Historically....who should´ve: gone up, gone down or stayed at their ´optimal´ weight? Post examples of success, failure and hyopthetical ´shoulda/coulda/woulda´s....
Roy should have never went back to 175. He was never going to beat Lennox but he could have handled Tyrd and won another belt.
Rjj's win over Ruiz was hardly evidence he could've beaten Byrd. I do not view undefeatedness in the same high regard. If a fighter wants to move up or down to make money or challenge himself, it is the right decision.
I think De la Hoya moving up to 160 was a mistake - not a huge one because at that time he'd done all his work 135-154
David Haye to 220-215 and Heavyweight was a pure cash-grab. Naseem Hamed at 130 would've been interesting - a 4lb increase given his power. Roberto Durán prob should've stopped at 154lb What about guys moving down?
Explain how Duran's career would have been enhanced by taking away his win over Barkley and his famously effective performance against Hagler.
Because those fights at 160 vs Barkley and Durán weren't necessary to cement what was already a stellar career, hence hy I said 'prob' should've stopped at 154. His record at that time was 81-4 which 'dropped' to 109-16 following his move to 160 and 168.
Word. I'd have picked Byrd actually. Ruiz was the perfect fight for Roy to retire on. Had he done so he'd be the co-GOAT with Robinson
Byrd Would've Been a Tough Test, Undoubtedly... What Fucked EVERYTHING Up was Evander Holyfield Choosing to Face James Toney, Last Fucking Minute, Instead of Roy...Toney STOPPED Holy and Roy Would've Also, or Embarrassed Him Over 12 1-Sided Rounds, @ the Very Least... By the Time Holy Chose Toney, Roy Still Had a Fight to Fulfill w/HBO, for that Calendar Year...All the While, Roy had MAINTAINED his Weight/Physique from the Ruiz Fight...So on 6 Weeks Notice, he CUT 25 Pounds of Muscle and Edged Out a Close Decision Over Tarver... The Rest is (Unfortunate) History... Like You Said, Roy was RIGHT THERE, a Stone's Throw from GOAT Status...An Impressive Win Over Holy Would've SEALED It, in REED's Opinion, but that 1 Strange TWIST of Fate Fucked Everything Up... REED Isn't Sure if Even Humpty Dumpty Had SUCH a Fall... REED
Seemed like a CLEAR Cash-Out Fight for Brook Too, in REED's Opinion... No Fucking Way Did Him or His Team REALLY Think he was Going to Move Up 2 Weight Classes and BEAT a Guy like Triple G... REED
Yeah, thats true, but at least Brook went back down and had a shot at Spence....Khan has done fuck-all since and looks less likely to (hence the sad display of attention-seeking with his estranged missus via Twatter)
I've said it before, and will say it again... Roy shoulda fought Lennox. He would have had literally NOTHING to lose, and EVERYTHING to gain. Everybody would have expected Lewis to knock him out, and if Lewis did, Roy's legacy wouldn't have been tarnished in the least bit. But IF by some minor miracle Roy pulled the upset, he would have gone down as a consesus top 3-5 all time great.
You kill me. If Roy Jones, who started off at 154lbs and won titles from 160 through to heavyweight (skipping cruiser) and had a DQ as his only loss and then beats the gigantic Lewis at Heavyweight, he's not consensus top 3-5 all time...he's NUMBER ONE...and by quite some margin. Robinson's accomplishments would look like shit by comparison.
Yes, if Roy would have beaten Lewis, in my book he would have been the GOAT. I still rank him ahead of your boyfriend all time. Despite the fact that the tax evader had better longevity, Roy had a more dominant prime, and beat two fighters who are better than any wins on Floyd's resume.
Roy would have been GOAT in any book....even Bert Sugar's. To your other point, in a Tina Turner voice: "What's Floyd got ta do, got ta do with this?"
Just saying. But yeah, it's a shame that Roy tarnished his legacy. I don't think he tarnished it TOOOOO much though, cause IMO, once a former great is totally shot, his losses shouldn't be held against him. Does anybody care that Willy Wise beat Chavez? Or that Danny Williams beat Tyson?
Losing to a legend like Joppy is no disgrace. The man would still be undefeated to this day had his prime not been cut short due to the ring.