Sometimes I Wonder Why Did Roy Ever Waste His Time Fighting Fighters Like.....

[IMDAZED]

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"There was a time when Roy Jones did not like the idea of having to face a southpaw and did not want to fight any of them"- Jim Lampley




Its a fact that he avoided Nunn. And when you are writing letters to the sanctioning bodies questioning the attributes of worthy challengers than that is a duck. Sure he could of refused to fight Tarver again, but he would of got stripped by the WBC for not doing so. And when he was interviewed by Merchant he basically said himself that he didnt want to fight Tarver again.

So what he said that, he did it! My goodness, man! You are bugging out! And yeah, writing a sanctioning body to say a fighter isn't deserving can be perceived as a duck....except when you agree to fight the winner immediately of a face-off and DO SO. He can't win with you. Which is fine. I'm not debating this further. Once you started mentioning weights in pockets that pretty much ****** the juice out of me.

[Dan...]

So what he said that, he did it! My goodness, man! You are bugging out! And yeah, writing a sanctioning body to say a fighter isn't deserving can be perceived as a duck....except when you agree to fight the winner immediately of a face-off and DO SO. He can't win with you. Which is fine. I'm not debating this further. Once you started mentioning weights in pockets that pretty much ****** the juice out of me.

Yeah, just another nutso hater. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to listen to criticism of Roy and see merit in plenty of it, but when you have him fabricating weights for certain fights to create excuses for future ones I'm not gonna bother.

[jrosales13]

The only fighter that I feel Roy Truly ducked was Jirov...

I think he fought Woods instead of Jirov

I didn't like the whole WBC Rochiggiani thing...But, that was more on the WBC then it was on Roy...

Anyways, Roy is IMO a top 35-50 ATG...Not too bad for someone who "wasted his time"

[Toney616]

You are bugging out.

Thats kind of funny especially when its coming from you

The offer was made in early 1996.

You claim that HBO made an offer to Benn early 1996. But the truth is that both of us know thats not true because:
1: HBO are not promoters
2: It was Jones responsiblity to make the fights, not HBO
3: you have no evidence to back up your claim in the past your evidence was

I don't recall where you can read it. It was actually mentioned by HBO during one of Jones' bouts and also during an interview with him prior to that same bout (Brannon?). However, I have seen someone post Benn's comments on this, right here on boxingscene. This is where he mentions that he'd be willing to fight Roy for 10mil. Just run a search on Benn's name.

Somebody posted Benn's comments on boxingscene? This is your evidence? The Brannon talk which took place after Benn retired?

Benn vs Jones negotiations part 1:

Benn took the McClellan fight hoping to get a shot at Jones:

As well as the sums on offer, each of them ha the prospect of meeting the unbeaten Roy Jones for more money than they'd ever earned before. McClellan reckoned that the match-up was his: he'd beaten Jones as an amateur, and he was getting better with each fight. Neither boxer was to know that Jones had no intention of risking his reputation against anyone remotely dangerous, that he would pad out his career against a succession of second-rate opponents while somehow convincing his media admirers he was the best pound for pound operator in the business

War, baby page 6

In the past you claimed Jones called out Benn. Thats not true either. Benn-McClellan would of been already set up at that point and Jones thought Benn was going to lose

'But your hardest fiight might still be in America,' I argued, thinking of Don King's most chilling knockout artist, 'against Gerald McClellan.'
'Yeah, McClellan would be interesting. He hits harder than anyone else.'
'You think he'll beat Nigel Benn in London?' I asked in reference to Kings block-busting promotion the following Saturday night which would match the WBC super-middleweight champion, Benn, against the rising middleweight title holder, Mclellan. The winner would be angling for a fight multi-million- dollar unification match with Jones.
'Yeah, I think McClellan beats Benn'

Dark trade p180

After beating McClellan Benn starts to call out Jones. You can hear King in the background promising to get Benn the fight

Jones response

Recognising that independence was the most important thing implanted in Jones by his father, the Levins came in on the strict understanding that no promoter would be given options of future contests. Thus the impasse that exists between Jones and Benn, who is under contract to Frank Warren and Don King. "I'll fight Benn any time," Jones said last year when meeting British boxing writers in Atlantic City shortly before Lennox Lewis defeated Tommy Morrison. "Tell me where he is and I'll go and see him. If Benn wants this fight then he's got to understand that I won't sign away anything to the people who promote him. It's that simple."

Benn

Ian Darke, on Sky, said the obvious and plain name of the best fighter in the world - 'Roy Jones?'
Nigel Benn smiled and lowered his dreadlocked head. The sun rippled on his back at the sound of the most brilliant star. 'Roy Jones..' Benn sighed in delight. 'Roy Jones to me..' He stopped again and considered. 'I dont mind being number two to Roy Jones. I think he's a class act and I'd really like toio fight him. He'll frighten me, Roy Jones, and that's what I need - somebody to really, really frighten me. I'd be up for that fight like a moyther..so pleaSE, gOD, dON kING, fRANK wARREN, hbo, IF YOU CAN GET THAT FIGHT ON i'LL FIGHT HIM IN HIS - NO, IN MY BACKYARD. rOY jONS IS THE ONLY ONE WHO'S GONNA GIVE ME THAT REAL FEAR. hE'S GONNA PUT THE FEAR OF gOD UP ME.'

Dark Trade page 263

Jones

The last remark, it soon turned out, extended to him and Nigel Benn. 'You go tell Don King I'll take that fight any time. Nigel Benn's a great warrior, that's why I want the fight!'
The problem,however, remained that Jones and his adviser, Stanley Levin, were not prepared to give King any options on fights beyond a unification title bout with Benn. King was also determined that a scrap as momentous as Jones-Benn would only be screened on his Showtime payperview network while Roy and Stan were connected to Don's most despised foe - HBO.
A month after he had crushed Thornton, Jones said that he was willing to strike a seperate a seperate deal with Benn which would force King's hand. 'That's what I'd like to do,' he said. 'I hear about Don King offering $25,000,000 for me and Benn. He can come up with $10,00,000 apiece and we can fight' - without offering any long-term control to King.
Me and Benn - enough said. I like Benn and tht's why I want to fight him. It's a sportsman challenge. [But] they cant speak for themselves. They don't have the power. They're denying the public of some great fights..people want to see something which is intriguing to their minds. Something which will look good...I really like the biggest challenge out there. When I fought James Toney, it was a project. Benn is a project because he is a warrior and he will be a tough fight for me. I really believe Benn wants to fight me. I have a lot of faith in him. I respect him.

DARK TRADE 263

[Vadrigar.]

Ok I would have liked to see Roy fight Lennox Lewis after Ruiz. That would be a true legacy defining fight. It's the biggest challenge out of all mentioned in this thread.

[Toney616]

Benn vs Jones negotiations part 2:

Jones

With the Benn bout sealed in politicking, there was no one left for Jones to fight. There was calls instead for him, a super-middleweight, to challenge Mike Tyson at heavyweight. But Roy Jones was no fool in the ring. His dreams lay beyond, in giving up boxinng for proffesional basketball.
'Boxing is not a challenge for me know,' he explained. ' The only challenge is Nigel Benn and he won't return my phone calls. He doesn't want to fight so there's no challenge. There hasn't been a boxer who's played in the NBA - I want to be the first.

Dark trade 264

Benn

DeFreitas had done the talking with King, who claimed he'd get him £6 Million to fight Roy Joones. 'Between you and me,' DeFreitas confided later, 'Nigel wouldn't have a hope in hell against Jones. But I said to Nigel, ''He can have the belt for ****in £6 million. Give it to him. Business is business, Nige.''

War, Baby page 111

Two months before the Benn-Malinga fight

Fritz claims the stalemate is due to the English camp's liaison with Don King.

"King demands options on Roy if he should beat Nigel," explains Greg. "We will never agree to that.

"Fair's fair - we want no piece of Benn. Why can't there be a straight deal with no strings?

"The pounds 3million purse is guaranteed. If Nigel can walk away from it, he's a very rich and lucky man."

Benn :

The American allegations anger Warren. "I haven't received a single call from Jones or his people," he stresses. "How can they say what Nigel, Don or myself want?

"They talk about a meeting without even checking we're available. It's totally unprofessional. They are freezing Jones out of the world picture.

Benn's admiration for Jones is unstinting. "I don't mind being rated second to him," he says. "I have so much respect."

Yet the Dark Destroyer adds with menace: "If the fight happens, Jones will be tested as never before. We'll see if he can take it, as well as dish it out!"

In April 2006, when Jones was mulling whether he would fight again, I asked former HBO Sports president Seth Abraham for his thoughts on this enigma wrapped in a riddle.

“His drive was to do things that were of interest to him, but not necessarily to fight the very best middleweights, super middleweights and light heavyweights who were out there,” Abraham responded. “I think Roy’s legacy in the sport absolutely will suffer because he chose not to do everything he could to make himself as great as he might have been.”

Roy Jones Jr. Chat Transcript (9/6/2010)

8:13 Comment Comment From *****

Hi Roy, hows it going ? There was a lot of talk over here years back about you fighting Nigel Benn how come it never happened ?
8:14 Roy Jones Jr.

I tried to make that fight, but he was going through a divorce at the time...he never called me back.

When did Benn get divorced?

The Mirror (London, England)
The Mirror (London, England)
May 24, 1996 | Copyright
Share

Boxer Nigel Benn has been divorced by his childhood sweetheart for adultery.

So according to Jones the reason the Benn didn't return any of his phone calls in 95 was because Benn got divorced in 96?
I guess that clears everything up

[Toney616]

And? Therefore he could've just dropped the weight easy? Do you know when he began shedding weight? NO.Just stop.

Tarver got down from 215 lbs to 185 lbs in 8 weeks

Glen Johnson was 190 lbs come fight night against Cloud. Had been a lhw for about 5 years and got down to fight at smw, with about 1 month notice

Eubank had outgrown the smw and was competing at lhw when he got the call to drop down to fight Calzaghe at smw. He dropped around 8-10 lbs in 10 days

None of these fighters claim to have destroyed themselves.

Actually the weight was the first thing he mentioned during the interview with Larry right after the first fight ended.

Im talking about his camp for Tarver II

Jones, in turn, had a few thoughts of his own. "Roy is back to being Roy," he said. "My state of mind is fantastic. I'll fight the same fight I fought before, except this time I'll have more energy. Last time, I took a lot of punches, so I know I can take whatever Tarver has to give. He couldn't whup me when I was damn near dead. You think I'm worried about him whupping me healthy? If Antonio Tarver is so tough, let's go twelve rounds toe-to-toe. I love a good fight. It's what God put me here for. Right now, I'm where I want to be. This time, Tarver is gonna understand that he got beat."

As for Team Jones, the word was, "Roy has a lot of pride. He's not fighting this fight to look like he did last time." The surest sign that Jones was feeling himself again was that he played basketball twice in the three days before the fight. "All Tarver has is his left hand," opined Billy Lewis, Jones's longtime friend and sparring partner. "Antonio will be entering The Matrix with just one gun."

After he was ktfo Jones's excuse was that he wasnt motivated to fight Tarver.

After the Johnson loss his excuse was that he didnt train properly

After the Tarver III loss his excuse was somthing about his Dad being there

The destroyed by the weight loss excuse not only was his fourth excuse, Dude didnt start using it until 2 years after the fact. Im so destroyed by the weight loss that it took me 2 years to notice it? lol

Dude's chin never was really tested during his prime. He barely got hit and he never fought a ko artist. As I said before that fact that he got dropped by lou de valle, who isnt a big puncher, should tell you that his chin wasnt exactly rock solid.

[Toney616]

Ok I would have liked to see Roy fight Lennox Lewis after Ruiz. That would be a true legacy defining fight. It's the biggest challenge out of all mentioned in this thread.

Lewis ko win round 3

It never could of happened because after Lewis beat Vitali he was ordered by the WBC to give Vitali an immediate rematch.

The funny thing is Vitali at one point was Jones's mandatory:

06.03 - Vitali Klitschko was in the perfect position on Sunday morning. He's the number one contender for Lennox Lewis' WBC and Roy Jones' WBA Heavyweight titles.

Shockingly, next it was the WBA's turn to defy Vitali Klitschko. Don King, of all people, told *********.com, "The fight (Vitali vs. Jones) is not in the making. He (Vitali) is not the mandatory challenger in the WBA because Klitschko has never paid the sanction fee to the WBA for the elimination bout with Larry Donald (a fight won by KO by Vitali last November). His position with the WBA is tenuous at best. He has totally disrespected the WBA and did not abide by the rules."

I have a question. Since when did Don King speak on behalf of the WBA? Is he the owner of the WBA?

So in a matter of hours, Vitali Klitschko went from being No. 1 top contender in the WBC and WBA to being forced out of title shots by both sanctioning bodies. This has to be one of the all-time worst boxing conspiracies to blatantly screw a fighter that I've ever seen in the sports' history.

//www.ea$tsideboxing.com/boxing-news/scoop0603.php
Change $ to s

Vitali vacated his spot to fight Lewis which meant that Tua came into the picture:

DAVID TUA TO ROY JONES: "PICK ON SOMEONE YOUR OWN SIZE"

11.06 - David Tua wants Roy Jones. Tua 43-3-1 37ko's, the biggest puncher in the Heavyweight division wants to exercise his right as the highest ranked available fighter in the WBA and fight their Champion, Roy Jones.

With Vitali Klitschko confirmed to fight Lennox Lewis for the WBC Championship on June 21, Klitschko gives up his right as the number 1 challenger with the WBA, opening the door for Tua to step up. The WBA mandatory was last fought on July 27 2002 when John Ruiz beat Kirk Johnson.

For Roy Jones, the mandatory defense of his WBA Championship is due on July 27 2003 and we are requesting to the WBA that they open negotiations immediately for Jones to make his mandatory defense against the highest ranked contender, David Tua.

[Steak]

I love it when people back up their claims with quotes and sources, its so refreshing.

Im surprised you went through all the effort, but thanks for doing it.

[Toney616]

Collins, Benn, Eubank, McClellan, Calzaghe, Michalzweski, Ricchigiani and Nunn.

HBO had their eye on Calzaghe hoping that a Jones-Calzaghe fight would happen at some point in the future.
HBO chief, Lou Dibella,

Dibella, who as chief of the network to which Jones is contracted, would have to okay such a deal, said in a telephone conference: "There would be little or no interest in Collins v Jones in America. Collins has not fought in a year and a half and although he was a very good champion there would not be a great deal of interest in him in America at the moment. If he wants to fight someone else before Roy Jones then interest may pick up.
"I would like to see Collins fight Joe Calzaghe, who holds Collins' former super middleweight crown. Calzaghe is an exciting fighter, whom we have earmarked to fight Roy Jones at some stage.

It was after Warren heard that Jones was planning to drop down to smw that he started trying to arrange a Jones-Calzaghe fight. Hence:

Not in chronological order, but the articles are from 2000-2007

Frank Warren:

Calzaghe's promoter Frank Warren said he has had real discussions with Jones' adviser Murad Muhammad, and did not rule out the prospect of Jones - a gifted but tremendously unpredictable character - moving down a weight to meet Calzaghe.

Frank Warren, Calzaghe's promoter, is trying to finalise a deal with Jones' promoter Murad Muhammed and is talking to the WBO to make the fight happen.
"I am close to making the fight happen and when it does we will see who is the best in the world," said Warren.

Warren was working to match Calzaghe against the formidable American Roy Jones - who beat Woodhall in the 1988 Seoul Olympics - but was asking "ridiculous sums of money".

Roy Jones:

"I fired off a fax to Frank Warren (Calzaghe's agent) earlier today asking him when he might be available to sit down and start talking about these matters," Jacobs added.

"Roy and I have been talking about Joe for a while and more importantly we watched his fight this past weekend with Mario Veit," said Jacobs.
"He certainly looked terrific. Joe's a long-standing champion and he deserves all the accolades he's receiving.

"We're anxious to initiate talks about Roy potentially fighting Joe, maybe later in 2001."

Some people have said that Calzaghe was a nobody back then that was true, but so was most of Jones opponents post Toney. That never stopped those fights from happening