it is a difficult one to call - despite what I have said about Jones, he won every round at the weekend so he is not on the slide.

Of the other fights this weekend, Danny Williams got revenge over Julius Francis and I do think that Williams is beginning to show the potential we always thought he had.

When he first fought Julius, he froze, in the same way Henry Wharton did when he fought me. Since then, he has got together with trainer Jim McDonnell and he has improved.

He really does not need to fight for the WBU belt which seems to be the plane.

I really do not think that you can call yourself a world champion if you are a champion of the WBF or WBU.

I can not knock it because it makes the fighter a lot of money, but if you want a proper world title, fight for the WBA, WBC or the IBF.

Of the current crop of British fighters, I am quite excited about Ricky Hatton.

I think that he can really do things and I just think he is the one that can go places. His weakness with cuts is the only thing that worries me.

But he has unbelievable body punching power and is exciting to watch.

I also think that Dean Francis, the super-middleweight, will be a world champion now that he has sorted himself out.

A couple of fighters such as Anthony Farnell and Ryan Rhodes, have suffered setbacks during the last 18 months, but they should not get discouraged.

What they have got to do is have some proper fights first before they start jumping in for world title fights - that way, they will learn their game first.

I learnt from losing to Michael Watson and became a world champion soon after.

As for me, I am just taking it easy. I still train but not as hard as I used to. I weighed 13 stone, which is a stone more than my fighting days, but I'd be happier taking half a stone off!

[Guest]

Gonzalez is perfect example of how you can't be a champion with no fundamentals. There was alot of hype about him cuz he was a Mexican Olympian, but Mexico isn't exactly known as having a Soviet amateur system.

Is that Collazo in your pic, Asian?

[BrooklynBomber]

Very interesting discussion, I will disperse karma now, If I can.

[Mr. Ryan]

I give him more credibility than a D, possibly C when he fought Jones, he was quite a prospect, then he beat DM by SD, that was at the peak of his career.

Is that Collazo in your pic, Asian?

Yeah, Luis Collazo is a very good fighter. My homey Flipbjefrox told me the other day that Margarito isn't the most ducked guy in the welterweights, it's Luis Collazo. I have to agree with him.

[Guest]

Very interesting discussion, I will disperse karma now, If I can.

I tell you why I'm asking... cos I generally DON'T KNOW. But is it right of me to say "I've not heard of many of these guys, ergo they must be a bit crap?" So I'm finding out opinions here.

Obviously I've heard of a fair few of them, I'm not a total philistine, but I want to know more. I want to know if people who rate Roy so highly (really looking forward to S_L's contribution) really rate his comp on a fight-by-fight basis.

[Guest]

Yeah, Luis Collazo is a very good fighter. My homey Flipbjefrox told me the other day that Margarito isn't the most ducked guy in the welterweights, it's Luis Collazo. I have to agree with him.

What was he like when you met him? Did he get freaked out with you doing the fingers or was he cool? He seems like a really nice guy.

[Mr. Ryan]

What was he like when you met him? Did he get freaked out with you doing the fingers or was he cool? He seems like a really nice guy.

He's a really nice guy. He was just chilling laying low and I went up to him and just said that he was a good fighter. One of the articles I'm researching is the NYC top 10 P4P, and in it I'm listing him as number 1. He's a really good fighter, I picked him to beat Hatton and still think he won. Collazo is some kind of tough.