BoxRec

frankwarrenfan wrote:boxing is a lot less popular than it used to be so it's much harder now to capture the imagination of the public worldwide

Very true. And so the aged names are being milked and milked while they can be. At the expense of younger, more exciting fighters. This is the problem with boxing, I think. Everyone's shortsighted and greedy, make the money right now and forget the bigger picture or the (probably negative) ramifications that theyr'e going to cause.

Joe has whined for years about being ducked. Now EVERYONE between middle and light heavy wants a piece of him. And no one is big enough to get in the ring with him. I find this very strange.

frankwarrenfan wrote:i think a big part of the problem is that joe doesn't come across well in the media

he often appears to be arrogant and frequently contradicts himself

dismissing roy jones in his autobiography and then fighting him years later does not look good

Joe, like many boxers really, tries to come across as intelligent and articulate... but he's not all that. He's a boxer, not an academic.

Some boxers, probably accidentally, just seem to alienate fans and the media at times with their attitude or choice of words. It's not just boxers either, other sportsman too.

Lewis Hamilton said recently that things he has said to the media have been taken out of context or just don't sound like he meant them to when he's read them back in print. And now certain people think he is a twat. Which, of course, he resents.

While I agree with the point that this post was making I have to add that guys like Peter Buckley are the unsung heroes of boxing. These are the guys that make up 90% of the boxing world. It isn't all glitz and glamour for most fighters out there, it is a case of having to put your health on the line against opponents that are usually 2 or 3 levels above you just so you can put food on the table. Never is this more evident in Buckley's case. Having seen Peter fight on several occasions it is clear that he was very aware of his job as an "opponent" and more often than not did just enough to make sure he lost many of his fights therefore ensuring another payday in the not to distant future. I have no doubt that Buckley could have won many of the fights he lost but was aware that if he started beating these guys his phone would soon stop ringing for job offers so instead he gave a lot of up and coming fighters a real workout without doing enough to win. Its not glamorous but it is an important part of any wanna be champion to have men like Peter Buckley available to test them during their early learning stages.

Autobarn wrote:I think Jones proved he was dangerous, and the KD probably justified making the fight. Jones was a top 7 light heavy, so that means the fight was neither a disgrace nor a superfight, neither complete rubbish nor a big deal.

The positive is that Joe has fought another counter puncher. And learned something.

I'll say what would have been impressive, if Joe had been more like this vs Hopkins.

It's like he's had his career the wrong way round. You're supposed to take out the older names when you're on the way up, and then have the defining fights, vs rival champs, guys in their primes, afterward.

Oh behave, Jones was top 7 on name value alone.

You can't argue against his abilities but you can argue against his opposition from Thornberry to Ashira, excluding Mitchell.

Where Joes concerned I would criticise Him, But wouldnt Bet against Him DD

jamesmcdonnell wrote:

Autobarn wrote:I think Jones proved he was dangerous, and the KD probably justified making the fight. Jones was a top 7 light heavy, so that means the fight was neither a disgrace nor a superfight, neither complete rubbish nor a big deal.

The positive is that Joe has fought another counter puncher. And learned something.

I'll say what would have been impressive, if Joe had been more like this vs Hopkins.

It's like he's had his career the wrong way round. You're supposed to take out the older names when you're on the way up, and then have the defining fights, vs rival champs, guys in their primes, afterward.

Oh behave, Jones was top 7 on name value alone.

He was top 7 or 8 for beating Trinidad (blown up middle) and Hanshaw (blown up middle). Ring had him at #7, don't know what Boxing Monthly had him in at.

Boxrec has him at number 6. For me, 7th is right for the division.

Jones was probably just about deserving of the top 10 place.... Ajamu for me is his most impressive Light Heavyweight scalp since the Tarver loss.

He should be behind - Calzaghe, Hopkins, Erdei, Tarver, Johnson, Dawson, and Garay... I would have had him above Woods.

So the fight was worthy of a defence, in about the same way as Manfredo was worthy- he probably had a similar ranking at Super Middleweight.