Fighting Roy Jones

Roy Jones

RICHIE WOODHALL lost to all-time great Roy Jones as he won a bronze medal at the 1988 Olympic Games. The two were reunited at a recent event.

โ€œWe had a good chat. Itโ€™s a bit strange because he doesnโ€™t seem to have changed much. But it was nice to speak to him. He remembers the bout I had with him, which was nice and he said I gave him his hardest fight at the Olympics, which was great to hear because obviously he lost [the decision] in the final. He said, โ€˜I won the final quite easily. But against you I really found it difficult. You were very, very awkward and I couldnโ€™t get to you,โ€™โ€ Richie told Boxing News.

โ€œI havenโ€™t watched the bout for about 25 years. I canโ€™t remember it a lot now,โ€ he recalled. โ€œHe was an unknown American at the time, he had a really good tournament. I remember my coach Kevin Hickey saying this kidโ€™s very, very fast. Typical American style, relaxed and loose, very fast hands. Youโ€™re going to have to use your feet in and out with him. You canโ€™t afford to fall short because heโ€™s a very good counter-puncher. So we knew what we were up against. But you just donโ€™t realise until you actually get in there just how fast he is. So he was very, very quick indeed.โ€

โ€œMy coach was quite right, I couldnโ€™t afford to fall short. I did occasionally and he came back with some very fast counters. I think I upped my game in the second round,โ€ Woodhall continued. โ€œHe had a good first round, I had a good second round, then he probably just went up another gear in the third and I just couldnโ€™t cope. He used to set trapsโ€ฆ The more frustrated you get, the more you come over your front foot and you start making mistakes.

โ€œI tried to box like he did, the in and out game, but I just wasnโ€™t good enough and he beat me to it.โ€

As a professional Woodhall won the WBC super-middleweight world title and in Joe Calzaghe fought another all-time great. โ€œI didnโ€™t hit hard enough to trouble him. That was my problem. There were times when I did catch him with some good shots when he made a mistake, because I was a good counter-puncher myself but I didnโ€™t have the power to trouble him and if you havenโ€™t got that power, at that level, then youโ€™re not going to beat a guy like Calzaghe because you canโ€™t keep him off. He eventually got to me,โ€ Richie said.

roy jones

He revealed, โ€œWhat special fighters have in common, more than anything I think, especially Calzaghe and Roy Jones, Roy Jones more than anyone I think, they have a natural ability not to get hit. The way they box. If you look at Roy Jones, up to a certain stage in his career (I think he went on too long), up until flipping light-heavyweight he hardly got hit. He didnโ€™t. Fights against James Toney and Bernard Hopkins at the time, the guy didnโ€™t get hit โ€“ it was very rare for him to catch a clean shot. Now I think thatโ€™s a natural instinct, a natural ability. Calzaghe was similar. Calzaghe was a hard geezer to nail with a good shot I thought.โ€

That what the greatest have in common โ€“ โ€œtheyโ€™ve got the natural ability to avoid a punchโ€.

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