I was in the arena and in a state of disbelief. 10 years ago today. [video=youtube_share;pVVgtLjxXcA]http://youtu.be/pVVgtLjxXcA[/video]
Jones wasn't Jones anymore... Big moment, for sure, but if it wasn't Tarver it was going to be somebody else Roy looked half-dead in the first fight and looked the same in this one It's not revisionism... It was my feeling at the time and it remains my feeling to this day... Dude was never the same after he came back down from Heavyweight I'm getting all that out of the way before anybody gets butthurt... I'm not even going to argue it again... The guy Tarver beat and Johnson beat was a weak, pale imitation of the guy that the Julio Gonzalezes and Clinton Woodses and David Telescos of the world got beaten up by... Plain as day and I hated Jones, so this isn't bias in his favor by any stretch
I remember thinking that Jones didn't look the same in the first fight too. The thing that stood out was that he kept going to punch and then hesitating as if his body wouldn't make the moves as fast as he expected it to and he was having to abort the move as a result
Roy was probably already slightly declining in the Gonzalez/Woods fights. His hands were still lightning fast, but by that point his his footspeed and reflexes were a step slower. I think he peaked against Hall. Meaning, that I think his prime ran from 94-00.
That would make sense in line with his age, number of fights, length of time fighting, etc... I'm inclined to agree (agREED?)
The first match, I watched it with a friend and we thought he looked clammy or something, like he had the flu... there was something listless about him At the time, I figured it was just a one-off, temporary shock from dropping down in weight... I figured he'd look like himself for the rematch but again I noticed that same sort of listless, fragile thing and called my friend up and asked if he thought that too or if I was being overly analytical but he felt the same way... Dude wasn't the fighter he'd once been
At the same time I wouldn't totally discount the fact that Tarver was the best guy he had fought in about 6 years. If he'd been fighting Glen kelly again I don't think we would have noticed.
I agree he looked listless in the first fight, and more frail and weak than usual. Seems like the move back from heavyweight was Jones's undoing.
WORST Day of REED's Boxing Life... REED Literally Felt NAUSEOUS when HBO Slo Mo'ed Roy's Eye's ROLLING, as Tarver's Left Crashed Against his Jaw...It was like Watching a Loved 1 DIE, it Really Was... Joe King & REED Spent MANY Days After the Fact, Consoling Each Other Over Chat... REED::
Ultimately, Roy was a Victim of His OWN Ego... It Wasn't Enough that he Beat Tarver in the 1st Fight, Noooooooooooo...This was ROYfuckingJONES...A CLOSE Win was Almost Considered a LOSS, by his Standards, So the Immediate RE Ensued... The Weight Cut KILLED Roy for Certain...After Beating Ruiz, Roy MAINTAINED his Heavyweight Physique in Hopes of Landing More Bouts There...Roy & Tyson Flirted w/Fighting Each Other, but the Holyfield Fight Seemed All but Certain, Until Holy Elected to Fight James Toney Instead, @ the Last Minute... From There, Roy Decided to Fight Tarver, who had Shit Talked him @ the Ruiz Post-Fight Presser...So in a Span of just Over 6 Weeks, Roy Cut from a CHISELED 199 Pounds to the Lightheavy Max of 175...In his Mid 30's, No Less... EGO... REED::
Roy's style was one that age deteriorates quickly. The weight jump/drop only sped up the process. But seriously, why the hell did it have to be Milk Dud?
Jones might and probab;y was on the way down at this time, but Tarver would have always gave him hell. A tall counterpuncher with a good jab and huge power is pretty much the perfect conter to Jones
The first thing that stood out to me was that Jones was in a legitimately close and competitive fight. Other than Griffin I he'd barely lost a round yet here he was getting tonked on the ropes. The first fight definitely diluted the shock of the second fight IMO, if Tarver had scored a KO2 first time round it probably would have been bigger than Tyson-Douglas.
How would those fights(against Holy or Mike)have gone down brother Reed? What would have been the outcome? And also, does this thread enhance Roy's legacy?
I agree. This has to be taken into consideration regardless of the other factors. Tarver never accomplished anything big outside of beating Roy, but he was better than most of Roy's recent competition. He also had a familiarity with Jones and a style that was more difficult for a counter puncher.
He wasn't. I saw him at the weigh in for the first fight and he barely stood up. I met RJJ after the fight and his voice was hoarse and he was throwing up. It definitely had a negative effect on him.
As Evidenced by Toney-Holyfield, Evander was LESS than a Shell of his Former Self By Then...Roy Beats the Brakes Off of That Version of Holyfield...Toney Stopped Holy & it's Conceivable Roy Would as Well, but Not as Likely...Roy WOULDN'T have Stood in the Pocket as Loooooooooooooong as Toney Dared To... Tyson was Equally Shot by Then, but he Would've Still Been a MAJOR Threat to Roy, Early...If Roy Made it to Round 3, he'd Win a WIDE UD... Your Final Question Goes w/Out Saying, Brother BEP...Of Course this Thread ENHANCES Roy's Legacy...So Does the Cintron Thread, the Gaybox Thread, the MMA Forum, the Training and Fitness Forum and Others... REED:elmo:
Agree Tarver was certainly a step up from his previous few foes BUT I still maintain that the pre-Ruiz Jones tunes him up... Tarver was decent but he wasn't THAT good ... This wasn't Mike Spinks in there
I liked when Hopkins tossed rice and beans at Tito and told him it was last meal and then threw a PR flag on the ground in front of thousands of infuriated Ricans, didn't you Anthony? :scared2:
I think Tarver would still be competitive with the pre-Ruiz Jones, but lose clearly. Now if we're talking about the late 90's Jones? Tarver gets the living shit beaten outta him.
