In blissful delight following that sensational fight on this past Saturday, I took the liberty of reading varied articles written about Roy Jones, JR. on the internet. Not to my surprise of course I found volumes of them, each that much more inflammatory than the other. This of course is standard, and it was nice for a change to see Tarver finally get his props somewhat. One article stood out, it stated: “Pound for Pound Roy Jones, JR. is flat out the best boxer in the business. Who even comes close to the caliber of Jones?” I hope this writer got the opportunity to see the caliber of fighter who defeated Jones and was afforded the chance to answer his own question finally. I’m not judging this person’s views or any for that matter, but let’s be realistic for a moment here.
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Together as a collective, we all bought into the hype and salesmanship of Roy Jones, JR. and his ego to some degree. It was our undying loyalty and support which made Jones such a megastar and recognized force in boxing. If we were smart we saw this coming from 100 miles away. It had to happen in his career and its better for it to happen this way as to erase any further doubts. Granted, Jones has always been a master showman in the ring, full of dazzling speed and craftsmanship in his discipline. Am I alone though when I question his level of opposition over the years or his ever present ego? I respect the man for all he has accomplished, but once everyone started to praise his arrogance more than his accomplishments I started to have a problem. We believed in the show that was and is Roy Jones, JR. and had season passes for a lifetime.
Of course there’s nothing that terribly wrong with that, is there? I mean boxing has become a belief system to many of us and we all need something to believe in from time to time.
I grew tired of Roy’s rhetoric, not his ability, years ago. Countless times I would have arguments (masked as discussions) with avid Jones supporters over his value and actual capabilities in the sport. I’ve always been on the fence when it comes to Roy in some ways, hoping he would eventually back up all that talk just once with something substantial. Seems like talk is cheap and actions really do speak louder than words, especially in this case.
So where to now, Superman? Surely you can’t want to go into another fight so distracted and bored that you get knocked out again for lack of interest can you? Boredom is a poor excuse for defeat however. You’ve given us some good displays over the years and always came to entertain. But what was needed more than an Oscar winning matinee or Las Vegas light show was for you to let your hands do the talking. For you to battle with your heart instead of your wits. Antonio Tarver proved he could do both.
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© Copyright / All Rights reserved: Doghouse Boxing 1998-2004
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By Jason Petock (May 18, 2004) 
