Roy gave up his career to fight a Heavyweight no one cared about. If he retired then maybe it would have mattered . His decline was the fastest in history for someone of Roys stature. Excellent video
@@Gen965I'm with you. I realize Ruiz wasn't no top heavyweight. even if he had the title. I think he should have fought Ruiz and quit a winner because he only lost one fight before that and that was by disqualification.
“You got any excuses tonight Roy “. That ringed in my head all night I couldn’t sleep. I was just a little kid when that fight happened and I thought Roy was invincible. I Learned very quickly no one is untouchable/invincible.
His career has never been buried, he's probably one of the most celebrated boxes ever. Calzaghe however, that's a buried career, the average boxing fan has probably never heard of him.
Roy got a warning in the first fight, he didn’t look the same obviously, easy in hindsight to say, but he should have walked away after that first fight with Tarver
@@BufordTGleason Roy's pride would not allow him to walk away. Remember Tarver was hounding Roy for a fight. That first fight left unanswered questions. If Roy ko'd or had beaten Tarver convincingly, then maybe he could walk away.
@@gregorybush3224 what I’m saying is that Roy got the answers he needed to know by the first fight that a victory in a rematch would be highly unlikely especially after reviewing the film. If Roy was honest with himself, he would have known that there were openings he was unable to exploit as well as punches he could not avoid as he had so effortlessly in the past. He could have easily said something like this “The Roy Jones in the ring tonight was not the Roy Jones. (Dude loved to refer to himself in the third person LOL) you are used to seeing and the move up and down from Heavyweight has been tougher than I expected and it showed tonight, therefore I would like to announce my retirement effective immediately” there is nothing left for me to prove and time to make way for the next group of great fighters like Antonio, Peace! So yeah I agree his ego was the problem but he could have walked away with an honest evaluation of his performance coupled with his weight change and years in the ring.
Roy should have never come back down from heavyweight. I think that really affected him. The first fight against Tarver was the beginning of the end for my favorite fighter.
I gotta mention this cause he's such a class act. My brother was a sports writer covering boxing I was able to mingle around with my press pass. Old Roy would often hang out around the press room. He was such a gentleman and gracious to everyone. You're the man Roy.
RJJ is the most talented boxer of all time imo, but it was his constantly changing weight that I feel really buried his career. He'd have destroyed Tarver in his prime, but having to put his body through what he did just to make weight, is what ended him. Thanks for the video!
Roys fighting style completely relied on his speed and agility... Once he lost his superhuman speed and agility he went from being untouchable to just another boxer.. but yeah in his prime he is P4P one of the best to ever do it, possibly the best.
I don't know. I think Tarver would have given a prime Jones just as much trouble as he did in the 2,000's. I do think Jones would have still won by a round or two, maybe even 3 or 4, but Tarver would have been the toughest matchup Jones could face in his prime if Jones moved up to LHW in his prime. Keep in mind, they were both the same exact age, so it's not like Tarver was the younger fighter by any stretch. Jones loved that lead left hook, but he couldn't just throw that against a southpaw as gifted and skilled as Tarver without taking the chance of getting countered with Tarvers lead hand.
@@donavonhoward114 a boxers prime or anyones prime in general is not dependent upon age alone because everyone ages differently... one person's prime could be at 20 years old (Mike Tyson) while another persons prime could be 25+ (Lennox Lewis)
I have grown up watching MMA since it's inception,.. I always liked boxing but MMA was 1,still is but I have so much more love for the sweet science. These videos are amazing. They educate me more and more. Cheers from Toronto
I was 22 years old at the time,watching this fight in my house in st .bernard parish Louisiana. Tarver Shocked the hell out of me then & still to this day,shocked the hell of me now. What also stood out to me after this fight is how Tarver went Hollywood instead of focusing on boxing and then Hopkins beat him soundly. I remember Hopkins called Tarver Hollywood in the ring before the fight.
Jones career wasn't buried because of the Tarver fights. Jones had already climbed the highest peak in his sport after winning the HW title. It was the Ruiz fight for the HW title that effectively ended Roy Jones Jr as we knew him because he was never the same after he came back down to LHW.
You’ve got a point, I tend to think after the first Tarver fight would be more realistic. After beating Louise….I mean Ruiz, it would take a clairvoyants talent to see how much he would lose going back down. But after that Tarver fight he knew and should have walked away.
@@BufordTGleason - He was a professional fighter and walking away from the sport and money wasn't an option, win or lose. Roy was a pure fighter that wasn't concerned about his legacy, because he already reached all-time greatness after winning the HW title. There was no other mountain for him to climb after that, so he kept fighting knowing that he wasn't the same type of fighter that took him to highest of heights in his sport. So, winning or losing to Tarver at that point really didn't matter because Roy Jones, Jr was already certified as one of boxing's biggest legends.
Their first fight literally did light up my tv screen! Right before the first bell my tv mysteriously caught on fire, had to hurry and put out the fire but my TV was ruined. Didn’t get to see the fight 😢
Roy ignored the basics when he got ko'd. Bring you fist back to your face after throwing a punch. Throw more than one punch at a time. Get out of the way immediately. After he threw his right hand, he hesitated about throwing his left hook behind it. That split second was all Tarver needed.
Yeah, but Roy did that his whole career and was always able to get away with it because of his reflexes. He did things unconventionally, but because his speed and reflexes were super human he was able to ignore basics. But in this fight he'd gotten a little too past his prime to be able to get away with these things at this point.
@@desmondpowell3205 exactly. If only he stuck to the fundamentals all along. Combined with his speed and reflexes he would not have suffered those k o losses.
@@desmondpowell3205 so, I'm sure you saw his k o losses in Russia? Fighting at cruiserweight, I believe. Got destroyed by a Welshman and a Russian. Beterbiev was the Russian.
All he did was turn into a punch. He literally turned his head into a punch that was coming right toward his face. Crazy thing is that could happen to anyone.
wowwww! Im new to boxing and just watchingn Tarver for the first time. First two fights were excellent. Watching Tarver effortlessly land those punches through the tiny holes in Jones guard was a thing of beauty. Those angles too. Very impressive. No shame in losing to that man
Taver saying Roy always handpicked his opponent was the dumbest statement he could’ve made. Roy jumped weight class to weight class to fight the best in that class! At the time that was unprecedented and still only a couple have pulled it off but not as extreme as Roy with the weight jumps.
True but you can argue that Tarver was way More skillfull and had More tools than that heavyweight Champion, its as if Errol spence had move to 160 to fight a less complete fighter than the Crawford fight
@@optimalpowersimracing6625 you know this was the second fight that mean he had ample amount of time to get acclimated to the weight this was his second fight making the limit he never had a problem making… No More Excuses ❌🚫🛑
Damn! Roy was as entertaining of a boxer as I’ve ever seen and that’s after watching all of the reruns of the greats ranging between either unique tacticians or flat out brawlers and bruisers…Roy just looked incredibly electric wow
and thats why he wasnt no fighter he was trying to play boxing being a athlete and wearing jordans and doing all that goofy shiiii but not fighting u cant play boxing u have to be a fighter and roy couldnt fight and thats why he started getting knocked out by everybody
This fight broke my heart. Jones will always be the reason I fell in love with boxing. Watching him fight his next fight against Johnson and losing showed how spooked his was by this loss.
sorry that u fell in love with boxing because dude was a fraud and frauds break hearts i know u dumped him when he started becoming the poster boy of being knocked out i know u was mad the boy was a fraud fihghting bums and his coousins
I’ll never forget RJJ Tarver 1 in the 9th round. That felt like the most gripping round ever. Not like a hearns Hagler round 1 action or anything but how calculated it was. Every single grimace, every single counter, every single taunt. All a calculated game. One of the best examples of proper “sweet science” just two exhausted men using every single thing they had to influence the scoring. Tarver kicked too early round 9. Shoe shined with over a minute left. Jones baited him and took the final 35 seconds. Without that, Jones is probably handed a draw as Tarver takes momentum for 10-12th.
that was exactly my point. After the 9th, there’s more than 2 rounds but regardless I said had he not adjusted to tarver’s calculation, and took the round back in the final 20 seconds. Roy was slowing at that point and needed to jolt up. They don’t publish official round by round scores back then so I assume your source is Lederman? Fine source by me, I agree with using it. But You don’t know the official scorecard by round no one does let’s establish that. But That momentum swing was crucial. If you thought I said Tarver took the final rounds then you also would have thought I was saying Tarver took a draw. Which obviously didn’t happen. Meaning I was speaking in the hypothetical bc the result of the fight isn’t in doubt. Roy reacted with a late flurry after drawing Tarver in ensuring he left time on the clock. I personally felt he lost that round but I had him winning the rest. To prove my point, lederman gave Tarver round 10 in fact. Again to be clear, had he not adjusted remembering lederman already gave Tarver 10, that momentum gives him 11 and 12. To lay out the maths clearly, that makes it a draw on lederman’s card. 116-112 transferring 2 rounds to Tarver is a perfect 114-114. Does that make sense?
From what I remember this is why RJJ departed from his dad because he wanted to do things his way. What made Roy so spectacular was his speed and dynamics. He never picked up on better defensive techniques as he got older.
this is why i think dads shouldnt be coaches. there's just too many emotions involved when their son gets their ass beat, or when they leave them like Roy did. nothing wrong with what Roy did, but some people may take it as slimy.
Fifteen years of dominance? That's what legends are made of. Not even a bunch of loses. All respect to Roy Jones Jr. for giving such good fights and not just swirling the ring!
@@WestsideCleveland Because he never cared to develop his defense and kept his hands super low. Watch both Tarver fights. Pressure is key against RJJ because he hated fighting on the inside. He loves to have the space to wow the crowd with his hands.
He actually won the first fight against Tarver after coming back down in weight which may have been his greatest moment simply because he had to drop almost 25 pounds of muscle because he didn't have an ounce of fat on him. He outhusled Tarver but the rematch he got caught wuth an incredible overhand left that he nevet seen. Antonio Tarver closed his eyes as he threw the punch.
@@conormayweather5474 He put on over 20 pounds of muscle to weigh 196. He wasn’t fat he looked strong. When you gain muscle and then turn around and have to lose back down to 175 it’s not easy. He still won the first fight which was impressive considering what he had to go through. Second fight he just got caught with a tremendous shot. I mean Tarver closed his eyes and let it go you can see it clear on replay. Hey in Boxing anything is possible.
The first fight was questionable to give Jones the clear W, Tarver stated in an interview that the offer for the 2nd fight was pretty much to take it or leave it. He took it, and Roy's legacy with it smh
Calzaghe vs Tarver would have been an interesting match up. Tarver in this fight with Roy reminded me a bit of Calzaghe in his fight with Jones. Although Calzaghes work rate was far higher than Tarvers, and Jones didn’t look as sharp as he was against Tarver. Tarver might be a bit stronger than Calzaghe although Calzaghes speed, engine and work rate was far superior.
When Jones fought Tarver, the first time, he was cutting down from being absolutely massive against John Ruiz when he won the HW belt. The weight cutting destroyed his career. He should have stayed at HW or cruiserweight to end it. He would’ve obliterated a Hasim Rachman and many others in their round robin tourneys.
@@EO2312. Ooooooo I don’t know about that. That first fight was VERY close and I remember thinking that RJJ was going to suffer his first legit L. Maybe I need to go back and watch but IIRC Tarver was banging on RJJ for several minutes and several rounds before RJJ finally started throwing. I remember in the first and third, but just how tentative Roy was but when he would actually let his hands go, he have a lot of success with the speed. He just kept backing himself up to the corner and letting Tarver pound on him. He took a lot of shots that fight which is why I believe Glenn Johnson was able to starch him so bad. EDIT: RJJ/AT 1: One judge had the bout even at 114-114, but the other two judges had Jones clearly ahead with scores of 117-111 and 116-112. (I’ll rewatch it)
@@MMAGamblingTips It’s because it was competitive. Watch it again. I’ve seen it a number of times and the late great Harold Lederman said it perfect. Antonio Tarver didn’t do a thing in the middle of the ring. Everytime I scored it, I get 116-112 8 rounds to 4.
@@EO2312. ok., i’ll go and watch it. I’ve only watched it twice. I’ve always. Roy was my favorite fighter of all time and I couldn’t stand seeing him lose like that. I believe he stayed in a sport just a bit too long for someone who relied on speed, power, and reflexes over technique. That’s exactly what happened when he ended up losing to Hopkins in the rematch. It was just technique. Look what happened in their primes. I think that Roy would have cleaned up both Joe Calzaghe Antonio Tarver from 1992 to 1997 when he was clowning on B-Hop and James Toney. This is all to say that Roy was so damn great before losing to Antonio that the competitiveness might have swayed me a bit. Roy didn’t just not lose fights, he didn’t lose rounds! Seeing him marked up was weird as well. I’ll rewatch it. 👍🏼
The first fight was a great fight. I remember though that Tarver never could land his jab at all really and I think that left just enough room for Jones Jr to out-hustle him with jolting counters most of the time
Roy Jones Jr didnt desapear from boxing world he is still fighting at age 54 and coaching and he is still reconized as on of the greatest boxer ever lived
Hello to you all from West London, England. I wasn't really a part of the entire Roy Jones Jr. (RJJ) era - I mean, I was around during that time, but I never really followed closely or had someone to encourage me to watch RJJ in action and truly appreciate what an exceptional fighter he was. Over here in the UK, our focus was on Prince Nas, Benn, Eubank, and Collins. It wasn't until the late 2000/early 2001 when someone reminded me to take a closer look at RJJ's fights. Despite the suggestion, I didn't pay much attention and continued to watch whatever was being showcased within my own country. Similarly, just as there were many American boxing fans who weren't fully aware of how skilled Nas, Benn, and Eubank were, there were also numerous UK boxing fans who were in the same boat when it came to recognizing RJJ's prowess.
Well I watched the first fight and Roy won the first fight and the first is what matters. Nobody has to fight a rematch. I mean of course they have to give up the belt if they don't.
Roy spent too much time on the ropes and seemed out of shape after dropping down, but salute to Target he did what he had to do. Wished RJJ would have taken a year off like Ray Leonard after a loss to regroup
Let’s be real if he didn’t change them weight classes he would’ve beat the hell out of Tarver in his prime…. Even they first fight he look sluggish but was still showing quickness. His defense is underrated as well
I gotta ask what made you decide from being a movie/Show channel to a boxing channel? Love the content I was just a bit surprised to see Harry Potter vids on your channel.
Had RJJ retired after the John Ruiz fight, he'd be top 3 all time without question. But Antonio Tarver was running his mouth so much Roy had to fight him. Dropped 25 lbs of muscle to fight a dude he really didn't need to fight. That says a lot about RJJ.
@@CAPS_AMERICAnah at that time Roy would have probably finished Tyson as it was when Roy was still prime not having to cut weight and getting stronger at hw, meanwhile mike was losing himself at that time
@@crushedscouter9522 seriously?! Going from being a middleweight champ to heavyweight champion of the world?! Who else you ever heard do that?! I'll wait..... and I'll be a skeleton by the time you reply!
@@torribrown2480 you're leaving out any context lol. Stop embarrassing yourself. His competition was weak. He cherry picked opponents. There's a reason he ducked tarver for years. He's not in the top 100 when it comes to level of dufficulty
i watched roy get knocked out as a kid.. I cried for all night.. I thought he was superman . invincible.. His lost help me grow up as a kid and understand that we are human and fallible.. so not to be too hard on ourselves
At the very least you can't come down in weight that far. Cruiserweight should have been the lowest he would go and even that he shouldn't have done. Agree with you.
For years Roy was untouchable. One of the best ever. We didn't know Roy had a glass jaw until Tarver finally reached him in their second fight and I say that because Roy got KTFO (on the floor) a couple of times after that.
U sound ridiculous, he never had a glass jaw, he had been hit plenty of times in his prime and never went down like that, when you get older you don’t take punches the same way as you did when you were prime, that’s part of it, and you can’t pull the trigger like you use to either
@stlrockn there's no such thing huh. Interesting... 🤔 So your body and mind can't weaken We have seen plenty of good fighters get old and/or hit a plateau and then start to decrease. It's what the human body does but you got it playa
@@watappp Only because he kept on fighting when he was way past his prime. Every undefeated fighter would start losing if they kept on fighting when they were past it.
Jjr v Tarver There is NO DOUBT dropping down from HWeight depleted him. Absolutely no doubt & it wasn’t any other reason, plus Jjr athleticism & condition was depleting. Naturally athletic & immense speed but into his 30’s he didn’t adapt with this depletion. You cannot stay @that level, Tarver got him best time possible.
Lol it had absolutely nothing to do with him losing. You're embarrassing yourself. The only reason he lost was because he got beaten down by a superior boxer who he ducked for years
@crushedscouter9522 51 No bro you’re missing the real point here. Just because Tarver got to Rjjr @the time doesn’t make him any different than other Rjjr losses. In Rjjr Prime pre HWeight move do you see a Calzaghe beating him? BHop? Johnson?Macrinelli? Lebedev? All of them would have be dusted peppered eaten would never of even got close to Rjjr. Problem Rjjr faced was age/time in his career WHEN the losses happened. He was pure athletic and used his speed/skill but moving to HW and dropping back down with the loss of his natural speed depleted him. Look @his attacks Jjr V Tarver 1 you see him gasping for air the combination speed had gone. When you are that athletic & train for years the body dynamics has to give @somepoint, Jjr had depleted & Tarver got to him 1st. HW move had he retired absolutely most would have hailed Jjr as the best IMO I certainly still do. The move back down LBH here no fighter really does that it’s always a steady climb through the divisions. Jjr got caught when his condition depleted & Tarver happened to be the guy to do it. Middle SMiddle LHeavy jump CWeight n go HWeight ladies n gents give Jjr his props.
There was a fight jones had prior to this one were it was obvious that he just was not there anymore. It seem like he lost his spark or motivation to fight like he use too. He was struggling to beat the opponent that a younger jones would have destroyed.
This was a close fight no matter what Tarver thinks, and it could have gone either way. Lord knows what the judge who scored it 116-111 was thinking??? The fight deserved to be scored either a draw, or a split decision for either man. It really was a coin toss. After this, Roy should have retired from boxing as well. It would have been a great end to a stellar career, and would have pissed Tarver off no end too. 🤣🤣🤣
it’s crazy how people don’t seem to understand this. Even I tend to overlook the fact that coming into the 1st fight with RJJ, Tarver had put 17 people away in 22 fights. And he put Montell Griffin on the canvas twice in their fight even though Griffin made it to the final bell. And Roy took some HUUGGEEE shots from Tarver in that fight and never went down. And this was right AFTER cutting all that muscle. I think his chin was vulnerable by the time the 2nd fight came around. It was one huge clean shot away and to Tarver’s credit, he landed that shot. But Roy’s chin up to that point wasn’t as weak as people claim. It was just time. He’d already cemented his legacy prior to that fight. Still my favorite fighter of all time
Roy's was a young man's style. Low hands, dependence on head movement & foot speed, lunging punches. Zero losses Pre 35 years old (Griffen doesn't count), 9 losses after turning 35... Prime RJJ is arguably the P4P best boxer in history.
It’s interesting, RJ some of his strikes he seems to fall into them, he’s more of an in and out fighter, but Tarver is more powerful, he likes to stand infront of his opponent and do power combinations and do a lot of body shots. I can see how it would be hard for RJ. Respect to both fighters.
Jones was second only to the Great Supermiddleweight British World Champion Joe Calzhagi ..Retired Undefeated after more than 10 years plus World Champion after beating Jones, Hopkins , Lacy ,Mitchell ,Brewer , Kessler, Uebank etc etc etc .Different Class
Roy will always be ny number 1 boxer, the bouts that he lost later in his career. I honestly never counted them, he was in his end years, and wasn't like he were, in his earlier years, he still the greatest and that's what the people remember, before the fall off, we know he was honestly the man
No he didn’t… he went up and down so many weight classes it took a toll on his body… hey kept going up in weight classes because he kept cleaning out all the divisions. He’s the only guy in history to win the heavyweight title from junior middleweight… let that sink in bud
@@hocake8242 ducked Lennox Lewis. Bud. Picked John Ruiz who ruled the weakest. Era. So never beat the real heavyweight champ. Plus he was roided out of his mind. Nandralone dianobol etc etc.
The one thing Jones, Tarver, and Chris Byrd should teach fighters is never go down weight substantially when you get older. Roy lost a lot of muscle weight and that's not unhealthy for the average person, but when you're fighting another top level fighter, weakening yourself is exactly the wrong thing to do. Roy's style was always predicated on instincts and athleticism, the weight loss drains you and your reflexes aren't the same and Roy paid a price for it. I thought Roy won the first fight because he won more rounds but the rounds Tarver won he threw and landed more punches. Tarver's problem in the first fight is there were long stretches of rounds where he threw nothing and Roy landed solid punches here or there to win those rounds. Tarver delivered more damage in the first fight, but they were concentrated over fewer rounds. Second fight, Tarver knocked him out so no discussion to be had. Tarver had to learn the lesson of weight loss in the Hopkins fight. He had gained muscle for the Rocky movie he was in, then had to lose that weight for the Hopkins fight and was lethargic. Again, Tarver weakened himself to fight an elite fighter in Hopkins and Hopkins schooled him and it sucked because I've seen a lot of Tarver fights, he just wasn't himself that fight. Hopkins may have still won but Tarver could have been better. Tarver had to admit the weight loss had an effect on him and later moved up in weight. Chris Byrd was a solid heavyweight contender, could hang with heavyweights, he move back down to light heavyweight later in his career and got absolutely smoked and retired. It's one thing to lose a few pounds but if you're losing around 15-20 pounds, especially weight gained by muscle, your body is significantly weaker. Roy obviously was hurt because his style was not conducive to being successful after his athleticism declined, he never adapted. Combine that with his weight loss, and it was just a matter of time before someone good caught up to him. The fact he won the first Tarver fight seemed to give him false confidence that he would be okay in the second fight when it should have been obvious he was not and needed to adapt. He's my all-time favorite fighter, at his peak he is still to me as good as a boxer could be at a peak, but his own sense of not needing to adapt, ego, cost him later.
Well a lot of people don't realize when to walk away a winner. Remember before he ever fought tarver he also lost to a disqualification. And when he went heavyweight he should have quit winner after he won the title.
RJJ won the first fight legitimately No question.The second fight he didn't have enough lateral movement, became too stationary made for an easy target
The fight didn’t ruin Roy Jones Jr career it was the dramatic weight loss from 201 pounds back down to 174 pounds, it took to much out of him, he lost a lot of power and stamina, he could have beaten Antonio Tarver easily
'You got any Excuses tonight Roy' Damn...
RJJ was already mentally beaten afterwards.
This is my first time seeing this fight. I never thought that fighters asked questions when the referee offers the opportunity. That was strange.
@@Mr.MarcAntonydude shut up
He won the first fight.
Tarver was the one making excuses saying he was robbed.
He wasnt.
He lost.
Hey watch yourself. Don't ask no questions like that. You hear me.
Roy gave up his career to fight a Heavyweight no one cared about. If he retired then maybe it would have mattered . His decline was the fastest in history for someone of Roys stature. Excellent video
I still give him credit for trying a Heavyweight tho. he's alot better than that Garbage Mayweather.💯
@@Gen965stop it. Get that hate out your heart.
@@Gen965I'm with you. I realize Ruiz wasn't no top heavyweight. even if he had the title. I think he should have fought Ruiz and quit a winner because he only lost one fight before that and that was by disqualification.
@@elohthegodwhat punching and run Mayweather.
“You got any excuses tonight Roy “. That ringed in my head all night I couldn’t sleep. I was just a little kid when that fight happened and I thought Roy was invincible. I Learned very quickly no one is untouchable/invincible.
Tarver is the naturally bigger man 6'2" vs 5'11". A good big guy beats a good small guy.
RJJ is one of the best ever. Sometimes, there is someone out there that matches up with you in a way and they just have your number.
Tarver was a nobody. If he hadn't beat Roy Jones that night, someone else would have. Like most boxers,sooner or later you're going to lose.
@@shivahuggins1276You’re pretty dense, eh?
@@sebfox2194 Tyson beat good big guys regularly. Explain...
Roy was what made boxing great in his time.
daaaa
Keep believing that😢
I agree with your sister.
Which was a weak time...
He was on steroids
His career has never been buried, he's probably one of the most celebrated boxes ever. Calzaghe however, that's a buried career, the average boxing fan has probably never heard of him.
He was undefeated
@@LutherMahoney you mean Calzaghe?
This is because Joe's best fights were in the last 4 or 5 years of his career. RJJ was on top for about 10 years straight.
@@LutherMahoneyRight…and nobody talks about him
This is the game of boxing, all it takes is one shot. Much respect to both Jones and Tarver.
Yes indeed.
F*** that. The first fight was typical Don King corrupted judging...
Roy got a warning in the first fight, he didn’t look the same obviously, easy in hindsight to say, but he should have walked away after that first fight with Tarver
@@BufordTGleason Roy's pride would not allow him to walk away. Remember Tarver was hounding Roy for a fight. That first fight left unanswered questions. If Roy ko'd or had beaten Tarver convincingly, then maybe he could walk away.
@@gregorybush3224 what I’m saying is that Roy got the answers he needed to know by the first fight that a victory in a rematch would be highly unlikely especially after reviewing the film. If Roy was honest with himself, he would have known that there were openings he was unable to exploit as well as punches he could not avoid as he had so effortlessly in the past. He could have easily said something like this “The Roy Jones in the ring tonight was not the Roy Jones. (Dude loved to refer to himself in the third person LOL) you are used to seeing and the move up and down from Heavyweight has been tougher than I expected and it showed tonight, therefore I would like to announce my retirement effective immediately” there is nothing left for me to prove and time to make way for the next group of great fighters like Antonio, Peace!
So yeah I agree his ego was the problem but he could have walked away with an honest evaluation of his performance coupled with his weight change and years in the ring.
Roy should have never come back down from heavyweight. I think that really affected him. The first fight against Tarver was the beginning of the end for my favorite fighter.
@jacerivera7907 I can agree with dropping to cruiser, but definitely not going an entire 25lbs back to light heavyweight.
This fight broke my heart Nobody was better than Roy back then
lol!
He still won the first fight.
Target was
My dad use too say the only thing that will beat RJJ. Was. Time
@@ernest1576 and as usual Father's right
I gotta mention this cause he's such a class act. My brother was a sports writer covering boxing I was able to mingle around with my press pass. Old Roy would often hang out around the press room. He was such a gentleman and gracious to everyone. You're the man Roy.
RJJ is the most talented boxer of all time imo, but it was his constantly changing weight that I feel really buried his career. He'd have destroyed Tarver in his prime, but having to put his body through what he did just to make weight, is what ended him. Thanks for the video!
Roys fighting style completely relied on his speed and agility... Once he lost his superhuman speed and agility he went from being untouchable to just another boxer.. but yeah in his prime he is P4P one of the best to ever do it, possibly the best.
I don't know. I think Tarver would have given a prime Jones just as much trouble as he did in the 2,000's. I do think Jones would have still won by a round or two, maybe even 3 or 4, but Tarver would have been the toughest matchup Jones could face in his prime if Jones moved up to LHW in his prime. Keep in mind, they were both the same exact age, so it's not like Tarver was the younger fighter by any stretch. Jones loved that lead left hook, but he couldn't just throw that against a southpaw as gifted and skilled as Tarver without taking the chance of getting countered with Tarvers lead hand.
@@donavonhoward114 a boxers prime or anyones prime in general is not dependent upon age alone because everyone ages differently... one person's prime could be at 20 years old (Mike Tyson) while another persons prime could be 25+ (Lennox Lewis)
I agree..
Definitely NOT the most talented boxer of all.
"interrupting press conference after press conference like he was boxings kool-aid man" lolololol
OOH YEAAAAH!
I have grown up watching MMA since it's inception,.. I always liked boxing but MMA was 1,still is but I have so much more love for the sweet science. These videos are amazing. They educate me more and more. Cheers from Toronto
I was 22 years old at the time,watching this fight in my house in st .bernard parish Louisiana. Tarver Shocked the hell out of me then & still to this day,shocked the hell of me now.
What also stood out to me after this fight is how Tarver went Hollywood instead of focusing on boxing and then Hopkins beat him soundly.
I remember Hopkins called Tarver Hollywood in the ring before the fight.
Great video and MAN!!! What a time to be in that era!!!
Jones career wasn't buried because of the Tarver fights. Jones had already climbed the highest peak in his sport after winning the HW title. It was the Ruiz fight for the HW title that effectively ended Roy Jones Jr as we knew him because he was never the same after he came back down to LHW.
Jones took too much punishment in the legs during the Ruiz fight.
@@MiQuelSimmonsthe legs?
You’ve got a point, I tend to think after the first Tarver fight would be more realistic. After beating Louise….I mean Ruiz, it would take a clairvoyants talent to see how much he would lose going back down. But after that Tarver fight he knew and should have walked away.
@@BufordTGleason - He was a professional fighter and walking away from the sport and money wasn't an option, win or lose. Roy was a pure fighter that wasn't concerned about his legacy, because he already reached all-time greatness after winning the HW title. There was no other mountain for him to climb after that, so he kept fighting knowing that he wasn't the same type of fighter that took him to highest of heights in his sport.
So, winning or losing to Tarver at that point really didn't matter because Roy Jones, Jr was already certified as one of boxing's biggest legends.
Absolutly fantastic episode x
Their first fight literally did light up my tv screen! Right before the first bell my tv mysteriously caught on fire, had to hurry and put out the fire but my TV was ruined. Didn’t get to see the fight 😢
Tarver walked in like he owned the place, then proceeded to own the place...
No one will remember him though
@@marc7983🤦🏾♂️
@@marc7983you don’t have to be salty or butthurt about what happened
@@marc7983he’s one of my favorite boxers so speak for yourself. He dominated Roid Jones
@@marc7983Yeah, "Ya'll must've forgot" 😂😆; 🥊🤕 💤 😴 🤕
🛑 your bloodclot 😢😭
Roy ignored the basics when he got ko'd. Bring you fist back to your face after throwing a punch. Throw more than one punch at a time. Get out of the way immediately. After he threw his right hand, he hesitated about throwing his left hook behind it. That split second was all Tarver needed.
Yeah, but Roy did that his whole career and was always able to get away with it because of his reflexes. He did things unconventionally, but because his speed and reflexes were super human he was able to ignore basics. But in this fight he'd gotten a little too past his prime to be able to get away with these things at this point.
@@desmondpowell3205 exactly. If only he stuck to the fundamentals all along. Combined with his speed and reflexes he would not have suffered those k o losses.
@@desmondpowell3205 so, I'm sure you saw his k o losses in Russia? Fighting at cruiserweight, I believe. Got destroyed by a Welshman and a Russian. Beterbiev was the Russian.
lol, bruh.
@@gregorybush3224no the Russian was Denis Lebedev and the Welshman was Enzo Maccarinelli.
Subscribed....best boxing history I have seen on YT. Keep up the good work.
I remember that first KO, felt like watching my Dad get knocked out, was shocking, almost cried 😂😂😂😂
😂I cried
@@NOirving210 😂 I feel you man that was my hero
How niggas feel about Spence rn😅🥴🤕😭😂
lol
All he did was turn into a punch. He literally turned his head into a punch that was coming right toward his face. Crazy thing is that could happen to anyone.
wowwww! Im new to boxing and just watchingn Tarver for the first time. First two fights were excellent. Watching Tarver effortlessly land those punches through the tiny holes in Jones guard was a thing of beauty. Those angles too. Very impressive. No shame in losing to that man
Taver saying Roy always handpicked his opponent was the dumbest statement he could’ve made. Roy jumped weight class to weight class to fight the best in that class! At the time that was unprecedented and still only a couple have pulled it off but not as extreme as Roy with the weight jumps.
True but you can argue that Tarver was way More skillfull and had More tools than that heavyweight Champion, its as if Errol spence had move to 160 to fight a less complete fighter than the Crawford fight
Find another excuse because that ain’t it! 🫤
@@TarversTakeThat’s some funny stuff Magic Man…You black walnut 😂
& Moving up in the weights he did is far more drastic than going from the 130 to 154 in my opinion.
@@optimalpowersimracing6625 you know this was the second fight that mean he had ample amount of time to get acclimated to the weight this was his second fight making the limit he never had a problem making… No More Excuses ❌🚫🛑
Damn! Roy was as entertaining of a boxer as I’ve ever seen and that’s after watching all of the reruns of the greats ranging between either unique tacticians or flat out brawlers and bruisers…Roy just looked incredibly electric wow
and thats why he wasnt no fighter he was trying to play boxing being a athlete and wearing jordans and doing all that goofy shiiii but not fighting u cant play boxing u have to be a fighter and roy couldnt fight and thats why he started getting knocked out by everybody
This fight broke my heart. Jones will always be the reason I fell in love with boxing. Watching him fight his next fight against Johnson and losing showed how spooked his was by this loss.
sorry that u fell in love with boxing because dude was a fraud and frauds break hearts i know u dumped him when he started becoming the poster boy of being knocked out i know u was mad the boy was a fraud fihghting bums and his coousins
Another banger of a video. As always, amazing job.
I’ll never forget RJJ Tarver 1 in the 9th round. That felt like the most gripping round ever. Not like a hearns Hagler round 1 action or anything but how calculated it was. Every single grimace, every single counter, every single taunt. All a calculated game. One of the best examples of proper “sweet science” just two exhausted men using every single thing they had to influence the scoring. Tarver kicked too early round 9. Shoe shined with over a minute left. Jones baited him and took the final 35 seconds. Without that, Jones is probably handed a draw as Tarver takes momentum for 10-12th.
huh? Roy won the last 2 rounds to take the fight tho.
that was exactly my point. After the 9th, there’s more than 2 rounds but regardless I said had he not adjusted to tarver’s calculation, and took the round back in the final 20 seconds. Roy was slowing at that point and needed to jolt up. They don’t publish official round by round scores back then so I assume your source is Lederman? Fine source by me, I agree with using it. But You don’t know the official scorecard by round no one does let’s establish that. But That momentum swing was crucial.
If you thought I said Tarver took the final rounds then you also would have thought I was saying Tarver took a draw. Which obviously didn’t happen. Meaning I was speaking in the hypothetical bc the result of the fight isn’t in doubt. Roy reacted with a late flurry after drawing Tarver in ensuring he left time on the clock. I personally felt he lost that round but I had him winning the rest. To prove my point, lederman gave Tarver round 10 in fact. Again to be clear, had he not adjusted remembering lederman already gave Tarver 10, that momentum gives him 11 and 12. To lay out the maths clearly, that makes it a draw on lederman’s card. 116-112 transferring 2 rounds to Tarver is a perfect 114-114. Does that make sense?
If you want the best Round 9 in boxing ever you have to watch Ward/Gatti in their first fight.
@@CYMotorsportdo you think it's a better round than Bowe v Holyfield 1, round 10??
@@anthonyanderson9303it was a VERY close fight, and Roy had to dig DEEP.
3:10 Your comment about the Kool-Aid Man is perfect, you got it.
From what I remember this is why RJJ departed from his dad because he wanted to do things his way. What made Roy so spectacular was his speed and dynamics. He never picked up on better defensive techniques as he got older.
he left his dad long before this fight, his dad came back to his corner not long after this fight.
Look at the excuses😂😂😂
@@watappp you’re on crack?
this is why i think dads shouldnt be coaches. there's just too many emotions involved when their son gets their ass beat, or when they leave them like Roy did. nothing wrong with what Roy did, but some people may take it as slimy.
@@watapppEverything with u idiots is an excuse and not a plausible reason..
Fifteen years of dominance? That's what legends are made of. Not even a bunch of loses. All respect to Roy Jones Jr. for giving such good fights and not just swirling the ring!
Joe Calzaghe from Wales taught Roy a boxing lesson. Roy lost ten times...Joe Calzaghe retired undefeated
Joe got Roy when Roy was old. Prime Joe is or was not a match for Prime Roy.@@SimonTimoney-74
15 years of bums he could never fight with that goofy style
As a kid I thought RJJ was the best ever until I studied boxing through the years. His hand speed was greatest attribute and also his crutch.
How is that possible
@@WestsideClevelandnever adapted
@@WestsideCleveland Because he never cared to develop his defense and kept his hands super low. Watch both Tarver fights. Pressure is key against RJJ because he hated fighting on the inside. He loves to have the space to wow the crowd with his hands.
Yep ..also the downfall of Ali. When you have crazy speed and reflexes you dont bother to master the fundamentals.
@@bigtomb1027Ali constantly adapted to his opponents. Bad take
I’m not even old old and i remember watching that fight on ppv , dats when fight parties were great
He actually won the first fight against Tarver after coming back down in weight which may have been his greatest moment simply because he had to drop almost 25 pounds of muscle because he didn't have an ounce of fat on him. He outhusled Tarver but the rematch he got caught wuth an incredible overhand left that he nevet seen. Antonio Tarver closed his eyes as he threw the punch.
Jones was definitely not all muscle against Ruiz lol he was more ripped with less body fat as a light heavyweight
@@conormayweather5474 He put on over 20 pounds of muscle to weigh 196. He wasn’t fat he looked strong. When you gain muscle and then turn around and have to lose back down to 175 it’s not easy. He still won the first fight which was impressive considering what he had to go through. Second fight he just got caught with a tremendous shot. I mean Tarver closed his eyes and let it go you can see it clear on replay. Hey in Boxing anything is possible.
The first fight was questionable to give Jones the clear W, Tarver stated in an interview that the offer for the 2nd fight was pretty much to take it or leave it. He took it, and Roy's legacy with it smh
All the PED's he took to make heavyweight affected his chin when he dropped down again.
@@myhatmygandhi6217 Can you prove he took them ?
Your commentary was exceptional. Great video, new subscriber.
B.A.D.~ Always great content here, but this one tore it up. PRECISE/CONCISE/and in your own calm way, CAPTIVATING commentary. I thank you sir.
Very motivating hearing this, thank you sir!
One of my all-time favorite fights! 🙌🏾
Great show thanku
Loving the consistency. As a Welshman do you plan on doing more with Calzaghe, cant believe how underrated he is!
thank you, I have been considering doing the bhop fight. keep an eye out for that
Calzaghe vs Tarver would have been an interesting match up. Tarver in this fight with Roy reminded me a bit of Calzaghe in his fight with Jones. Although Calzaghes work rate was far higher than Tarvers, and Jones didn’t look as sharp as he was against Tarver.
Tarver might be a bit stronger than Calzaghe although Calzaghes speed, engine and work rate was far superior.
Awesome video man 🥲
When Jones fought Tarver, the first time, he was cutting down from being absolutely massive against John Ruiz when he won the HW belt. The weight cutting destroyed his career. He should have stayed at HW or cruiserweight to end it. He would’ve obliterated a Hasim Rachman and many others in their round robin tourneys.
He still won the first Tarver fight pretty clearly. I agree with everything you said.
@@EO2312. Ooooooo I don’t know about that. That first fight was VERY close and I remember thinking that RJJ was going to suffer his first legit L. Maybe I need to go back and watch but IIRC Tarver was banging on RJJ for several minutes and several rounds before RJJ finally started throwing. I remember in the first and third, but just how tentative Roy was but when he would actually let his hands go, he have a lot of success with the speed. He just kept backing himself up to the corner and letting Tarver pound on him. He took a lot of shots that fight which is why I believe Glenn Johnson was able to starch him so bad.
EDIT: RJJ/AT 1: One judge had the bout even at 114-114, but the other two judges had Jones clearly ahead with scores of 117-111 and 116-112. (I’ll rewatch it)
@@MMAGamblingTips It’s because it was competitive. Watch it again. I’ve seen it a number of times and the late great Harold Lederman said it perfect. Antonio Tarver didn’t do a thing in the middle of the ring. Everytime I scored it, I get 116-112 8 rounds to 4.
And by competitive I mean that no one ever gave Roy a close fight until this night.
@@EO2312. ok., i’ll go and watch it. I’ve only watched it twice. I’ve always. Roy was my favorite fighter of all time and I couldn’t stand seeing him lose like that. I believe he stayed in a sport just a bit too long for someone who relied on speed, power, and reflexes over technique.
That’s exactly what happened when he ended up losing to Hopkins in the rematch. It was just technique. Look what happened in their primes. I think that Roy would have cleaned up both Joe Calzaghe Antonio Tarver from 1992 to 1997 when he was clowning on B-Hop and James Toney.
This is all to say that Roy was so damn great before losing to Antonio that the competitiveness might have swayed me a bit. Roy didn’t just not lose fights, he didn’t lose rounds! Seeing him marked up was weird as well. I’ll rewatch it. 👍🏼
Excellent presentation.
The first fight was a great fight. I remember though that Tarver never could land his jab at all really and I think that left just enough room for Jones Jr to out-hustle him with jolting counters most of the time
They were exhausted respect to both men that was a show full of works
Roy Jones Jr didnt desapear from boxing world he is still fighting at age 54 and coaching and he is still reconized as on of the greatest boxer ever lived
Fr how does that man still fight he gotta stop for his own good 30+ years is crazy
roy a bum with cte
Hello to you all from West London, England.
I wasn't really a part of the entire Roy Jones Jr. (RJJ) era - I mean, I was around during that time, but I never really followed closely or had someone to encourage me to watch RJJ in action and truly appreciate what an exceptional fighter he was.
Over here in the UK, our focus was on Prince Nas, Benn, Eubank, and Collins. It wasn't until the late 2000/early 2001 when someone reminded me to take a closer look at RJJ's fights. Despite the suggestion, I didn't pay much attention and continued to watch whatever was being showcased within my own country.
Similarly, just as there were many American boxing fans who weren't fully aware of how skilled Nas, Benn, and Eubank were, there were also numerous UK boxing fans who were in the same boat when it came to recognizing RJJ's prowess.
Exactly the same for me. I'm from England. I don't think our fighters got the credit they deserved. Joe Calzaghe for example.
Well I watched the first fight and Roy won the first fight and the first is what matters. Nobody has to fight a rematch. I mean of course they have to give up the belt if they don't.
Roy spent too much time on the ropes and seemed out of shape after dropping down, but salute to Target he did what he had to do. Wished RJJ would have taken a year off like Ray Leonard after a loss to regroup
This is literally the only channel I watch on my tv.
I love seeing classic fights talked about
I remember when he got knocked out by Tarver I was 16 years old and it devastated me
Great video, thanks
The greatest of all JOE CALZAGIE, FINISHED LOTS OF GREAT FIGHTERS INCLUDING THE GREAT ROY JONES 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
Lol greatest of all?
@@el34glo59 joe also beat a old ass Hopkins as well.......just bad timing joe
Calzaghe was nothing compared to a prime Rjj
Thanks to Jones and Tarver for giving us fight fans so many great memories, and BRING BACK FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS.
Let’s be real if he didn’t change them weight classes he would’ve beat the hell out of Tarver in his prime…. Even they first fight he look sluggish but was still showing quickness. His defense is underrated as well
Ifs ifs ifs ifs and more ifs.
Your boy lost. Cry.
@@RobotYoshimisIt doesn't matter. Roy was still the better fighter and higher than Tarver on the greatest of all time list.
lol there's a reason roy ducked tarver for years. tarver was just the superior boxer
I gotta ask what made you decide from being a movie/Show channel to a boxing channel? Love the content I was just a bit surprised to see Harry Potter vids on your channel.
Had RJJ retired after the John Ruiz fight, he'd be top 3 all time without question. But Antonio Tarver was running his mouth so much Roy had to fight him. Dropped 25 lbs of muscle to fight a dude he really didn't need to fight. That says a lot about RJJ.
@@CAPS_AMERICAnah at that time Roy would have probably finished Tyson as it was when Roy was still prime not having to cut weight and getting stronger at hw, meanwhile mike was losing himself at that time
@@CAPS_AMERICARoy has been fighting since Tyson’s prime and till the match they had a few years ago. Roy’s been fighting for 30 years I’m pre sure
lol no. he would never be anywhere close to top three.
@@crushedscouter9522 seriously?! Going from being a middleweight champ to heavyweight champion of the world?! Who else you ever heard do that?! I'll wait..... and I'll be a skeleton by the time you reply!
@@torribrown2480 you're leaving out any context lol. Stop embarrassing yourself. His competition was weak. He cherry picked opponents. There's a reason he ducked tarver for years. He's not in the top 100 when it comes to level of dufficulty
Thanks for the video .
Can anyone tell me what the tune in the background of the first fight very faint.
Its too bad that Tarver would go on to bury his legacy with controversies outside the ring...
To God be the glory!7x
i watched roy get knocked out as a kid.. I cried for all night.. I thought he was superman . invincible.. His lost help me grow up as a kid and understand that we are human and fallible.. so not to be too hard on ourselves
RJJ in his prime was just too good in his weight class. The only guy to ever win the heavyweight title starting from Junior Middleweight
People booing at times 🤦♂️ seriously have no idea what it’s like being in a ring Ps great video
Roy Jones Jr Downfall Was Of Him Moving Up In The Heavyweight Division, Once You Go Up You Cannot Come Back Down 💯🎯
At the very least you can't come down in weight that far. Cruiserweight should have been the lowest he would go and even that he shouldn't have done. Agree with you.
Why please elaborate
excellent video....💯
Tarver is a hell of a guy. Had the pleasure of meeting him after he knocked out Mike Shepherd at heavyweight.
Mike sheperd? When mándela effect?
Tarver is trash af 😂
@piedramultiaristas8573 He fought, and knocked out, Shepard on November 26th, 2013 for the interim WBA-NABA Heavyweight title.
@@CatsClaw44 I was ringside. Thought Shepherd was dead. Tarvers punches sounded like he was banging a drum. Guy had serious power as a southpaw.
For years Roy was untouchable. One of the best ever. We didn't know Roy had a glass jaw until Tarver finally reached him in their second fight and I say that because Roy got KTFO (on the floor) a couple of times after that.
U sound ridiculous, he never had a glass jaw, he had been hit plenty of times in his prime and never went down like that, when you get older you don’t take punches the same way as you did when you were prime, that’s part of it, and you can’t pull the trigger like you use to either
Roy didn't have a glass jaw. His punch resistance left. Father time always wins
@@UnbiasedBrim "Punch resistance" is not a thing. That's just another way of saying glass jaw...."He had no punch resistance" lol
@stlrockn there's no such thing huh.
Interesting... 🤔
So your body and mind can't weaken
We have seen plenty of good fighters get old and/or hit a plateau and then start to decrease. It's what the human body does but you got it playa
Jones got caught by Tarvers best punch. No shame in that.
If Rjj had a glass jaw, i think he would have been dropped earlier in career.
one of the best fight's i ever seen. think they both one this one..
Bro Roy Jones was 49-0.... That DQ doesnt count ..Roy could've retired after beating Tarver.
He never beat Traver tho Roy lost that fight
@@Aldine281 he did win. Barely.
Take away the disqualification and he’s 50-0
But he retired with 10 losses.
@@watappp Only because he kept on fighting when he was way past his prime. Every undefeated fighter would start losing if they kept on fighting when they were past it.
Love the videos
Greetings ❤
Tarver had Roy's number since the amateurs he was simply the better man between the 2
Just like The Viper had Sugar's # .
Lol it was fixed fight
@@raymondthomas1574 naw Roy met his match it's all good Roy still the goat
@@adrianswanigan8332 fixed fight like Tyson fight
Alway have been, always will be a Roy Jones fan. He was just awesome to watch, a master of his craft.
Jjr v Tarver
There is NO DOUBT dropping down from HWeight depleted him.
Absolutely no doubt & it wasn’t any other reason, plus Jjr athleticism & condition was depleting.
Naturally athletic & immense speed but into his 30’s he didn’t adapt with this depletion.
You cannot stay @that level, Tarver got him best time possible.
Agree
Bro all u did was list excuses lmao. When ur 30 ur in ur prime still so what are u smoking? U probably wrote all this when u were drunk
And it also happened too quick to.
Lol it had absolutely nothing to do with him losing. You're embarrassing yourself. The only reason he lost was because he got beaten down by a superior boxer who he ducked for years
@crushedscouter9522
51
No bro you’re missing the real point here. Just because Tarver got to Rjjr @the time doesn’t make him any different than other Rjjr losses.
In Rjjr Prime pre HWeight move do you see a Calzaghe beating him? BHop? Johnson?Macrinelli? Lebedev?
All of them would have be dusted peppered eaten would never of even got close to Rjjr.
Problem Rjjr faced was age/time in his career WHEN the losses happened. He was pure athletic and used his speed/skill but moving to HW and dropping back down with the loss of his natural speed depleted him.
Look @his attacks Jjr V Tarver 1 you see him gasping for air the combination speed had gone.
When you are that athletic & train for years the body dynamics has to give @somepoint, Jjr had depleted & Tarver got to him 1st.
HW move had he retired absolutely most would have hailed Jjr as the best IMO I certainly still do.
The move back down LBH here no fighter really does that it’s always a steady climb through the divisions.
Jjr got caught when his condition depleted & Tarver happened to be the guy to do it.
Middle SMiddle LHeavy jump CWeight n go HWeight ladies n gents give Jjr his props.
Tarver is underrated champion
There was a fight jones had prior to this one were it was obvious that he just was not there anymore. It seem like he lost his spark or motivation to fight like he use too. He was struggling to beat the opponent that a younger jones would have destroyed.
I cried that Night I remember 😢😢
This was a close fight no matter what Tarver thinks, and it could have gone either way.
Lord knows what the judge who scored it 116-111 was thinking???
The fight deserved to be scored either a draw, or a split decision for either man.
It really was a coin toss.
After this, Roy should have retired from boxing as well.
It would have been a great end to a stellar career, and would have pissed Tarver off no end too.
🤣🤣🤣
No matter what you think Roy got beat twice
Roy Jones Jr was on a totally different level! Loved watching him do his thing.
In twenty years nobody will know Tarvers name.
those that watched Rocky Balboa might……
I will. Unless I'm dead.
The punches a boxer absorbs over their career are cumulative. Knockouts come easier and easier. RJJ still one of best ever.
Absolutely
it’s crazy how people don’t seem to understand this. Even I tend to overlook the fact that coming into the 1st fight with RJJ, Tarver had put 17 people away in 22 fights. And he put Montell Griffin on the canvas twice in their fight even though Griffin made it to the final bell. And Roy took some HUUGGEEE shots from Tarver in that fight and never went down. And this was right AFTER cutting all that muscle. I think his chin was vulnerable by the time the 2nd fight came around. It was one huge clean shot away and to Tarver’s credit, he landed that shot. But Roy’s chin up to that point wasn’t as weak as people claim. It was just time. He’d already cemented his legacy prior to that fight. Still my favorite fighter of all time
he would have been 50-0 without the DQ.
This was a movie 🎥 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Roy's was a young man's style. Low hands, dependence on head movement & foot speed, lunging punches.
Zero losses Pre 35 years old (Griffen doesn't count), 9 losses after turning 35... Prime RJJ is arguably the P4P best boxer in history.
Yeah he was there to get hit. Overextended and off balance. A shame
Definetly not ur probably a female so we dont accept ur opinions in boxing because u get too emotional for ur daddy.
Antonio Tarver the Magic man. Awesome!
It’s interesting, RJ some of his strikes he seems to fall into them, he’s more of an in and out fighter, but Tarver is more powerful, he likes to stand infront of his opponent and do power combinations and do a lot of body shots. I can see how it would be hard for RJ. Respect to both fighters.
It's from having a wide stance & working from the toes. His athleticism was crazy
Jones was second only to the Great Supermiddleweight British World Champion Joe Calzhagi ..Retired Undefeated after more than 10 years plus World Champion after beating Jones, Hopkins , Lacy ,Mitchell ,Brewer , Kessler, Uebank etc etc etc .Different Class
Never really liked him. But I have some new respect after this great docu. - TY for your efforts, BaD.
What an outrageous decision. ( the first fight) then we all know the rest
Roy will always be ny number 1 boxer, the bouts that he lost later in his career. I honestly never counted them, he was in his end years, and wasn't like he were, in his earlier years, he still the greatest and that's what the people remember, before the fall off, we know he was honestly the man
I ain't gonna lie, they cheated Tarver in that first fight.
Naa he lost
@@jbb4019 they cheated him liar
my guy with the gta 4 and mw3 soundtracks🔥
He always had that glass jaw. We just needed someone to catch him.
No he didn’t… he went up and down so many weight classes it took a toll on his body… hey kept going up in weight classes because he kept cleaning out all the divisions. He’s the only guy in history to win the heavyweight title from junior middleweight… let that sink in bud
@@hocake8242 ducked Lennox Lewis. Bud. Picked John Ruiz who ruled the weakest. Era. So never beat the real heavyweight champ. Plus he was roided out of his mind. Nandralone dianobol etc etc.
@@reuben1jacobsonExactly !
He beat the "Quiet 🤐 Man", man 😅
@@reuben1jacobson WTF R U TALKING ABOUT BUDDY!!??
@@reuben1jacobsonWhy would he fight a 6’5 behemoth like Lewis? Damn right he ducked fighting him. You sound unhinged
🟢Cause he was in the studio, drinking smoking and parties I remember!! Look his song up at the same year 😫
The one thing Jones, Tarver, and Chris Byrd should teach fighters is never go down weight substantially when you get older. Roy lost a lot of muscle weight and that's not unhealthy for the average person, but when you're fighting another top level fighter, weakening yourself is exactly the wrong thing to do. Roy's style was always predicated on instincts and athleticism, the weight loss drains you and your reflexes aren't the same and Roy paid a price for it. I thought Roy won the first fight because he won more rounds but the rounds Tarver won he threw and landed more punches. Tarver's problem in the first fight is there were long stretches of rounds where he threw nothing and Roy landed solid punches here or there to win those rounds. Tarver delivered more damage in the first fight, but they were concentrated over fewer rounds. Second fight, Tarver knocked him out so no discussion to be had.
Tarver had to learn the lesson of weight loss in the Hopkins fight. He had gained muscle for the Rocky movie he was in, then had to lose that weight for the Hopkins fight and was lethargic. Again, Tarver weakened himself to fight an elite fighter in Hopkins and Hopkins schooled him and it sucked because I've seen a lot of Tarver fights, he just wasn't himself that fight. Hopkins may have still won but Tarver could have been better. Tarver had to admit the weight loss had an effect on him and later moved up in weight. Chris Byrd was a solid heavyweight contender, could hang with heavyweights, he move back down to light heavyweight later in his career and got absolutely smoked and retired. It's one thing to lose a few pounds but if you're losing around 15-20 pounds, especially weight gained by muscle, your body is significantly weaker.
Roy obviously was hurt because his style was not conducive to being successful after his athleticism declined, he never adapted. Combine that with his weight loss, and it was just a matter of time before someone good caught up to him. The fact he won the first Tarver fight seemed to give him false confidence that he would be okay in the second fight when it should have been obvious he was not and needed to adapt. He's my all-time favorite fighter, at his peak he is still to me as good as a boxer could be at a peak, but his own sense of not needing to adapt, ego, cost him later.
Well a lot of people don't realize when to walk away a winner. Remember before he ever fought tarver he also lost to a disqualification. And when he went heavyweight he should have quit winner after he won the title.
Don’t care what anyone says Roy Jones is the greatest fighter of all time
RJJ won the first fight legitimately No question.The second fight he didn't have enough lateral movement, became too stationary made for an easy target
One of my favorite boxers of all time!
The fight didn’t ruin Roy Jones Jr career it was the dramatic weight loss from 201 pounds back down to 174 pounds, it took to much out of him, he lost a lot of power and stamina, he could have beaten Antonio Tarver easily
Damn! Tarver even dropped the cameraman. 😂🥊💥🎥
Age is every fighters enemy.
That first fight was awesome
Only the second fight was memorable but great video.
Roy was what made boxing great in his time.. 'You got any Excuses tonight Roy' Damn....
Jones definitely had the quickest straight right ever
Amazing