This fight may lend credence to the argument that jones was not too far off his prime when he was ko'd by tarver and johnson. i think the most credible explanation for his sudden downfall was that he always had a glass jaw, but he was either able to knock out lesser opponents before they challenged him or his tremendous speed prevented him from getting hit in any meaningful manner.

just a split second loss in reaction time resulted in his glass jaw being exposed. and unlike other great offensive champions with this tragic flaw (hearns and norris) he was not blessed (or cursed) with great competition. i think jones always knew this, and this helps explain his relatively conservative approach against his toughest opponents (hopkins and tooney).