Roy Jones Jr.'s Legacy

[robjr]

BS! Taylor beat Hopkins clearly both times and so did Calzaghe!

yer on somethin..

[blacklodge]

RJJ's backer tend to point out the wasteland at 175 when defending his lack of quality opposition. What about these guys:
Nigel Benn
Chris Eubank
Steve Collins
Michael Nunn (at 168 and 175)
Gerald McClellan
Frank Liles
Julian Jackson
Reggie Johnson (at 160)
John David Jackson

There are others. Not to say that any of these guys would have beat him, not to say that any of these guys were lining up to fight him, but there were a lot of good fighters at both 160 and 168 that Jones just didn't fight. Doesn't matter why. He did this his whole career. ATGs don't pass up these guys and fight Tony friggin' Thorton and Bryant Brannon. You can't be top 30, 40, 50 P4P by fighting 1 great but mentally irregular fighter (Toney) and get retroactive credit for another (Hopkins). He could have been the greatest fighter ever to walk the planet, but you have to prove it, earn it. He didn't. It's not fair to the fighters who did earn it. In that sense, his bad losses to Tarver, Johnson and Calzaghe and the next one to Hopkins won't change a thing. He never was to begin with.