Mike Samuels
04.09 - It’s been awhile since this mail bugger has been released. My schedule has been hectic and therefore this week’s issue isn’t edited to the best of my ability (oh well, cry about it!). Boxing hasn’t been all that interesting but things are going to get rockin’ with De La Hoya-Vargas a few weeks away. This week’s issue (and very first volume) contains the frustrations of fans with Roy Jones Jr. It’s almost never-ending. I hope within the few weeks before the mega fight I get more mails concerning the bad blood, and not whether or not Roy Jones is the greatest ever. Read on anyway!
Jones is a great talent who beats up lame mandatories! ! Dude is getting paid good to do that dude doesn’t care about his legacy...
Exactly. That’s what Jones has been doing since early ’97 and something I believe he will continue to do as long as the price is right. A lot of people have used the Gerald McClellan incident as an excuse that Jones has never been the same. I agree, but if he doesn’t want to fight and help make the sport more interesting he should get out and let someone else come in and give to boxing. Whether or not he fights a contender before his time is done he will go down as one of the greatest in the world. There’s no taking that away from him, no matter what kind if dislike/hate you have for him.
I see your point about me calling Hopkins a convict. I didn't say this just because he beat Tito and he won't give him a rematch. I say this because he is still acting as such. Yes he got a second chance and worked at it and turned his life around with boxing. But I still consider him a convict because now he is robbing the public. No rematch with Tito and no fight with Roy Jones. Instead we get Carl Daniels. What the heck is that all about? Fighting Roy would have meant more money in his pocket (as compared to what he made beating Tito) and if would have won this fight, he would have won the respect of many. If he would have rematches Tito and won, he would have silenced Tito's fans and the boxing public. If he had lost there would have been a huge payday for the third rematch. I won't ever pay for a Hopkins bout or a Roy Jones bout unless I as a boxing fan feel like I am getting my moneys worth. I want to see two good fighters/matches instead of one great fighter versus a mandatory bum or one who lacks in skill. How about Hopkins v Joppy? I wouldn't mind that. But a Carl Daniels!!! That was robbery and why I consider him a con. He's jackin the boxing public.
My next beef is Roy Jones. Ok you rule the light heavyweight division, is it too much to ask for you to move up to 190 to fight Jirov? But you'll fight Ruiz at what weight? Screw Mich, let him come over here, after what happened to you in the Olympics I don't blame you one bit. On Hopkins, you were to generous with what you offered and he still said no. You did what you could.
This leaves one last comment, either offer Jirov the same money you offered Hopkins for him to move down in weight or move up in weight to fight him and offer him less. Either way you need to make a big fight soon. Alot of us aren't going to pay for payperview to watch you fight mandatories. So before you end up losing fans and their money, make a fight with one of these katts soon.
David Anthony
Everyone is frustrated with X and his bogus demands. But the guy isn’t a convict. He’s robbing the public, so I suppose you could get away with using it metaphorically. Although I think it’s a slap in the face to use it in the way of a pun because Hopkins has truly turned his life around and is an example to his hometown and the rest of young children that have been in and out of jail.
Hopkins is robbing the public (and I don’t like what he’s doing) but the boxing world robbed him up until the Tito fight. Everyone now knows who Hopkins is, but if you talk to ten people that saw the Tito smashing I bet they wouldn’t be able to tell you who else (out of his middleweight defenses) he has beaten, besides Echols (and that’s a long shot). Hopkins is stubborn and he’s not going to change. So complaining about his ways is useless. I’ve done it until I’m blue in the face and I’m so sick and tired of giving him the attention he wants, that I’m done getting on my knees for him. You should do the same.
You, like the rest of the world, have given your opinion on Roy Jones Jr. It’s a waste of time bro. Roy doesn’t care enough about you, me, the fans, or the sport to fight anyone decent. How in the hell did Woods get the number one contender ranking when he has fought more bums in the ring than I see on the side of the streets? It beats me. Have you seen Jones object to it? Hell no, because he knows that this is just another easy payday. Roy may go out leaving a bad taste in the mouths of everyone, but his wallet will be plenty filled.
To some that’s all that matters. And we damn well know that’s true when it comes to Jones.
What are your thoughts on "Mr. KO" Julian Letterlough? What is next for him?
Thanks for not tripping out on X, Roy Jones Jr or the negative aspects of boxing. It’s refreshing to hear you mention Letterlough. I love the kid. I think he has a tremendous heart (and anyone who didn’t see him versus Gonzalez needs to be slapped) and I think good things can come his way if he gets some big wins. He doesn’t fight often enough or against good enough competition to keep the publics attention, and his marketing ability with his management team is a little weak. If he had won against Gonzo I would bet my money that he could get in the ring with a Tarver, Harding, and possibly even Roy Jones. But the big fights he has, he loses (not by much, but a loss is a loss in this game). I see Julian being one of the most entertaining fighters in awhile, but I doubt that he has the skills to compete with Roy Jones at light heavyweight and he isn’t near big enough to do anything special in the heavy ranks.
Roy Jones shouldnt even be mentioned in the same sentence as hagler,robinson,leonard or hearns he has never been seriously tested and with what qualifies as competition now he may never be tested in my opinion a prime hearns would have knocked jones out cold hagler would have taken his heart and obliterated him leonard would have out boxed him robinson would have out fought him he is considered great and a legend only because of the era he is fighting in and due to all the weak competition thats out their and that he hand picks fighters like hagler hearns leonard or robinson would have been champ in any era jones is good but not great or anything remotely resembling a legend im convinced that he wouldnt be middleweight or light heavy weight champ if he had fought in the era of hagler, hearns, leonard at welterweight a pre hagler mugabi or holyfield, moorer, dwight qawi or michael spinks at light heavy weight his heart, chin, stamina and will would have been thoroughly tested in all these matchups and i certainly dont see him prevailing against hagler, hearns, leonard, holyfield, moorer or michael spnks i just dont see it he struggled with hopkins and a tough but limited harding do you honestly think he would have gotten past hagler or hearns, hagler being much more skilled, determined and fierce and a much harder puncher with a much better chin than hopkins or the tough but limited harding, it wouldnt have been as competetive as most think im certain hagler would have punished him and knocked him out in the mid to late rounds or hearns being skilled and a crippling devastating puncher with quickness that rivaled jones not to mention holyfield,qawi, moorer, spinks at the peak of their light heavyweight reigns i submit in these eras he wouldnt have been middleweight or light heavy weight champ but would have been relegated to the level of just a top contender in these divisions never being able to capitalize on championship opportunities when facing the above mentioned warriors.
He is very good but has never faced the caliber of fighters mentioned above hagler, hearns,leonard and holyfield are great fighters roy jones is very good and looks even better when standing in front of mediocre competition i think all the above mentioned fighters would have exposed weaknesses that you never knew he had i want to see his chin, heart, stamina, will tested to the maximum that certainly will never happen fighting the mediocre competition thats out their now roy jones is good but would never have been welterweight, middleweight or light heavyweight champ in the eras when these men reigned supreme and i personally believe he would have been knocked out or beaten up pretty severely in most of these matchups hagler had all his defenses without a defeat until the sugar ray leonard farce a fight i believe hagler won also i believe they just stole that one from him boxing politics tying and possibly breaking monzons record he just shouldnt have left it in the hands of the judges and mind you that was not the same hagler that destroyed hearns that was not a prime hagler, his timing was off he was slower there was no snap in his punches he seemed lethargic he was either overtrained or grew old that night or both but he was not at all the prime hagler who destroyed hearns and alan minter a prime youthful hagler would have annihilated leonard if he would have taken the fight to him from the opening bell hagler had the rarely seen ability to adapt to any style and effectively exploit all his opponents weaknesses whether it was the inability to take a punch or the tendency to get hit to often or the lack of heart haglers relentless, intelligent, skilled, controlled, aggressive style along with his numerous other strengths would have found most any fighter out and would have exposed all their weaknesses if you never thought he had any hagler would have exposed those weaknesses like his questionable chin and heart the intensity of the battle the skill, will, strength and determination of hagler would have found him out exposed him hagler most certainly by mid to late round knockout over an overrated untested roy jones junior it takes much more than flash and a double hook to be great or a legend can anyone say skill, heart, determination,ferocity,killer instinct,granite chin,heart of a lion,fearless,relentless,explosive can anyone say marvin hagler.
Roy jones shouldnt be metioned in the same sentence as this great middleweight champ there is no comparison and hagler would defeat him hands down and easier than most think by ko or tko and anyone that knows boxing and the history of their fighters understands this amateures and novices may think otherwise due to their lack of knowledge and ignorance convinced roy fights the mediocre competition competition because he knows his weaknesses and he doesnt want them exposed hagler would have exposed him hagler would have pressured and hammered him relentlessly and undetered by effectively countering for all 12 rnds and taking him to unfamiliar territory where his heart, chin and stamina were tested like they have never been tested before roy has problems with good counter punchers hagler was a great counter puncher with numerous other strengths and skills.
Donald B.
While I respect your opinion, I must ask ‘how’s Haglers jock strap taste?’ Cuz bro it’s obvious that you are pro-Hagler (and that’s cool) but you cannot begin to form a proper and unbiased opinion when you are closed minded as motha when it comes to the Marvelous one. It’s cool to have beef with Jones because everyone does. Nobody likes to see a guy with that much talent waste it on the Clinton Woods’, Glen Kelly’s, and Gonzos’ of the light heavyweight division. But that’s just Roy and he isn’t going to change – especially for the fans. As a boxing writer I’ve just come to face the music that Roy is playing (and that’s the tune of the easy pay day). I honestly think that Roy believes he will go down as one of the best boxers in the world, possibly even the greatest. With that mindset, it’s no wonder he fights stiffs. He wants to be able to retire healthy and with a fat load in the bank. And that’s just what he’ll do.
Now you did make some good points, but first I had to take your head out of Haglers ass. Don’t sweat it though, bro. Everyone has beef with Roy. Hagler was a great middleweight and he had some classic battles with Hearns, Duran, and many others. Unlike Roy, Hagler had guys that could test him. He had the feuds and wars of Ali/Frazier, Bowe/Holyfield, Barrera/Morales, etc. Someone was always there to make him more interesting and that is something Roy Jones has never had. We thought it would be solved with James Toney.
We were wrong.
We thought a young Hopkins would bring it to Jones and he was outclassed. There was Virgil Hill and it’s clear what happened to him when he got into the ring with Jones. So you see, while I do blame Jones for not fighting enough for the fans or sport, he has been placed in the wrong generation and era of fighters. I think a Jones/Spinks, Jones/Hagler match up would be awesome. Highly entertaining. You speak to soon giving Roy Jones no chance against Spinks or Hagler. Roy is the most skilled fighter of the last decade and I think that he would give Hagler trouble, much like Ray Leonard did in their fight. Spinks would give him trouble too, but I just can’t see Hagler dominating Roy Jones. I can’t stand him, but the guy has skills.
He may not have the heart or determination of a Hagler, and that is where Hagler would win big. But come on, bro. How can you say that Hagler beat Ray Leonard? What fight were you watching? And worse yet, you continue to go on making excuses for your boy. "Hagler was too slow. That wasn’t a prime Hagler." So what? Are you telling me a Prime Archie Moorer fought Ali? A prime Tyson fought Holyfield and a Prime Foreman beat Moorer? Fighting is fighting. It happens and once you sign the contract you can’t use the weak ass excuse of "not being in your prime." That’s just the fight game. When you make excuses for Hagler you are only hurting him. The man got beat. Point blank. Do you really think Leonard (who came out of another retirement to face Hagler) was in his absolute PRIME that night against Hagler? No way man. The better won, regardless. You must understand that.
Don’t let Roy get the best of you in the end. Wait until he fights a big name (like that’ll happen). If you aren’t feeling his style, then Roycott. That’s what I do (for the most part). But don’t go as far as to never give him a shot against any of the older fighters. You just might be surprised what a motivated RJJ can do.
Ask Montell Griffin.
Mike Samuels can be reached for Boxing Baddest: The Fans Speak! At Tyson180@aol.com
