BoxRec

People who think Hagler was a slower, power punching brawler type (which alot of the earlier posts seem to insinuate), really have no idea.

The guy's right jab, speed (yes, in his prime he was fast), ability to switch stance easily, brawl, body punching, fitness, chin...shall i go on??

The guy shrugged off Hearn's bombs, so Jones stopping him looks remote, if not impossible (given his level of fitness and determination).

Hagler, at his peak, could outbox boxers and outpunch brawlers.

Much as I like Jones, he loses here, no question, for me.

I think the demeanour, the Genghis Khan look, and the wins over Hearns and Mugabi make some people think he was a toe-to-toe brawler...

At that point he was, but he would have had to be against Hearns at any juncture. Lets not pretend Roy Jones could out box Tommy in his wildest dreams. Not to pull the old man card, but Hagler spent several years as the best fighter in the division that couldn't get a title shot.

People tend to overlook that. When I'm reading that Jones would out box, he was outboxed at times by Watts, Monroe and Seales. But he improved, adapted and eventually destroyed all of them. He was the epitome of a fool me once fighter. Marvin, Archie Moore and Joe Louis would be the three fighters I'd least like to rematch. And maybe a gander of Duran/Dejesus II & III could make it a foursome.

Never saw Hearns out-boxed. And in his prime you had to walk through fire to get to him. Jones couldn't do that.

Jones could hurt him and stop him though. That's probably the most likely scenario in a hearns/Roy fight. But you're spot on, he would be near the best "boxer" Marvin faced.

Jones is naturally bigger but not necessarily more durable. Hearns hurt and dropped sturdier foes than Roy. The call is always that Roy could not be hit. But Hearns will land more often than any of his other opponents.

I'd bet on the Tommy who beat Shuler over the Roy who beat Hopkins.

I think it's safe to say Marvin never fought someone with the quite the physical gifts that Jones had. He definitely fought better boxers, sluggers, and all around better technicians than Jones. Jones however was so unusually gifted, he often defied boxing technique and just did things his own way. It would've been late in the fight before Hagler was able to adjust to Jones' unusual style and start to get things done, and by then it'd be too late. Jones by UD.

Jones wasn't any more gifted than Hearns or Leonard. Granted, he didn't face them at their best. But even guys like Monroe & Watts brought very awkward and slick styles to the ring. Hagler faced a vast array of styles. The guy looking across the ring at something different would be Roy. That's not to say Jones couldn't win, he could.

gilgamesh wrote:I think it's safe to say Marvin never fought someone with the quite the physical gifts that Jones had. He definitely fought better boxers, sluggers, and all around better technicians than Jones. Jones however was so unusually gifted, he often defied boxing technique and just did things his own way. It would've been late in the fight before Hagler was able to adjust to Jones' unusual style and start to get things done, and by then it'd be too late. Jones by UD.

It's hard to say since he didn't have to try very hard to look good agaist some of the fighters he had no business fighting. He did look good against Jones and Hopkins but they are nowhere near the type of legends that Hearns and Leonard are. Hagler also had the power to chin check Roy, who often duck big punchers even in his great stage. It's hard to rate Jones sometimes because he did not fight McClellan, Benn, nor Eubank which would've been a more telling story of how good he was than a pre prime Hopkins and a drained Toney.