Roy Jones winning a HW title.

[VG_Addict]

How significant would you say Roy Jones going up from MW to winning a title at HW is? Sure, it's a good accomplishment, but look at who he beat to get it. He beat Ruiz, a relatively small, feather-fisted HW. He also won the trinket WBA belt, and not the lineal HW championship, like Fitzsimmons and Spinks did against Corbett and Holmes, respectively.

[mikeeod]

I think it was put into proper perspective when a fat, out of shape James Toney did the same thing. It was a decent accomplishment, but the fanboys who point to that as proof of Roy's greatness are kidding themselves. His wins vs Toney and Tarver are more impressive to me. I would have been impressed had he beat Tyson (96 time frame), Evander 97-2000 and any version of Lewis. Those would've been great wins and actually were talked about/entertained during those time periods.

[imp]

I think it was put into proper perspective when a fat, out of shape James Toney did the same thing. It was a decent accomplishment, but the fanboys who point to that as proof of Roy's greatness are kidding themselves. His wins vs Toney and Tarver are more impressive to me. I would have been impressed had he beat Tyson (96 time frame), Evander 97-2000 and any version of Lewis. Those would've been great wins and actually were talked about/entertained during those time periods.

Leave it out.

Be easy on old roy.

Didnt ruiz just beat evander?

FFs.

Put any middleweight in with ruiz at that time to see how they would fair against those feather fisted heavyweight punches.

Roy took a massive risk and put himself in the record books and STILL came down after LOOSING 20-30 lbs of muscle to BEAT tarver.

He tried to make the tyson fight but it never happened and lennox lewis would have pretty much ended his life..possibly?

[Master]

It is a remarkable achievement considering he never fought in the division and it ruined him when he went back down. Jones would never have fought Lewis who was just too big. Tyson and Holyfield would have been interesting. Jones should have stayed up at the weight to even fight Toney. Either way he could not have done any worse than what he did after he moved back down. Better to be knocked out by Tyson that Tarver.

[Beanflicker]

Feather fisted? John Ruiz was not feather fisted. He had 30 KO's in 44 wins.

Smallish heavyweight? I guess compared to guys like Lennox Lewis, but he was 6'2'', 78" reach and ranged between 225-240lbs. So I guess it comes to how you define "smallish heavyweight". George Foreman was 215-220, Mike Tyson was 215-220. If you want to talk about HW's of his time, the top guys of the time were 220-250, so I don't see how Ruiz was a smallish HW. Chris Byrd was a smallish HW.

John Ruiz was a good fighter. People talk like he's shit because he had an ugly/boring style, but he was a tough guy to fight and he beat most of the top guys at the time. Was he a Lennox Lewis-level guy? Not even close, but he wasn't the pushover that people make him out to be.

I think for Roy to come up in weight and fight a guy who weighed 30-40lbs on him is definitely a fine achievement. Did Jones pick the weakest champ of the time? Sure, but you can't completely write it off. Ruiz was the real deal at the time and Jones completely dominated him.

[Beanflicker]

Put it this way, who's the top LHW's today? Bhop, Kovalev, Stevenson... what if it came out tomorrow that one of those guys was moving up to HW to fight a top 5 guy. Not Wlad, but a guy like Fury, Pulev, Stiverne, ect. How many would pick the LHW to win?

[Master]

Put it this way, who's the top LHW's today? Bhop, Kovalev, Stevenson... what if it came out tomorrow that one of those guys was moving up to HW to fight a top 5 guy. Not Wlad, but a guy like Fury, Pulev, Stiverne, ect. How many would pick the LHW to win?

Huck tried and failed.

[powerpuncher]

Feather fisted? John Ruiz was not feather fisted. He had 30 KO's in 44 wins.

Smallish heavyweight? I guess compared to guys like Lennox Lewis, but he was 6'2'', 78" reach and ranged between 225-240lbs. So I guess it comes to how you define "smallish heavyweight". George Foreman was 215-220, Mike Tyson was 215-220. If you want to talk about HW's of his time, the top guys of the time were 220-250, so I don't see how Ruiz was a smallish HW. Chris Byrd was a smallish HW.

John Ruiz was a good fighter. People talk like he's shit because he had an ugly/boring style, but he was a tough guy to fight and he beat most of the top guys at the time. Was he a Lennox Lewis-level guy? Not even close, but he wasn't the pushover that people make him out to be.

I think for Roy to come up in weight and fight a guy who weighed 30-40lbs on him is definitely a fine achievement. Did Jones pick the weakest champ of the time? Sure, but you can't completely write it off. Ruiz was the real deal at the time and Jones completely dominated him.

agree totally with your post. It was a very good win. Ruiz was a legit HW. Jones skipped cruiser and jumped straight to HW. If it were so easy, tons of fighters would have done the same thing. Even some top HWs couldn't beat Ruiz.

[VG_Addict]

What if Roy moved up to CW and fought Juan Carlos Gomez and Jirov?

[Master]

What if Roy moved up to CW and fought Juan Carlos Gomez and Jirov?

That would have helped him come back down in weight and beat Tarver but his legacy is great to have beaten a heavyweight champion holding a belt.

[Beanflicker]

Yeah Jirov would have been good and very beatable for Floyd, and Jirov was undefeated at that time, but being a HW champ has a much better ring to it.

I wonder how a Lennox fight would went. I think Lennox would have killed him in his prime obviously but by 2003 Lennox was 38 and at the end of his career. I wonder if Jones could have stayed conscious and out hustled the older Lennox. And if he had, would that have made him TBE? This was right after Lennox got a ton of mainstream publicity for destroying washed up Tyson.

To John Ruiz's credit, he always had class and always wanted to fight Lennox to be the man in the division, it was Lennox who refused to fight John Ruiz, even when it meant giving up his WBA belt.

[VG_Addict]

Yeah Jirov would have been good and very beatable for Floyd, and Jirov was undefeated at that time, but being a HW champ has a much better ring to it.

I wonder how a Lennox fight would went. I think Lennox would have killed him in his prime obviously but by 2003 Lennox was 38 and at the end of his career. I wonder if Jones could have stayed conscious and out hustled the older Lennox. And if he had, would that have made him TBE? This was right after Lennox got a ton of mainstream publicity for destroying washed up Tyson.

To John Ruiz's credit, he always had class and always wanted to fight Lennox to be the man in the division, it was Lennox who refused to fight John Ruiz, even when it meant giving up his WBA belt.

Lewis would have KO'd Ruiz.

[El Kabong]

RJJ winning the WBA title was a big deal and still is. Was John Ruiz the easiest pick? Sure he was but John Ruiz was also a title holder. Part of me wanted Roy to defend that title a few times vs various competition mainly smaller heavyweights: Holyfield, Byrd, Toney, Tyson, Jirov, etc

Sure Lennox Lewis would have hammered out Byrd (perhaps) and Ruiz but Roy pitched a shut out and for a light heavyweight to do that is special. And I only say Lewis would have (perhaps) hammered Byrd because a few reasons 1) Lennox could be unmotivated for fights he felt the opponent didn't deserve 2) Chirs Byrd had a hell of a chin 3) Chris Byrd was slick and had a tough style.....now that being said I'm 99% certain Lennox would have KO'd him at any point in either of their careers, but Byrd just had a better shot than Ruiz would have had.