Roy Jones, where did it all go wrong?

[marbleheadmaui]

Peak Roy could live with Ezzard Charles, Foster and Spinks and that was not his best weight.

Well since 168 didn't exist? We're stuck with things. Foster and Mike Spinks would have annihilated Roy at some point in 12 or 15 rounds. Roy would have won a lot of rounds right up until he was looking up at the lights wondering what the hell happened.

A pre-Sam Baroudi Ezzard would just have kicked his ass

That's if we just dropped a 1997 Roy in. Like I said, had he been taught and tempered the way those guys were? WOW!

[Master]

Peak Roy could live with Ezzard Charles, Foster and Spinks and that was not his best weight.

Well since 168 didn't exist? We're stuck with things. Foster and Mike Spinks would have annihilated Roy at some point in 12 or 15 rounds. Roy would have won a lot of rounds right up until he was looking up at the lights wondering what the hell happened.

A pre-Sam Baroudi Ezzard would just have kicked his ass

That's if we just dropped a 1997 Roy in. Like I said, had he been taught and tempered the way those guys were? WOW!

So you agree he could live with them.

[marbleheadmaui]

Peak Roy could live with Ezzard Charles, Foster and Spinks and that was not his best weight.

Well since 168 didn't exist? We're stuck with things. Foster and Mike Spinks would have annihilated Roy at some point in 12 or 15 rounds. Roy would have won a lot of rounds right up until he was looking up at the lights wondering what the hell happened.

A pre-Sam Baroudi Ezzard would just have kicked his ass

That's if we just dropped a 1997 Roy in. Like I said, had he been taught and tempered the way those guys were? WOW!

So you agree he could live with them.

As long as he took out the trash, did the laundry and once a week paid for dinner!

I think Jones was, after Ray Robinson, the most impressive combination of natural speed and power I've ever seen live or on film. I can only imagine how that would have translated had he been forced to be technically correct as those eras would have required. He may well have been the most incredible fighter anyone has ever seen.

[marbleheadmaui]

Let me clarify one thing in response to the initial post.

Nothing went wrong with Jones career. Two wins over ATG's, a single loss before age 35, over fifty wins, beating ranked guys across five divisions and three of the original divisions, in his heyday the most prominent fighter in the world?

THAT is special! Then at 35 Father Time checked the calendar and said It's time Roy!

I think the right way to think about Jones is that his career effectively ended the night Tarver drilled him. The guys since then just happens to share a name.

[IamInuit]

Damn. Roy Jones could have competed and and could have been great in any era with those natural gifts.
At his peak, it was as if he had a third eye. Like Sanders, Gretzky and Jordan he could see the play developing before it happened. You cant teach that.