Roy's greatness is his biggest weakness.

Obviously Roy had more potential then anybody the sport has ever seem IMO, P4P in his prime nobody has ever been that fast in every asset(speed, footwork, handspeed) I still believe that handspeed p4p has never been matched. To boot he had great punching power. However for some reason I always thought Roy reached his prime in the LHW division, but after tonight, Eric Harding, and Montel Griffin I am more convinced which most people will concur with that his prime was at 168. When Roy fought Toney, He made his openings, He was trying to potshot James Toney with left hooks in the first round, and was having difficulty landing, even back then the elite fighters could deal with him just pot shotting them, as fast as anyone is, the best fighters will be fast enough to block your punches if you potshot. Watching Roy against James Toney was a guy I still can't see ever being beaten. He was sharp for almost every round except the last 2 or 3. But he kept up his pace, he fought sharp the whole time, and he threw combinations that were hurting James Toney, he went to the body, he went to the head, he countered in ways even Gil Clancy never saw before.

All that being said at LHW He did look great in almost every fight he fought, but 99% of his fights with his speed and power and amazing combinations he had the fight won after 4 rounds, the pace slowed He could settle into doing almost nothing to win every round after that. But at LHW he was so used to hitting his opponent whenever he wanted to that when a good defensive fighter like Eric Harding or Montel Griffin game into the ring with a different look Roy looked stuck in mud. He couldn't get off, whereas in the James Toney fight he was making openings for himself, I feel that at LHW he got so much better then his opposition he waited until he saw openings, and I think that has really hurt him because now we see that if he can't see those openings he won't punch, and now especially that he is so gunshy anybody that throws punches will beat him.

Like many he relied on his natural speed and reflexes to dominate and never learned how to make openings and set people up for follow up barrages. He just took advantage of his innate abilities and when he got old, he really didn't know how to actually outfight anyone.

I think that is the key factor, he had great ring intelligence, and I still feel when he was throwing punches in the middle of the ring he was getting the better of Joe, but he hardly did it. He enjoyed fighting pretty fights, and you can't always fight pretty fights.