Roy at his best we know was 168.. How easy does he make it look against these guys??... vs Ward- I think Roy stops him mid rounds. Not convinced about Ward's chin. vs Dirrell- I think Roy ends this one late. Dirrell would run alot and he'd make Roy miss some but RJ eventually grinds him down with those brutal bodyshots. vs Abraham- Massacre for Roy. The ref would have to stop this one on cuts. vs Kessler- Roy stops him late on cuts in a one sided affair. vs Froch- Blow out.. Froch has nothing to offer Roy and gets iced within 5 rounds. vs Green- Jones blows him out too. Green has a puncher's chance but thats it. Roy would be too quick for him.
I have to admit --- I find the idea of Jones dominating many of the best Light-Heavies in history a pretty far leap in imagination, yet it's a common viewpoint amongst those who grew up watching him. In all, I find Jones somewhat over-rated. However... Given his peak, IMO, was at the much younger, shallower division of Super-Middle, I consider him not merely the best 168lber of all-time, but I do so by some way. No disrespect to Calzaghe --- on achievements, he ranks ahead of Jones at this weight. There's just no beating a prime Jones for any Super-Middle who ever lived to date, & this current crop is at least one full notch below Calzaghe, who would've been Jones' fodder, IMO. I concur with Mr. X --- Jones was a beastly puncher at 168lbs, & not afraid to take chances for a knockout. None hear the final bell.
None of them really. You might say Dirrell, and Ward, but those two are both just Roy knock offs with not a fraction of the talent Jones had. Roy gives the 3 Euro's all one sided ass whuppins, and he destroys Allen Green within a few rounds.
Who would you say is Jones' biggest challenge in Super-Middle history? I would nominate Calzaghe, but Jones would have passing problems with that fight, moreso than be in actual danger of losing.
We don't know for sure how good Ward is but I think he might have a chance of making Jones work. He would not win of course as I think prime Jones was the best fighter ever, but Ward might hang in there and perhaps snap a round or two. Jones' best contenders at 168 historically would be Calzaghe, who would definitely challenge him, and Sven Ottke
Jones destroys the Super Sixers. To answer Ramonzas question, I think Joe could have given Roy a much tougher fight than people think in Roys prime. I can't see anyway he actually pulls out the win, but it wouldn't be easy for Roy
The best p4p. In my opinion Roy Jones at 168 looked more unbeatable than any other fighter, though it must be noted that he didn't have the best competition there
Jones wipes all of the Super-Six out with ease. The 168lb version of Jones Jr was frighteningly good. The division was a lot stronger then (Toney, Benn, Eubanks, McClellan, Watson, etc etc) than it is now yet you couldn't have seriously seen any of those guys stand a chance either. Calzaghe is the only super-middleweight in history who has even the vaguest chance against the 168lb Jones Jr, and even then it really would have been the vaguest chance. Joe would have made Jones work, but he wouldn't win. MTF
I'd give Abrahams an outside punchers chance. He's crude but he's crude in a deceptively measured and intelligent way and him measuring something is not outside the realms of the possible. Though 9/10 he gets white washed.
Dirrell busted AA up, and punished him to the body. 90's Roy beats AA within a inch of his life. Abraham is VERY limited in the face of speed, and skill.
Agreed, but he's also a dangerous sharp shooter & frankly hail mary shots are the only means of victory any of these guys have against a prime Roy. So I think he's got the best chance.....though it's not a remotely good one.
Pretty much. His only hope would be to land some ridiculous H-bomb on Roy but the chances of it are not very good. He never seriously had Dirrell in any real trouble and Jones has twice the talent of Dirrell.
I think its fair commentary on the current state of the sport when this group of fighters is actually deemed deserving of a snazzy nickname
Or we could just give them other nicknames.... the Viking Android, the delusional mummy of Nottingham, the Armenian Turtle, "Billy Goat" Ward, Jesse Dirrell Owens, and "I love my Nike's" Green.
And yet, Jones only fought one of those guys - Toney. Jone's excellent hand-speed meant that he was going to intimidate a lot of opposition, especially less experienced opposition. And that he was going to win fights decisively. But you only need to consider Mosley's run at 147, before running into Forrest, to see the foolishness of attributing invincibility to a fighter who hasn't really proved it.
Roy would have stopped Calzaghe early because Calzaghe is very vulnerable early. RJJ even dropped him at his advanced age. Calzaghe would not have been let off of the hook. He would have been finished in the same round.
