Former four-division world champion Roy Jones Jr. says he would have beaten light heavyweight champions Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol if he had fought them at 175 in his prime.
Roy Jr. said Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs) would have been a tougher fight for him than Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) because of his mobility and boxing skills. But he says he would eventually get to Bivol too and beat him. He feels he would have knocked out Bivol and Beterbiev.
Looking back at Jones Jr’s best fights at 175, it’s hard to believe he would have been competitive against Beterbiev or Bivol, as he was a punching fighter with a very low work rate. Jones Jr. (66-10, 47 KOs) has only thrown a few shots during his career, and he has a similar style to Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Roy was a good fighter, but this potshot style wouldn’t have worked against Bivol or Beterbiev because they would have outworked him. Jones Jr. had no infighting ability and would mainly try to keep.
Beterbiev’s inside game would have been a nightmare for Jones, who would have been forced to take heavy shots in close. He didn’t have the chin to take the kind of blows Beterbiev would have hit him with.
Ultimately, Jones Jr’s career fell apart when he fought puncher Antonio Tarver and was repeatedly knocked out from that point on.
Jones Jr. was taken the distance against these fighters at 175: Reggie Johnson, Mike McCallum, Lou Del Valle, David Telesco, Erik Harding and Julio Cesar Gonzalez.
“Bivol would have been a difficult task because of his boxing skills and his feet. He’s not as easy to catch as people think he is because of his mobility and his legs,” Roy Jones Jr. said. talkSport Boxing when asked how he would have performed if he had fought Artur Beterbiev and Dmitri Bivol in his career.
Roy was a good fighter for his era, but the sport has evolved, and the fighters are much better now than when he fought. If you had a time machine to bring guys like Montell Griffin, Mike McCallum and Antonio Tarver to this era, they would be no match for Beterbiev, Bivol and David Benavidez.
“Artur, because of all the punching power he has, he’s one of the toughest punchers the division has ever seen. You can’t let him hit you with shots because he’s a different type of puncher,” Jones Jr. said.
Beterbiev would Jones Jr. forced him against the ropes and knocked him out. Watching Roy’s fights against McCallum and Griffin during his heyday at 175, he was often backed against the ropes. He took a lot of big shots from those fighters. His only defense to conclude. It won’t work against Beterbiev, as he will Jones Jr. not let hold.
“I think I would have found him quicker than I would have found Bivol, but he would have been a problem in a different way. I would have gotten Artur a little faster than I would have gotten Dmitry,” Jones said.
It would have been interesting to see how Roy Jr. would have gone against Bivol and Beterbiev, but it does not seem likely that he would have done well. His low punch output, poor inside skills and weak chin would have made him vulnerable against any guy if they fought.
“No way, but he would have lasted a long time,” Jones said when asked if Bivol would have outwitted him. “I would have gotten to him too, but it would have taken a little more time. Artur would have walked right into my front door.”
