Michael Spinks vs Roy Jones Jr

[Boxing Writer]

Who wins prime for prime at the light heavyweight?

[Knucklez]

Prime Roy beats any light heavy in boxing history, IMO. Too fast, too sharp, too talented.

[SenorPipino]

Bob Foster would have flattened Roy.

How long could Roy's chin avoided Foster's long murderous shots?

Spinks would have flattened Jones too after Jones smartly boxes his way to a lead midway through the fight.

Then the Spinks Jinx strikes and Jones' less than stellar chin pays the price.

Jones would have had trouble surviving many of the elite light heavy champions.

He was fortunate to reign during a period of fairly obscure 175 pounders, who didn't possess the tools to open Jones up and reach his chin consistently.

Great light heavyweights, however, would have eventually found success timing Jones and cracking that questionable jaw, much like Tarver and Johnson did when Roy began to decline.

Roy Jones was a great fighter with a china chin. That chin would have let him down---even in his prime---against the historically top light heavyweights.

[BoxBuzz]

Spinks losing to Roy seems a bit sketchy.......I think Spinks would beat Ruiz a bit more thoroughly than Roy managed it.

Roy would be educated by Foster, Moore, Charles, Tunney, Spinks, maybe a few others, Qawi, comes to mind as well.

[drunkenpiper36]

I'm going with Spinks... Bigger stronger guy with the awkward style and a chin that no one put a dent in until Tyson. Probably a good fight though.

[SenorPipino]

He was fortunate to reign during a period of fairly obscure 175 pounders, who didn't possess the tools to open Jones up and reach his chin consistently.

Great light heavyweights, however, would have eventually found success timing Jones and cracking that questionable jaw, much like Tarver and Johnson did when Roy began to decline.

Correct.

The only thing to add is although very good, neither Tarver or Johnson were great Light Heavies.

That's true.

Neither were great fighters. Just competent professionals.

They just happened to come along at the right place and the right time in Jones' career.

[elmersalsa]

The great Michael Spinks wins this one. Taller, stronger and maybe smarter. I think he had a better boxing ring IQ than the great Roy Jones, Jr.
Super Roy in his prime, really didn't fight a great skilled light-heavyweight that matched his speed and power.

Spinks Jinx was tested against probably the best crop of light-heavyweight boxers ever assembled in one era: Marvin Johnson, Dwight Muhammad Qawi, Eddie Mustapha Muhammad, and Yaqui Lopez. I have never seen Super Roy fighting guys that talented at 175.

[Nile4000]

Roy gets on the slow starting Michael in the early rounds. Around round 8, Spinks lands the Jinx, coldcoks Jones, done.

[ClivePatrickLyons]

Spinks beats Jones Jr un Dec un

[slappy]

Spinx is one of my all time favorites but not sure I agree with this. RJJ was a reflex guy who never adapted when he lost a step. I don't think the Tarver or Johnson losses color his career much.

In his prime RJJ was pretty special..

Spinx may have run him down eventually (I doubt it)but peop me on here sound like any old puncher would catch him. Qawi??! Seriously?!

[dr_devious]

Jones is going to sleep in this one

[ElJefe]

Spinx is one of my all time favorites but not sure I agree with this. RJJ was a reflex guy who never adapted when he lost a step. I don't think the Tarver or Johnson losses color his career much.

In his prime RJJ was pretty special..

Spinx may have run him down eventually (I doubt it)but peop me on here sound like any old puncher would catch him. Qawi??! Seriously?!

Often seems to be implied these days that Roy was hiding a glass chin during his dominance. Personally think it's exaggerated.

[SenorPipino]

So you think he suddenly and mysteriously developed a "lights out" chin when his prime ended?

[ElJefe]

Spinx is one of my all time favorites but not sure I agree with this. RJJ was a reflex guy who never adapted when he lost a step. I don't think the Tarver or Johnson losses color his career much.

In his prime RJJ was pretty special..

Spinx may have run him down eventually (I doubt it)but peop me on here sound like any old puncher would catch him. Qawi??! Seriously?!

Often seems to be implied these days that Roy was hiding a glass chin during his dominance. Personally think it's exaggerated.

So the obvious question for you to address here is. Do you think that Lou Del Valle was in anything like the same class as Spinks at 175?

Because make no mistake he found a fully prime Jones's chin, and had him in plenty of trouble. There is no way Jones would have been able to cling onto Spinks like a limpet the way he did to Del Valle when he got back up.

Absolutely not. And I haven't claimed that Roy's chin was anything special. But plenty of elite fighters have been hurt, often by lesser opponents, it doesn't necessarily mean that the situation repeats itself every time they face top opposition.

I've got no problem with people thinking that Spinks (or any other ATG light heavyweights) beat Jones, I was just saying that I think that Roy's chin wasn't as bad as some people imply - reading some comments on here you'd think it was a liability that would cost him in any tough fight.

So you think he suddenly and mysteriously developed a "lights out" chin when his prime ended?

If that's directed at me then I didn't suggest anything remotely of the sort.

[Ambling Alp II]

Spinx is one of my all time favorites but not sure I agree with this. RJJ was a reflex guy who never adapted when he lost a step. I don't think the Tarver or Johnson losses color his career much.

In his prime RJJ was pretty special..

Spinx may have run him down eventually (I doubt it)but peop me on here sound like any old puncher would catch him. Qawi??! Seriously?!

Often seems to be implied these days that Roy was hiding a glass chin during his dominance. Personally think it's exaggerated.

He had something between a glass jaw and an iron chin. He did not take many hard shots from good punchers until he started to get old. His competition at 175 was for the most part awful. However, if he had a glass jaw we would have seen something before he was fighting Tarver and Johnson.

He never fought anywhere remotely close to the level of Spinks at 175. Have to go with Spinks in this one.

[DrDuke]

Both, of course, were very special, but Spinks' specialness is underrated. Michael had the size advantages and footwork to outbox Jones. And he had even more chances, if there was an exchange. So I'd pick Michael to win.

[ClivePatrickLyons]

Spinx is one of my all time favorites but not sure I agree with this. RJJ was a reflex guy who never adapted when he lost a step. I don't think the Tarver or Johnson losses color his career much.

In his prime RJJ was pretty special..

Spinx may have run him down eventually (I doubt it)but peop me on here sound like any old puncher would catch him. Qawi??! Seriously?!

Often seems to be implied these days that Roy was hiding a glass chin during his dominance. Personally think it's exaggerated.

Hiding something worste then a glass jaw the roids made me do it lol

[elmersalsa]

Bob Foster would have flattened Roy.

How long could Roy's chin avoided Foster's long murderous shots?

Spinks would have flattened Jones too after Jones smartly boxes his way to a lead midway through the fight.

Then the Spinks Jinx strikes and Jones' less than stellar chin pays the price.

Jones would have had trouble surviving many of the elite light heavy champions.

He was fortunate to reign during a period of fairly obscure 175 pounders, who didn't possess the tools to open Jones up and reach his chin consistently.

Great light heavyweights, however, would have eventually found success timing Jones and cracking that questionable jaw, much like Tarver and Johnson did when Roy began to decline.

Roy Jones was a great fighter with a china chin. That chin would have let him down---even in his prime---against the historically top light heavyweights.