Originally Posted by Taeth
It's amazing I've been watching my dvd's of him again, and I am always flabbergasted by his abilities. Now a lot of people say that he was man who was unmatched as an athlete, but that he had very little technical skill in the ring. However, this isn't really true at all. While his style was hardly conventional he did all the rules that every great boxer does, he had footwork that equaled anyone's, he didn't square up, when he didn't have his hands up he hid behind his shoulder. Also another thing I noticed because Lampley said that Roy wasn't very effective off the ropes was that Roy was extremely effective off the ropes. Reflexes aside he always seemed to have his hands in the right position when he didn't have time to get out of the way, and he used his body movement on the ropes and his reflexes in a synchronized manner with his arms blocking him that made him almost impossible to hit, but as soon as his opponent missed he would retaliate with a furious flurry of punches that came as a blur, and yet every punch had concusive intent on it, and after that he was very adept at stepping off the ropes when he actually wanted to.
Next is Roy in the middle of the ring, and he was truly superman, I mean I've seen every phonemenal athlete who has become a great boxer, and nobody could do what Roy did in his prime. I was watching a fight with him against Telesco who isn't the next Evander Holyfield, but he was a big tough guy who looked like he outweighed Roy by abount 15 pounds on fight night. WHile almost every other boxer/counter puncher would have backed away or used the jab to keep the distance, what did Roy do? He came forward totally overwhelming Telesco not only with speed, but the savage power he seems to get even while throwing his punches in flight. Also the fight before that against Reggie Johnson who was a fast, very skilled southpaw who had never been down Roy Jones put on a virtuoso performance. In the first round Reggie couldn't get anything done and Roy was analyzing him, then all the sudden while the commentators are stating how impressed they are with Johnson's speed Roy counters Johnson as he is opening to throw a punch, and Johnson goes down from one hell of a right cross. The next round Johnson who fought at 154 was completely overwhelmed by Roy's speed, and then in the third round I saw the best counter I've ever seen... Johnson comes in with a jab and Roy with his inhuman speed comes overtop with a staggering left then a right cross, and then Johnson is one the ground. It was so fast and accurate that you wonder how it is physically possible, but look back Jones could always do things nobody has ever been able to do. Gill Clancy used to say that he only saw Robinson throw combinations like Roy, and that Ali was the only other guy who could get away with leaning back away from a right hand, and Roy could do both these things. Right now I am not comparing him to them, but the fact that he was compared to them and not Leonard makes me believe that they saw something more special in his abilities. IMO he's not only the most athletic fighter since Robinson in terms of his own era, but he also the most skilled fighter in the 90's, and yes I include technical skill along with that because though his technique wasn't conventional it worked and it was his. His punches were flawless in form, though he didn't throw combinations in the same way everyone else before him did, he still threw his combinations to kill. He had a jab when he wanted, he could throw every punch in the book as well as anyone I've ever seen but his best was a left hook that I am surprised isn't regarded more highly. The only thing in my mind that is why he isn't in the top 20 is he didn't fight everyone else out there, or to be more exact they wouldn't fight him, and guys like Benn, Eubanks, Calzaghe, Collins, Hopkins remtach all expected unrealistic demands to fight him, and that makes me feel that deep down they didn't want to test their mettle against him, except Hopkins.
