Could Roy Jones Jr have beaten Lennox Lewis at heavyweight in 2003?

The fight was rumoured, reports were that both Lewis and Jones wanted it and were going to split a massive pot of up to $100 mill. This is right after Jones beat Ruiz for the WBA title in March of '03.
Would you have bought the fight on ppv? Who would've won it in your view if it had taken place that year, BEFORE Lewis took the Vitali fight?

 

No.

 

Highly DOUBTFUL...

@ Best,Roy Would've Fought Lennox like Floyd Fought DeLa & HOPED for a Decision...

But Roy COULDN'T have Taken ANY Flush Shots from Lennox...Roy COULDN'T Even Afford to Let Lennox's JAB Land...

REED

 

Even if LL came to fight out of shape Roy wouldn't have had a chance.

 

not sure, lewis looked like garbage against klitschko and definitely showed his age.

lewis wasn't fast enough to catch roy from the distance, but his headlock & hit combo would've stretched jones for sure.

 

Not to change the subject but I take it you weren't impressed at all with Floyd's performance against DLH, Reed?

 

Nope,Not @ All...

Floyd Clearly WON,but he Wasn't the Least Bit Impressive...


REED

 

Hell no, Roy would have got KO'd for sure.

 

That's kinda what I was thinking. If Lewis was as slow, lethargic and sloppy against the Jones who was blazing, fluid and quick against Ruiz, could Roy managed to have taken a cautious approach and won a decision?

 

No

 

maybe but not likely. i would've picked lewis.

 

I think Floyd is sh*t and DLH in his younger day woulda taken him. Not this shot 35 year inactive DLH with no jab.

 

Floyd is far from shit but I agree a younger De La Hoya would have beaten him.

 

..and to think Roy was irrelevant just 48 hours ago. F*** Don King. ::

 

I don't think Roy could've won even in a "best case scenario" Like REED said, Roy would've have been rocked even if LL's JAB landed. Lewis could walk through anything Roy had to offer. It wouldn't have been pretty.

 

Roy is a super fast cat at heavyweight. How do you think Lewis would've dealt with this kind of speed if Lewis was in his sloppy, unfocused, lethargic state? Check out Ruiz/Jones round 1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXweeQC4H24

 

i think Ruiz would've beaten that ill-prepared version of lewis who showed up against vitali.

 

Ruiz had a pretty strong chin, why couldn't Ruiz walk through everything Roy threw?

 

1. his strategy was terrible
2. roy was landing some flush shots. i'm sure they hurt.

 

Joony just said it ::

Ruiz had the worst strategy since Tua fighting Lewis.:doh:

 

I know if i was up against a smaller guy who was quicker, more agile and faster on his feet, my aim would be to outbox him. :laughing:

 

Ruiz only ever had 1 strategy his entire career. Besides, those quick flush shots to the body or head surely can hurt any unsuspecting fighter. Even Ike Ibeabuchi claimed Chris Byrd's body taps were pretty painful.

 

dsimon writes:

:eeeek: !? You are stretching your point well past the point of hyperbole. First at the pace Ruiz fights Lewis' condition would hardly have been a factor as he stretched Jawny the length of the canvas.

Second Lewis was starting to hit Vitali in that fight... something a lot of Lewis haters overlook.

There is no rational way Jones could be in the ring with Lewis. The first good shot he landed Jones would have looked like he did against the feather fisted Glenco Johnson. They would have had to roll Jone's eyes back in his head and have him bite down on some object as he went into seizures. And Lewis knew that which is why he had no interest in fighting Jones.

Lewis would have hurt both Ruiz and Jones in the ring. he hurt Klitschko in the ring when he was not even in good shape.

 

Agreed!

 

i actually picked vitali to beat lewis based on these factors:

1. lewis was supposed to fight kirk johnson. he did not properly train heading in.
2. vitali trained hard because he was there to make a statement on the undercard. also, he's a pretty good fighter imo.

ruiz has shown to be a spoiler and despite having a questionable chin, his grab and hold tactic was effective against the guys who were bigger than him. he also had a sneaky right hand and preserved his energy for the later rounds.

it's not out of the realm that he would've beaten lewis that night. lewis looked hardly unbeatable and who knows what would've happened if vitali was allowed to continue.

who has a better resume, vitali or ruiz? vitali might have been the more talented and harder punching guy, but ruiz's stinky style was just as effective as vitali's awkward style, but the difference being, ruiz fought much better competition and was the more proven guy against top level opposition.

i dont think it's a far stretch to say that he could've won.

 

No.

 

No. Which is why it never happened. And why RJJ's visit to the heavy-weight division was a farce and RJJ's career in micro-cosm.

 

dsimon writes:

1. Yes. Without a doubt Lewis training for Johnson was a big factor in this fight. Lord only knows why he chose to take this fight under the circumstances.

2. Vitali did prepare for thsi fight

3. yes Ruiz fought good comp but Lewis was a lot better than the rest of the division.

4. Yeah Ruiz fought better comp than Vitali but he was not a better fighter. And yeah Ruiz had a way of staying with guys who one thought should destroy him. Probably the best guy he fought was Tua who beat him if I remember correctly? ( I forgot) But comp fought is only one measure of a fighter's ability. Best example of that point is when Hatton fought Zoo and everyoine was convinced that the level of comp fought would be such that Hatton was in over his head. This principle does not always apply.

 

No.

Way too small.

 

Interesting...Jones career is defined by winning a heavyweight championship which hadn't been done in 106 years while Oscar's is defined by losing every big fight he's been in...

hmmm...