[quote]CarltonJ wrote:
General boxing question; how good do people think roy jones jr was?
I’ve heard both hes a top 5 goat, or that he didnt fight some of the top names in 90s.
for instance, I believe max Kellerman rates him top 5 and has mentioned him alongside sugar ray Leonard. Then I hear others say something contrary.
I don’t know much about 90s boxing, nor too many of his opponents. From what I know, I guess maybe he wasn’t the same time as eubank, benn or some of the other super middleweights? Eubank in particular who I believe had his best years very early 90s.
So yea, be interested to see how highly people rate him? He certainly seemed to be lightning fast, and I know we went from 160-heavyweight.[/quote]
Like you, I am a European.
We enjoyed some good times in the 80s & 90s with Middle’s and Supermiddles.
The domestic western European scene was dominated by three names. But a fourth may have been technically the best; Michael Watson.
On merit of their achievements though I would rate them;
Collins, Eubank, Benn, Watson.
Collins and Watson were the two to really take the gamble stateside, where they both fell to great light middle Mike McCallum.
Were it not for his tragic accident, I believe Watson would have been the best of the bunch.
But he still would have fallen behind James Toney and Roy Jones Jr.
Toney was a remarkable fighter in his prime, schooled by Bill Miller his mastery of George Benton’s shoulder roll was just beautiful. One of my favourite fighters ever.
Discipline could have seen him named GOAT at 168lbs.
Roy Jones Jr was robbbed of an Olympic Gold medal in Korea.
He was a phenom. Athletically he may be the most gifted fighter since SRR.
If you remember Jones in his prime; forget the losses he foolishly accumulated and disregard the pantomine fights still occurring, he was an animal that could be mentioned in the same breath as Ray Robinson.