Great posts by all the Calzaghe backers, don't get me wrong, I'm not really playing Jones, I'm just NOT playing Calzaghe.
The Jones of this fight I don't think can be compared to himself vs Johnson, he really put no effort into the fight and didn't want to be there. All of the intangibles have improved: humility, ring intelligence, strategy, awareness of his opponents, motivation, conditioning, training habits. He also started from rock bottom in Ohio, and worked hard to get here.
Even with the intangibles improved, and even with a strong strategy, I don't think Roy's physical state lets him beat Joe. But it's enough to keep me from betting Joe, and I'm playing Roy very small for nostalgic purposes.
I posted vids of their workouts, which imo, is a far better indication of their ability than simply their appearance. Joe looks terrific in his workout, Jones didn't throw enough combos and still looks gun-shy, even in shadowboxing.
Roy's chance depends on how willing he is to sit down and analyze Joe as a fighter, and get over his superman ego of assuming he can beat anyone whenever he wants to. Bernard humbly studied Pavlik, and used effectively strategy to dominate him. If Roy analyzes Hopkins' strategy of counter-punching, and implements lateral movement, in-fighting and combinations, he can win this thing. And he must stay off the damn ropes!
That said, if I was recommending a bet to someone unfamiliar with boxing, I'd probably say Calzaghe KO, +400 ish.
The Jones of this fight I don't think can be compared to himself vs Johnson, he really put no effort into the fight and didn't want to be there. All of the intangibles have improved: humility, ring intelligence, strategy, awareness of his opponents, motivation, conditioning, training habits. He also started from rock bottom in Ohio, and worked hard to get here.
Even with the intangibles improved, and even with a strong strategy, I don't think Roy's physical state lets him beat Joe. But it's enough to keep me from betting Joe, and I'm playing Roy very small for nostalgic purposes.
I posted vids of their workouts, which imo, is a far better indication of their ability than simply their appearance. Joe looks terrific in his workout, Jones didn't throw enough combos and still looks gun-shy, even in shadowboxing.
Roy's chance depends on how willing he is to sit down and analyze Joe as a fighter, and get over his superman ego of assuming he can beat anyone whenever he wants to. Bernard humbly studied Pavlik, and used effectively strategy to dominate him. If Roy analyzes Hopkins' strategy of counter-punching, and implements lateral movement, in-fighting and combinations, he can win this thing. And he must stay off the damn ropes!
That said, if I was recommending a bet to someone unfamiliar with boxing, I'd probably say Calzaghe KO, +400 ish.
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