Terry D wrote:We are not talking about a six-twos boxer here, Joe had opportunities, he was not a boxing pauper. If you are trying to say he was not on Jones's radar due to fighting over here then why did Joe never refuse a SN contract, signing a 3-fight deal to fight in the USA instead, therefore forcing a fight with Jones in the process. This would not be a 'I have just won the WBO title, give me your biggest star' moment, it would have been a building option, instead he seemed happy to stay here fighting a stream of poor guys in order to build his record and bank balance.
As for me chucking in my job, that is similar to someone having a debate over the Iraq war only for someone to get all emotive and cry, "What if your son was out there?" This is not about me and my job, it is about a prizefighter who consistently failed to even look like he wanted to take on the biggest challenges.
At least be consistent, at one point you are saying he was right to fight Jones as maybe Jones would not have known who he was, although Jones knew who Eubank was, even talking about him after the Byrd bout (the night Eubank lost to Collins), so maybe Roy did know who he was. Then you raise another point saying Joe should have stayed at home fighting Tocker's for £600,000, now, boxing finance issues bore me, but I am not sure how accurate that figure is, nor that a fight with Jones would have got him less than a Pudwill fight.
As for Bowe-Lewis. They were mandated to fight one another and Bowe pulled out of te running, so no, I do not think Lewis was useless. By that point Lewis had played the game abroad, had fought a dangerous guy and went on to go all out to unify the belts. Unlike Joe, Lewis was frozen out because of his independent stance, not because of his attitude or the attitude of his promotional outfit. It is a silly comparison really. I have just wasted my own time answering it as well, but on I go.
Lewis never fought a prime Tyson because the fight was hindered by King, who knew Lewis was too wily for him and Tyson both. Instead Lewis took the step-aside money (and before you start he had no choice, they would have just vacated the belt) in the understanding that Tyson would have one gimme and then fight Lewis. Tyson fought his gimme, Holyfield, lost and Holyfield then eventually honoured this agreement. That, in broad strokes, is why Lewis got Holyfield and Tyson when he did. It was certainly not down to the fact that he preferred staying at home fighting the likes of Pudwill (mention Justin Fortune here by all means, that was an exception, rather than the norm).
Would Mayweather have taken the Hatton fight if he saw Hatton as a threat? Hmm, well he took on Corrales who was then an even bigger threat. Mayweather has a fighter's mentality.
Jones could have fought D-Man, well done a sensible comment rears its head, but he openly ducked him and demanded that D-Man travel and take the shit money. Jones could do that at that time. Calzaghe then did the exact same thing, only he did not have the basis Jones had (Jones had defeated Hopkins and Toney by this point, prior to Lacy Joe's CV was threadbare).
What a surprise, you bring up Tocker Pudwill, as if that was all he fought. Pudwill was a 10-day sub for Thomas Tate. Slag off the Thornberrys and Jiminezs but, honestly, Pudwill?? Who, is must be said, had taken Ottke the distance. You might as well slag off Hatton for facing Hutchinson.
Also wins over Woodhall, Mitchell, Brewer, Eubank and Reid are hardly nothing.
But what you are doing is rewriting history and playing fantasy boxing as you love to. "Go to America", and what? The reality is, if he didn't sign with Warren and went to America looking for a Jones fight, he would have been offered crap money and four options. American promoters don't give a crap about British boxers. Besides the fact that that wold seemingly involve him leaving his young family behind. Why should he do that? To please a few doubters like you?
He could only go where offers are. Had he gone to the US, maybe he might have got a fight on Showtime, maybe on ESPN. But any promoter who would have signed him would have said, 'you're a super-middleweight world champion, defend that'.
Did Hatton go to the US when he was defending his WBU title? No he kept re-signing with Warren. The options only began to open up for both after big wins at home.
Hatton's fights post-Tszyu were not all aimed at facing Floyd, they were all based on making the most money. He signed with Hobson because he offered the most money, if he had been after Mayweather he wold have taken an offer from the US and Golden Boy were interested then.
It is also in no way similar to an Iraq war argument, as you are making career decisions for one individual, not saying whether a war in legitimate based on an emotive personal argument.
.. too true 