Health & Fitness
Roy Jones Jr. Vs. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson an Easy Call
Jones the likely victor by a 12-round Decision in a lop-sided boxing match.
What happens when an elite mixed martial artist comes in contact with an elite boxer inside the octagon? If it's a standup fight and the boxer can stay away from knees and kicks, then he has a solid chance of winning because MMA fighters don't really know how to slip a punch. However, if the boxer cannot fight at a distance, then the MMA fighter will take him down and unleash a ground assault that will likely end the match with a submission.
We saw this clearly displayed when Randy Couture easily defeated James "Lights Out" Toney in 2010. Toney, a former multi-division boxing champion simply could not defeat Couture's execution on the ground. Why? MMA fighters deal with a variety of styles, from strikers to grapplers and adapt from standup to ground depending on what's NOT working. In that match-up, Couture was never worried, and was highly paid for essentially a warm up match. Score: MMA-1; Boxing-0.
A year earlier, YouTube sensation Kimbo Slice's entry into the UFC answered the question when an "elite" Street Fighter/Pitt Fighter enters into an MMA match. With no real experience in an MMA setting, Slice was handedly neutralized by "Big Country" Roy Nelson during an episode of The Ultimate Fighter. Nelson simply neutralized the stand-up fighter by taking him down to the mat. Score: MMA-1; Street Fighter-0.
Now enter the next question in this dialog of martial art style superiority, which, by the way, was the founding question the UFC tried to address in its opening years: What happens when you drop an elite MMA fighter into a boxing match with an elite boxer? All things being equal, the constraints of boxing rules will neutralize most of the weapons of an MMA fighter. No chokes. No takedowns. No arm bars. No Jujitsu. No Muay Thai elbows, knees, or kicks. None of those skills can be used in a boxing match. Given that, an elite boxer should easily win in his environment against any MMA fighter, bar the lucky punch.
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Rampage Jackson will discover just how lopsided the fight will be once he realizes he can't shoot on his opponent. Jackson is not on the caliber of any of Jones' previous opponents. Age should not be a factor in the upcoming Jones/Jackson fight, which is still in negotiation stages. Thus chin, stamina, foot-work, pure boxing skills, and ring generalship are the metrics to consider. All but chin belong to Jones- without question. Jackson should consider not taking this fight.
Keys to victory: Rampage will have to make things ugly in order to take advantage of his strength. Rampage does have power in his punches, and Jones can be stopped by KO (re. the Tarver/Jones bouts). Jackson will need to cut off the ring and close the distance. Brute force and the ability to force a fight versus a boxing match is Jackson's best bet. For Jones, Jackson could get caught coming in with hands down-- a fault many MMA fighters have because they are getting ready to grab. Jones should take advantage of this and watch for Rampage's hands to drop, and they will, because of muscle memory. Once Jones lets his hand go, the match will be one sided. Jones should take Rampage into deep waters, then turn it up the pace. Jones should stick to pure boxing, follow a stick-and-move philosophy, and stay off the ropes.Jones should win a boxing match, easily, against Jackson. Predicted Score: MMA: 1; Boxing: 1. Tied Up.
-GLT
