Who "might" be avoiding whom due to stylistic issues...

IMO Kessler would hand RJJ a hefty beating if they fought tomorrow.

HOWEVER...at his 168 prime, before his big pal McClellan got crippled and he lost a bit of his killer edge, RJJ beats Kessler handily enough inside no more than 6 or 7 rounds.

To say that Kessler would have been a 'sparring partner' for RJJ, even a prime Roy, is somewhat far-fetched, though! ::

MTF

 

Agreed with most, although I think Kessler might last longer, and I'm not really sure if Roy lost his killer instinct with the RJ alter-ego after the Benn-McClellan tragedy.

His first three fights after the tragedy were against Antoine Byrd, Vinny Pazienza and Tony Thornton, and he didn't look passive at all there. Then the next year, he fought Merqui Sosa, Eric Lucas, and Bryant Brannon. Barring the Lucas fight, he was pretty offensive, let his hands go, and wasn't passive in those fights either.

 

I remember thinking the same watching those fights you listed, but I read somewhere (and I will try and find it) where RJJ himself said that, after McClellan, he just couldn't let his power go 100% as he had in the past. I recall him saying that he would carry guys for 12, simply because he knew he could do so and win easily, rather than risk f*cking them up.

Not sure how true or otherwise this was- but I distinctly remember reading this and it sort of made sense as I read it...

 

RJJ will lie right through his teeth about anything to make him seem better than he is - that's the thing to know about him. The bottom line is, I'm sure he feels terrible for McClellan but he's still a pro athlete who's willing to do anything he can to win, and to make any excuse he can when he doesn't.

 

:: Know him personally do you?

 

I don't see any reason for him to have lied- at the time he was talking about, he was winning fights by a street anyway, knocking people out still etc.

I only said he lost a bit of his killer instinct. He was still knocking people out and/or winning with relative ease...

MTF

 

dude, have you or have you not heard him blame sub-par performances on not having been challenged enough? do you know what bull-shit that is? the guy thinks he's great even when he's not. he's full of shit. period. i don't need to know him personally to know that. he thinks and always has that he's much better than he is. that's just him.