Hey, mr. mark,
Here's my take on Jones moving up with the big boys. First, I'm not sure that his speed will remain as superlative as it is now with the addition of those pounds. Jones fought Hall at about 175; even at 190, he'd be at the bottom of the heavyweight spectrum, in terms of poundage.
Long story short, I think that with a minimal weight gain getting him into full heavyweight territory (200 or so), he'll beat the Norris', the Golotas, maybe even the Rahmans. Yes, Holyfield too. Probably Grant also.
But to beat Tua, Lewis, Tyson, Maskayev, and a few of the other steely-eyed killers up there, he'd have to gain a lot more weight (225 or so), and therein might very well lose that awesome speed. Without gaining the weight, on the other hand, I don't see him taking a body shot from Tyson or having the strength to hurt a guy like Tua, let alone Lewis. Not even to knockout those guys: just the power to dominate through a few well placed stingers to the forehead. I don't think unless he really beefed up, he'd have that power, and then, he'd be just another brawler. To that end, I'll definitely take "established" brawlers over "new to the trade" brawlers, so to speak.
In summary: In my opinion, with a minimal gain in weight, Roy Jones Jr. will surely beat the worst of the heavyweight stable. Probably handily. But to do what it takes to beat the king(s) of the hill, he'll have to change in ways which may undermine his very fortes.
LPS5
P.S. I really don't like the window dressing either. Therein lies another of the things I like about Tyson. No rope-a-dopes, no bump-and-grind, just business. That's one reason why a fighter like Prince Naseem has such trouble getting respect. For all that dancing and strutting, ALL his bouts should be 1st rd KO's. |
