SO why wasn't roy jones jr a bigger p4p star?

[Axum Ezana]

1.he had an exciting fighting style.

2.talked alotta junk/cocky in and outside the ring. personality. called people out for duckin.

3.had ko power and usually got the ko in the big fights.

4.had technical skills to attract hardcore sweet science fans

5.on hbo and promoted by don king.

6.p4p 1 or top 5 and dominating good talent when he faced them at 160. plus moved up and won.

SO why wasn't roy a big time p4p star? or bigger than what he was? was Tyson/Oscar in his way? ill never understand this shyt.

@krackdagawd @Newzz @patscorpio @cmvegeta @HeruDat @mr. smoke weed @LeVraiPapi @Wise D'Angelo @Amare's Right Hook @reservoirdogs @GREENandYELLOW @Liu Kang @Knicksman20 @Yuzo @GreenOva415 @ChocolateGiddyUp @Jello Biafra @LauderdaleBoss @malbaker86 @Skip b @Don Ibiza Ibrahimovic @Iron Chin Wilder

 

[Scottie Drippin]

Fights. Roy just didn't have great fights when he needed them (late 90's/early 00's). North of 160lbs is historically light on US talent, the names in 168 and cruiser especially tend to be European, and those fighters of Roy's time were bigger stars at home than Roy was here, and thus wanted him to go abroad to get fights done. On the domestic end, there just wasn't much. There was potential for a boom period at the end of his prime run with Toney or B-Hop rematches before he went to heavyweight (or even after in Tony's case) but never happened.

Also, Roy's style being exciting...look. We've all seen the highlight packages, but 175 Roy being consistently exciting? I don't know man. I watched those matches live, and I remember a lot of Roy punching once or twice at a time, getting out of there, circling around, and then doing it again.

Del Valle, Grant, Johnson, Telesco, Harding, Hall, Gonzalez, man Roy pretty much had a four year run of dominant but dud events. No one talks about these fights when they talk about his career, but they all damn near happened back to back, and happened after the two Montel Griffin fights that had his buzz at it's highest.

When Roy got to 175 he fought more cautiously, those flurries largely went way, and he stopped getting people out of there.

There was little reason to watch a Roy fight after Griffin and until Ruiz unless you were already fan, and that was a looooooooooong time.

In the fight game, you either fight remarkable opponents, or put on remarkable performances against unremarkable ones. Roy was offering up neither at the apex of his career.

 

[Mr. Leonidas]

1.he had an exciting fighting style.

2.talked alotta junk/cocky in and outside the ring. personality. called people out for duckin.

3.had ko power and usually got the ko in the big fights.

4.had technical skills to attract hardcore sweet science fans

5.on hbo and promoted by don king.

6.p4p 1 or top 5 and dominating good talent when he faced them at 160. plus moved up and won.

SO why wasn't roy a big time p4p star? or bigger than what he was? was Tyson/Oscar in his way? ill never understand this shyt.

@krackdagawd @Newzz @patscorpio @cmvegeta @HeruDat @mr. smoke weed @LeVraiPapi @Wise D'Angelo @Amare's Right Hook @reservoirdogs @GREENandYELLOW @Liu Kang @Knicksman20 @Yuzo @GreenOva415 @ChocolateGiddyUp @Jello Biafra @LauderdaleBoss @malbaker86 @Skip b @Don Ibiza Ibrahimovic @Iron Chin Wilder

I believe one of the main reasons he wasn't bigger was because he never signed with a big promoter. That naturally affected his reach and resources. Yet despite that he was first boxer to sign with Jordan brand and was still universally recognized as the undisputed pound for pound best fighter in the sport for a decade.

 

[mr. smoke weed]

I believe one of the main reasons he wasn't bigger was because he never signed with a big promoter. That naturally affected his reach and resources. Yet despite that he was first boxer to sign with Jordan brand and was still universally recognized as the undisputed pound for pound best fighter in the sport for a decade.

This it is right here.

 

[Newzz]

Fights. Roy just didn't have great fights when he needed them (late 90's/early 00's). North of 160lbs is historically light on US talent, the names in 168 and cruiser especially tend to be European, and those fighters of Roy's time were bigger stars at home than Roy was here, and thus wanted him to go abroad to get fights done. On the domestic end, there just wasn't much. There was potential for a boom period at the end of his prime run with Toney or B-Hop rematches before he went to heavyweight (or even after in Tony's case) but never happened.

Also, Roy's style being exciting...look. We've all seen the highlight packages, but 175 Roy being consistently exciting? I don't know man. I watched those matches live, and I remember a lot of Roy punching once or twice at a time, getting out of there, circling around, and then doing it again.

Del Valle, Grant, Johnson, Telesco, Harding, Hall, Gonzalez, man Roy pretty much had a four year run of dominant but dud events. No one talks about these fights when they talk about his career, but they all damn near happened back to back, and happened after the two Montel Griffin fights that had his buzz at it's highest.

When Roy got to 175 he fought more cautiously, those flurries largely went way, and he stopped getting people out of there.

There was little reason to watch a Roy fight after Griffin and until Ruiz unless you were already fan, and that was a looooooooooong time.

In the fight game, you either fight remarkable opponents, or put on remarkable performances against unremarkable ones. Roy was offering up neither at the apex of his career.

Damn...close thread

 

[malbaker86]

When Roy reached his peak early to mid 2000's, it coincided with him being on the downslide of his career and taking L's which is ironic in itself.

I think he was overshadowed because, just adding on to others in this thread, he had to take a back seat in the mid to late 90's bc of Mike getting outta prison and then going on to fight Holyfield twice in mega fights, then the Holyfield-Lewis fights being the talk of boxing.

Just a diff way of looking at it too. It's almost like Andre Ward in a weird way...great but alwayd having to take a backseat to bigger boxing storylines

 

[Master Teacher]

When Roy reached his peak early to mid 2000's, it coincided with him being on the downslide of his career and taking L's which is ironic in itself.

I think he was overshadowed because, just adding on to others in this thread, he had to take a back seat in the mid to late 90's bc of Mike getting outta prison and then going on to fight Holyfield twice in mega fights, then the Holyfield-Lewis fights being the talk of boxing.

Just a diff way of looking at it too. It's almost like Andre Ward in a weird way...great but alwayd having to take a backseat to bigger boxing storylines

that's no excuse, oscar was a star in the late 90's

Jones didn't have anybody to fight at his height, that was his biggest problem

the euro champions were too scared to fight him and he had zero competition in america

people talk about floyd's comp

but people thought Judah could beat Floyd, people thought Ricky Hatton would beat floyd even baldimir, they said he was too big lmao

people were believing dumb ass shyt like that, but at the same time these guys were better comp than the guys roy were fighting

 

[patscorpio]

When Roy reached his peak early to mid 2000's, it coincided with him being on the downslide of his career and taking L's which is ironic in itself.

I think he was overshadowed because, just adding on to others in this thread, he had to take a back seat in the mid to late 90's bc of Mike getting outta prison and then going on to fight Holyfield twice in mega fights, then the Holyfield-Lewis fights being the talk of boxing.

Just a diff way of looking at it too. It's almost like Andre Ward in a weird way...great but alwayd having to take a backseat to bigger boxing storylines

it wasn't just the Heavyweights though..it was the also the era of Oscar, Tito, and them...the divisions those 2 were in were poppin so they made for great fights and also outshining Roy....as mentioned Roy didn't have any real foil for the majority of his reign at 175 outside of Darius who wasn't leaving Europe for anything and vice versa

 

[Knicksman20]

Pretty much what's been said. Also a lot of the fighters in or around his weight didn't want him. The Euros were content to hold belts hostage & be a big fish in a small ponds. When they were presented with fights they wanted home court advantage which was crazy; especially after what happened to him in Seoul. Also the fights mentioned toward the top were one sided beat downs. That's why they weren't exciting & Larry Merchant & others were too critical of RJ at that time so some have this perception of him that he only fought bums & didn't wanna challenge himself. Some of you forget but just like Floyd a lot of these clowns were waiting for Roy to lose so they could knock him down some notches & that's exactly what happened.

 

[Axum Ezana]

it wasn't just the Heavyweights though..it was the also the era of Oscar, Tito, and them...the divisions those 2 were in were poppin so they made for great fights and also outshining Roy....as mentioned Roy didn't have any real foil for the majority of his reign at 175 outside of Darius who wasn't leaving Europe for anything and vice versa

but I thought yall said 160 best comp was during the 90's? with mclellen/toney/hop/mcallum/Jackson/...etc?

 

[patscorpio]

but I thought yall said 160 best comp was during the 90's? with mclellen/toney/hop/mcallum/Jackson/...etc?

no not the whole 90s...first half of the 90s..sure...not the second half though

 

[Axum Ezana]

Pretty much what's been said. Also a lot of the fighters in or around his weight didn't want him. The Euros were content to hold belts hostage & be a big fish in a small ponds. When they were presented with fights they wanted home court advantage which was crazy; especially after what happened to him in Seoul. Also the fights mentioned toward the top were one sided beat downs. That's why they weren't exciting & Larry Merchant & others were too critical of RJ at that time so some have this perception of him that he only fought bums & didn't wanna challenge himself. Some of you forget but just like Floyd a lot of these clowns were waiting for Roy to lose so they could knock him down some notches & that's exactly what happened.

yep, but if he stay at 160 no one beats him or if he didn't go down in weight after going up.

 

[NormanConnors]

Fights. Roy just didn't have great fights when he needed them (late 90's/early 00's). North of 160lbs is historically light on US talent, the names in 168 and cruiser especially tend to be European, and those fighters of Roy's time were bigger stars at home than Roy was here, and thus wanted him to go abroad to get fights done. On the domestic end, there just wasn't much. There was potential for a boom period at the end of his prime run with Toney or B-Hop rematches before he went to heavyweight (or even after in Tony's case) but never happened.

Also, Roy's style being exciting...look. We've all seen the highlight packages, but 175 Roy being consistently exciting? I don't know man. I watched those matches live, and I remember a lot of Roy punching once or twice at a time, getting out of there, circling around, and then doing it again.

Del Valle, Grant, Johnson, Telesco, Harding, Hall, Gonzalez, man Roy pretty much had a four year run of dominant but dud events. No one talks about these fights when they talk about his career, but they all damn near happened back to back, and happened after the two Montel Griffin fights that had his buzz at it's highest.

When Roy got to 175 he fought more cautiously, those flurries largely went way, and he stopped getting people out of there.

There was little reason to watch a Roy fight after Griffin and until Ruiz unless you were already fan, and that was a looooooooooong time.

In the fight game, you either fight remarkable opponents, or put on remarkable performances against unremarkable ones. Roy was offering up neither at the apex of his career.

 

[LauderdaleBoss]

Real Talk

Roy didn't really have a lot of popular names in his divisions or surrounding them like Tito, Oscar, Holy, Tyson, etc....

Especially when he went to light heavyweight. Most of the cats he fought were decent but had little to no following. It takes 2 names to make big fights.

Oscar and Tito weren't more dominant or skilled than Roy, but there dance partners were more interesting and had bigger names. I mean compare guys like Quartey, Sweet Pea, Vargas, to cats like Clinton Woods, Eric Harding, and Lou DeValle. Its like night and day. Does guys werent bums, but still.

Roy still a top 50 ATG though, but it is what it is.

 

[Knicksman20]

yep, but if he stay at 160 no one beats him or if he didn't go down in weight after going up.

He should've stayed at HW or retired. He had nothing else left to prove. He was gonna fight Holyfield back then at HW but his pops stepped in told him not to after they hadn't spoke in years.