Roy was, in my opinion, one of the best fighters of his generation, a bonafied ATG, and the most gifted fighter ever (natural talent/athleticism). Like all great fighters, Roy had many spectacular wins and masterful performances. Which fights do you think we're his most impressive (in descending order), and why? My top 5 best/most impressive Roy performances are:
1. James Toney: People say James didn't train properly, and that Roy was a bad style match up for him. While there may be some truth to those thoughts, Roy was absolutely brilliant that night and thoroughly dominated the consensus #2 P4P fighter in the world, pitching a shutout, scoring a knockdown, and making a great fighter look foolish and ineffective. It is also worth noting that Roy requested this fight against an undefeated champion who had just destroyed a solid fighter (Prince Charles Williams) in his previous fight.
2. Antonio Tarver 1: I know many will disagree with this fight being placed this high, but I view this as a special and impressive win for Roy. Already passed his best, coming off the high of winning a heavyweight title, Roy signed to fight his largest threat in the division in Tarver. Antonio was a big man for the weight class, had true one punch power, and elite boxing skills developed during an impressive amateur career that climaxed with a bronze medal in the 1996 olympics (this was a disappointment since Tarver was projected as a gold medal lock). Up until this fight I always questioned Roy's greatness, specifically his ability to win a tough fight (I began doubting his ability to do so). Despite having an off night and fighting a very difficult opponent, Roy bit down hard and won the late rounds, proving his toughness in grinding out the close win.
3. Montell Griffin 2: Spectacular. This fight is the definition of what spectacular is in boxing. Still angry over suffering a controversial disqualification, Roy walked across the ring at the bell and sent Montell flying with a lead left hook. Montell was an undefeated fighter with very tricky defense who was awkward and difficult to beat, let alone look good against. It didn't matter. Roy proceeded to DESTROY his opponent, knocking him down three times with one punch, and stopping Griffin in a spectacular performance.
4. John Ruiz: Many will place this win higher due to the historical implications and how much better Roy looked in the ring vs the bigger man. I can see their point, but Ruiz was limited in my opinion and shouldn't have been in the ring to begin with. That being said, talking pound for pound, Roy completely dominated a MUCH larger champion and put on a great show doing so. If Roy had retired after this fight he likely would be ranked very high (top 5?) on the ATG list.
5. Virgil Hill: Hill was no longer at his best, but he was still a champion and difficult to look good against. Roy ended the fight with one of the most brutal body shots EVER, cracking Hill's ribs AND vertebrae in the process. Brutal...
Honorable mention: Hop, who is better than anyone that list, but was, in my opinion, green when Roy beat him for his first title.
