Roy Jones Jr. The ducks he made at supermiddleweight.

[them_apples]

The Calzaghe win was more humiliating imo.

He just toyed w/ him and didn't finish him out of respect. Joe's a sportsman like that.

out of respect? yea but he was mocking Roy the entire time, i'm not sure if he could have finished him.

[BattlingNelson]

During that time period Eubank had also lost two title fights. Double standard isn't it?

You'll have to explain that. I don't see a double standard there?

[-Swizzy-]

Did he offer more than a 90/10 split?

lol, always with this lame excuse. Benn said he was not willing to fight Jones in the States. I don't know what he was offered, but I know for sure that Benn wasn't willing to fight Jones in the US.

[SplitSecond]

Eubank said Roy Jones Jr was the one who was not interested.

calzaghe said if the money was right he was willing to risk it.

i'd be willing to risk it for the crown ***els too!

TALENT in the ring is relatively commonplace but genius, authentic step-back-in-amazement genius, is a rarer commodity. We saw it in the 1960s with the grace and originality of Muhammad Ali, and in the 1970s the snarling ferocity of Roberto Duran cast its own awesome spell. In the 1980s we marvelled at the metronomical precision of Marvin Hagler's work and the blurring speed of Ray Leonard's clusters. The megastar of the 1990s combines the best of those extraordinary performers yet remains virtually unknown to the British sporting public. Take a bow, Roy Jones.

The 26-year-old American, the IBF super-middleweight champion, defends his title on Friday at Madison Square Garden, New York. Boxing's spiritual home is the right platform for the game's most gifted exponent, even if the unfortunate individual occupying the other corner, Merqui Sosa of the Dominican Republic, is likely to prove no more than a mobile punchbag for a champion whose talent so far exceeds his peers' that he is now talking about moving on to heavyweight to fight Mike Tyson.

This is the most individual of sports, and in order to succeed a fighter must be convinced that he can, as John L Sullivan memorably phrased it, "lick any son-of-a-***** in the house". That is why normally cynical boxing people were so impressed when Britain's Nigel Benn, who holds the WBC version of the super-middleweight title, said after a recent victory: "This doesn't make me No1, I'm No2 behind Jones. He's the best." Such compliments are not readily paid, or easily earned.

Nor is Benn the only fellow-pro to admire Jones's ability with unabashed enthusiasm. Richie Woodhall, who holds the European middleweight title and lost to the American in the 1988 Olympic Games semi-final, said: "His biggest asset is his patience. He'll wait and wait until you get so frustrated that you'll come in swinging wildly, wide open - and then he'll dismantle you piece by piece." The endearingly honest Chris Eubank told me once, while he was WBO champion and the subject of Jones arose: "I fight to win, so that's why I won't fight Jones. He can beat me."

The "best pound-for-pound fighter" label first applied to Sugar Ray Robinson nearly 50 years ago sits easily on Jones. He has never doubted he would achieve super-stardom, and told the world after winning his first title, the IBF middleweight championship: "I'm not just going to be a world champion - I'm going to be the best there's ever been."

blatant duck by the two

[Calilloyd]

You'll have to explain that. I don't see a double standard there?

I don't think it's that difficult to understand. You said Lucas didn't qualify to meet Jones because he lost two title fights. Yet you claim Jones should have fought Eubank who ALSO lost two two title fights? See it now?

[TEDetc]

But we do know that Jones didn't fight them and that should be taken into account when one adds up his legacy. The guys he didn't fight.

Why should it?

[Lead Cenobite]

I did a little research on Roy Jones Jr. and the opposition he fought as a SMW.

Jones was in essense fighting in the 168 lb division from 1993 until 1996.

Keys:

RED = Eventually fought them or fought them already
BLUE = Fought them in that year.

The year end rankings of 1992 looked like this:

1: Michael Nunn
2: Iran Barkley
3: Chris Eubank
4: Victor Cordoba
5: Nigel Benn
6: Tim Littles
7: Darrin Van Horn
8: Tony Thornton
9: Frankie Liles
10: Frank Nicotra

He fought Thornton in 1995.

1993:

1: James Toney
2: Michael Nunn
3: Chris Eubank
4: Nigel Benn
5: Tim Littles
6: Darrin Van Horn
7: Frankie Liles
8: Tony Thornton
9: Antoine Byrd
10: Vincenzo Nardiello


1994: Jones enters the list at no. 1 after beating Toney.

1: Roy Jones Jr.
2: Nigel Benn
3: Chris Eubank
4: Frankie Liles
5: Vinny Pazienza
6: Tim Littles
7: Michael Nunn
8: Ray Close
9: Graciano Rocchigiani
10: Antoine Byrd


1995:

1: Roy Jones Jr.
2: Nigel Benn
3: Steve Collins
4: Frankie Liles
5: Tim Littles
6: Vinny Pazienza
7: Bryant Brannon
8: Henry Wharton
9: Michael Nunn
10: Ray Close


1996:

1: Roy Jones Jr.
2: Frankie Liles
3: Steve Collins
4: Vinny Pazienza
5: Robin Reid
6: Henry Wharton
7: Michael Nunn
8: Vincenzo Nardiello
9: Joseph Kiwanuka
10: Thulani Malinga

At the end of 1996 Jones had moved up.

So Jones work after 4 years at 168 lb consist of an excellent win over Toney and not much else:

Toney
Thornton
Pazienza (LOL)
Byrd
Brannon

Jones never fought a top 3 opponent after Toney. He had 6 fights at 168 after beating him. Of those fights he beat an unranked Thornton, a suspected juiced lightweight in Pazienza, a past it Byrd, a never was in Sosa, a young non-threat in Lucas and a veteran of 16 fights in Brannon.


So the deserving fighters Jones didn't fight (or ducked as it's called on NSB) is these guys:

Nunn
Benn
Eubank
Collins
Barkley
Cordoba
Littles
Van Horn
Liles
Nardiello
Close
Rocchigianni
Nicotra


Let's face it. A Nunn or a Benn or a Eubank or a Liles or even a Collins would have been real nice.

(I hope I didn't miss anyone )

Collins? You lost me there. Sorry Collins was trash despite his "ranking"

[Lead Cenobite]

I don't think it's that difficult to understand. You said Lucas didn't qualify to meet Jones because he lost two title fights. Yet you claim Jones should have fought Eubank who ALSO lost two two title fights? See it now?

Oops. Quoted for truth.

[BattlingNelson]

lol, always with this lame excuse. Benn said he was not willing to fight Jones in the States. I don't know what he was offered, but I know for sure that Benn wasn't willing to fight Jones in the US.

That's very possible that he said that, but I'd still like to see it in print.

You might have a point that the overseas fighters might not have wanted Jones to bad since they where making a ton of cash defending at home. However it still leaves several excellent yank names that he really should have fought.

[-Swizzy-]

The Calzaghe win was more humiliating imo.

He just toyed w/ him and didn't finish him out of respect. Joe's a sportsman like that.

lol, like calzaghe gives a ****. he's mocked for his feather fists so finishing his opponents is one of his biggest goals in every fight. don't fool yourself.

watch jones vs lacy and jones vs trinidad, thats a fighter CHOOSING not to finish his opponent. watch what jones does after he knocks trinidad down and after he wobbles Lacy. he completely shuts it down and stops throwing punches.