Most gifted fighter ever?

[Dawgpound_Hank]

I submit Roy Jones Jr. Imagine if you take any other great fighter, and from any weight division, your pick, whether it be Joe Louis, Ali, Tyson, Ray Robinson, Ray Leonard, Hagler, Mayweather, Pac, etc etc. Now, take away their jab. Would they still be great? Certainly not near as great as they are remembered. Roy hardly EVER used his jab. If anything, he used it very rarely and it was just to setup the next punch. He never used it as a weapon. Roy was so friggin' quick, with cat like reflexes, he would easily land a hook, a straight right or uppercut just as easy as other guys land a jab. This is friggin' phenomonal.

I used to hate the guy actually - I never was one who liked all the showboating and trying to humiliate other fighters. Only guy I didn't mind doing that was Ali, prolly bocz he was so damn comical. But just being unbiased, I gotta give it up - Roy was God-like in the ring in his prime. Bad thing is since he relied sooo much on his reflexes, that is one of the first things to go in the fight game, hence he couldn't fight at the same level even in his early 30's, whereas many guys can.

Debate, opinions welcome.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wfGWHlBN0E

[MR. BMJ]

Boxers or MMA fighters?

[Dawgpound_Hank]

I was talking boxing. I shoulda put that in title instead of "fighter".

[Dawgpound_Hank]

He wasn't the same fighter when he started losing, ie, Tarver, Johnson. Like anyone knows in the fight game, reflexes are the first to go. Roy's gift was his cat-like reflexes. From 1993 to 2000 - when he was age 24 to 30 - he couldn't be touched. IMO I don't know any middleweight/super-middleweight from ANY era that would beat him during his prime. He was 34-35 when he lost to Tarver, then Johnson.

I remember when Calzaghe beat the shit out of him. I was one happy mofo being an anti-Roy fan. Roy was a couple months shy of 40 and Joe 36, Idiotically, I tried to reason that Roy was "only" a few years older and that Calzaghe was also not in his prime. But that is sooo not the case. Fighters can reach their prime at different ages. Take a guy who is a puncher and relies solely on power - he can fight a long ass time since power is one of the last things to go. Case in point George Foreman. Calzaghe never relied on great reflexes in his career, but overwhelming opponents with 100+ pitty-pat punches per rd. It was obvious Roy wasn't the same fighter once he hit his early 30's. Even so, he knocked down Joe in the first rd. IMO, if they both had fought in their prime, Roy would've destroyed Calzaghe quick. Same with Hopkins, who based on his skillset, he could fight forever. Roy beat him easily in his prime, but Hopkins beat him later on when they were both 40+ in age.

Anyways I digress. I dig watching some of the old vids of Roy at his best in the early to late 90's. Love him or hate him, the guy was epic in his prime.

[reps]

One of the greatest. If we're talking boxers its gotta be Mayweather. I dont care for his attitude but the guy has a master's degree in the sweet science. He will change his style to win before and during fights. I'm a huge canelo fan and hes in my top picks also and Mayweather fought a fight that canelo couldn't overcome.

[liftsiron]

One of the greatest. If we're talking boxers its gotta be Mayweather. I dont care for his attitude but the guy has a master's degree in the sweet science. He will change his style to win before and during fights. I'm a huge canelo fan and hes in my top picks also and Mayweather fought a fight that canelo couldn't overcome.

I go with Mayweather also.

[MR. BMJ]

Rocky Balboa was the greatest!

[choke]

Easy...
If we're not talking about the four horsemen of the boxing apocalypes: Hearns, Hagler, Leornard, and Duran...

Then... hands down...
Vasyl Anatoliyovych Lomachenko
The dude has it all, unmatched footwork, he knows angles better than anyone, and that front hook that's now sadly so rare... Mayweather who? Mr. Pitty-Pat point champ... :-)
Sorry... coudn't resist. Much respect for Mayweather, but simply prefer the bangers.

[Roughrydr]

Just raw, gifted talent? Mike Tyson. He was a destruction machine until he lost Cus DiAmoto. Then he just began spiraling out of control.

[therealj]

He wasn't the same fighter when he started losing, ie, Tarver, Johnson. Like anyone knows in the fight game, reflexes are the first to go. Roy's gift was his cat-like reflexes. From 1993 to 2000 - when he was age 24 to 30 - he couldn't be touched. IMO I don't know any middleweight/super-middleweight from ANY era that would beat him during his prime. He was 34-35 when he lost to Tarver, then Johnson.

I remember when Calzaghe beat the shit out of him. I was one happy mofo being an anti-Roy fan. Roy was a couple months shy of 40 and Joe 36, Idiotically, I tried to reason that Roy was "only" a few years older and that Calzaghe was also not in his prime. But that is sooo not the case. Fighters can reach their prime at different ages. Take a guy who is a puncher and relies solely on power - he can fight a long ass time since power is one of the last things to go. Case in point George Foreman. Calzaghe never relied on great reflexes in his career, but overwhelming opponents with 100+ pitty-pat punches per rd. It was obvious Roy wasn't the same fighter once he hit his early 30's. Even so, he knocked down Joe in the first rd. IMO, if they both had fought in their prime, Roy would've destroyed Calzaghe quick. Same with Hopkins, who based on his skillset, he could fight forever. Roy beat him easily in his prime, but Hopkins beat him later on when they were both 40+ in age.

Anyways I digress. I dig watching some of the old vids of Roy at his best in the early to late 90's. Love him or hate him, the guy was epic in his prime.

I'm with you and also biased because he's my fav boxer of all time. He was basically undefeated from 1989-2004 (one DQ) middleweight to heavyweight, first former middleweight to win a title at heavyweight in 106 years...absolute legend