If they were the same size, P4P at there very best who wins? Can PBF figure out RJ? Or does RJ prove to be too fast and athletic for PBF to adjust to?
You could even make it in real terms...Jones was a rookie at 154lbs, where Mayweather had a one-fight experiment. All things being equal, though, it's a close call. Jones is more difficult to deal with, & had serious, serious power at his 168lb. peak to match his blitzing speed. Mayweather has shown me he is the better thinker of the two --- less reliant on his own formidable athleticism, & is more capable of making adjustments against fighters. He'd need to be, too. I can see Jones' activity & power carrying the day. I can see success for Mayweather in picking his shots & exerting all his decision-making prowess. In the end, I think Mayweather has a little bit more trouble with Jones' shocking speed than Jones does with Mayweather's superior defense & counter-punching, & Jones snags it, 7-5.
It would have been great to watch how RJ would have fought a great boxer that can adjust like PBF. THat would have been a very interesting fight.
LOL at PBF winning a decison. Zab Judah won 4 rounds against prime PBF and dropped him, imagine what RJJ would do. I will help you out: KO3 It's just a styles matchup. Roy would overwhelm him.
I'll break my usual embargo against p4p match ups since this one is so uniquely interesting. :bears: I think Floyd is smarter, technically better more defensively sound etc. On the other hand there's the speed. The speed, the speed. I see this being a close decision. If it's over 15 I would probably pick Floyd, because I think after 6, 7 rounds he's such an astute adjuster in there he'd have worked out the puzzle, much like green-ass Hopkins had by the late rounds of their first fight. He'd establish the fight at mid to close range, where Roy is less comfortable, start leading at an increased volume and smother Roy's speed a bit. Over 12 I think Roy wins a razor thin decision though, with Floyd finishing stronger. In a rematch give me Floyd by close decision and him to win the trilogy.
I can see your logic, but if the original RJJ/Hopkins fight was 15, Roy wouldn't have taken his foot off of the gas until much later. Hopkins is also a better defensive fighter than PBF.
I don't think Roy took his foot off tbh, I think Hops adjusted. Watch him progressively close the range and lead more, then smother from the 8th onward, rather than cautiously feinting with Roy at range like he started the fight doing. It was a stylistic adjustment and one I don't think Roy has any counter adjustment to. Floyd is every inch the technician and thinker Hops is (ie a much better one than Roy), he'd make the same observations. I think by a mythical 3rd fight he'd be handling Roy, have him under the thumb mentally and winning a clear decision. (I really think Hops would have beaten Roy if they'd both fought in their late 90s/early 00s prime, too)
To me, it was both. Hopkins did adjust greatly as the fight went on (round 8 and later) but Roy did step off somewhat. He also had a hand injury so part of the punch activity or lack thereof could be attributed for that. The only time I saw RJJ flustered a little bit in his prime was the first Griffin fight but he did adjust and was well on his way to stopping Griffin before the Academy award nominated performance by Griffin. Roy's boxing IQ is high and you can tell from his announcing. I believe Roy would have adjusted in later rounds against Hopkins and definitely in a 2nd fight. I think RJJ would have beaten Hopkins twice and there would be no need for a 3rd fight.
In fairness that hardly makes your word final, does it? :: But I agree. However, again, Floyd adapted to the problem and dominated late, which I personally find more meaningfully impressive than if he'd never struggled stylistically in the first place!
Oh yeah, I was definitely impressed with PBF. Especially after was clearly not the faster fighter for once. That was awesome. I really liked how he shut down and beat up Mosley after being nearly KTFO too. In both fights I thought he would go into a defensive shell but he actually stepped up his attack and dominated. Great performances from PBF.
Yup. And to me the first Castillo fight was the most impressive of all, IMO....Castillo was a top drawer lightweight and he wasn't just frustrating him, he was beating the shit out of Floyd in those middle rounds, it was rough. So many talented fighters have crumbled in situations like that, but he really manned up, adapted and pulled out a legit win. Im not a Floyd fan, never have been, never will be but as time goes by I admire him more and more as a fighter. I admire him more as a fighter than Roy, tbh. I don't think Roy turns fights that hard around, I think he loses them. Not necessarily to a guy like Castillo, but if he'd been in an era alongside more really great fighters I think he woulda been broken down and the rapid decline we saw later in his career woulda happened sooner.
First of all, Zab stepped on Floyd's foot and made him off balance so he stumbled and grazed the canvas with his glove. Secondly, even if it was a knockdown, being offbalance and touching the canvas isn't being "dropped", and had no bearing in MM. That'd be like saying Naz had no chin because he was knocked down by Kelly.
It was a legit knockdown, not a trip. You can see their feet in the overhead replay. PBF was off balance but it wasn't due to their feet being tangled. He got hit as he lunged in, that's all. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPe8-JDQ2-g Would the Mosley knockdown and near knockout be a better example for you?
not sure about this p4p matchup, but talent for talent, roy jones was on another level imo. perhaps floyd's more technically sound, but it's not like that shit mattered in jones' prime. he was untouchable and offensively, he was the much more dynamic of the two. i doubt we'll see another mayweather type talent at lightweight and welterweight for quite some time, but i HIGHLY doubt that we'll see a roy jones'esque type fighter at middleweight and above for a long time.
Roy wins a close tactical chess match where he takes the 1st half with his mind boggling speed. Floyd adjustes and starts figuring Roy on the 2nd half but it wouldn't be enough on most of the cards. Roy MD. Floyd takes the rematch. It would be interesting to see if Roy would take a 35-65 or 40-60 split though.
That's why I think Roy would win, his offensive displays are still the best I have ever seen. EVER. A great offense can overcome a great defense. Every fighter will be hit. I can't see Roy being shut out in his prime against ANYONE.
Jones proved he could cope just fine with the shoulder roll defence, Mayweather never proved he could tackle someone as unorthadox as Roy. I've always thought prime Roy was better.
Who on Jones' list of victims had defense on a par with Mayweather? Since I'm sure Toney's name will be mentioned, he was notably weakened entering that fight, & doesn't really work to the same specs Mayweather does. Pound-for-pound, both these gents take a bow to Ricardo Lopez anyway, in my view.
You overrate Finito quite abit but that's OK. He was a master and could def hang with anybody out there.