The Sheriff of Albuquerque against the Lightning of Pensacola. On one side, the lanky puncher who was turning out the lights of light heavyweights in the ’60s and ’70s, and on the other, the flamboyant star who could afford to face his opponents with his hands behind his back. Who would have come out on top between Bob Foster and Roy Jones Jr if they had faced each other at their best? We ask ourselves this question in this new episode of “Fantasy Fight”!
Bob Foster: Heavenly Jab and Cobra-like Punches
When common enthusiasts discuss who had the best jab of all time, names like Sonny Liston, Muhammad Ali, and Larry Holmes frequently come up. After all, heavyweights represent the category that fascinates and captures the popular imagination the most, so it’s understandable that people would draw their clearest memories from there. Bob Foster’s jab, however, undoubtedly deserves at least a nomination: precise, swift, and tremendously effective, it was the punch that allowed him to stay afloat for a few rounds against the already mentioned Muhammad Ali before succumbing due to the significant size difference. More than for his jab, though, the Sheriff of Albuquerque is remembered for his deadly KOs, achieved with sudden, lightning-fast punches that struck like a cobra. Similarly to what Thomas Hearns would do in the welterweight division years later, Foster towered over his 175-pound opponents, dominating them in height and reach, and delivering his punches with surprising power.
Roy Jones Jr: Don’t Try This at Home!
When a TV show demonstrates actions that are dangerous to replicate, a “Don’t try this at home!” warning often appears. Well, Roy Jones Jr would have done well to stamp that on his shorts, given how difficult and potentially counterproductive it was to imitate his style. Constantly low arms, punches thrown from afar, trajectories never seen before: Roy brought to the ring everything that usually infuriates a boxing coach, but he did so with excellent results. This was made possible by physical attributes unique in history, including extraordinary muscle reactivity and superhero-like reflexes. His natural talents were so exceptional that even world-class boxers like Bernard Hopkins and James Toney, destined to be remembered for their astonishing careers, were rendered utterly powerless against Jones. His speed was so prodigious that it allowed him to compete in the heavyweight division, donning the WBA belt. Sure, his opponent, American John Ruiz, wasn’t the best heavyweight of that era, but considering that Jones had started his career as a middleweight, it was still an extraordinary feat.
Bob Foster vs Roy Jones Jr: The Fantasy Fight
Weight class: light heavyweights. Scheduled rounds: 12.
One thing is certain: both Bob Foster and Roy Jones Jr, in fighting each other, would have faced an opponent unlike any they had ever encountered in their 175-pound careers. Foster had a long and dominant reign among light heavyweights, but none of the title challengers he put in their place one after another are remembered for their exploits in the ring. Similarly, Roy Jones Jr secured his best scalps among middleweights and super middleweights, while in the light heavyweight division, he feasted on fighters mostly inadequate for competing at boxing’s highest levels or at least not possessing the explosive, paralyzing power of Foster.
Accustomed to stepping into the ring with the confidence of someone who knows he has no rivals, Jones might have struggled with the Sheriff’s jab for a couple of rounds before finding his rhythm. Once he realized he was facing a formidable opponent not to be underestimated, it’s the writer’s opinion that the Lightning of Pensacola would have managed to time his opponent and gradually take the lead. The continuous use of feints, the unpredictability of his combinations, and, of course, his execution speed would have likely allowed Roy to solve the puzzle posed by Foster’s long arms. Jones would have closed the distance occasionally, landing two or three consecutive punches before returning to defense.
A fight like this would have certainly tested Bob Foster’s durability, forcing him to absorb hard punches and grit his teeth, and it’s far from certain whether he would have succumbed. The writer’s impression is that, though shaken multiple times, the Sheriff would have withstood the storm while maintaining his focus. After all, Foster had tasted the punches of heavyweights many times in his career, fighting them and losing his health only for the higher paydays. In contrast, while Jones could undoubtedly hit hard even as a light heavyweight, he wasn’t as physically imposing at 175 pounds as he was in the lower categories and often needed multiple punches to find a KO.
Assuming he managed to avoid being knocked out, Foster could have relied, as the rounds progressed, on an asset no opponent subdued by Roy Jones possessed to the same extent: the punch that turns out the lights, the characteristic “whip” punch you don’t see coming, whose effects you only understand when you open your eyes and see the ceiling. With his reckless style in the ring, Roy Jones Jr left, albeit never for more than a split second, openings in his defense. No one, while the American was at the peak of his form, managed to exploit them, but if there’s a boxer among all the light heavyweights who ever lived who might have had the arm speed, the eye, and the venomous power to do so, it was Bob Foster. Fans of Roy Jones reading this piece will likely cast a century-old curse on me, but my “fantasy prediction” is that the Sheriff of Albuquerque, clearly behind on points, would have suddenly landed the decisive blow, turning everything around in less than a second.
Fantasy Prediction: Roy Jones Jr would have dropped a few rounds at the start before fully grasping the opponent’s worth and adopting the right tactics. Once the study phase was complete, the Pensacola athlete would have started racking up points using a lot of feints and quick combinations, managing to shake his opponent on some occasions. Foster would have gritted his teeth before pulling a rabbit out of the hat with a sudden KO from one of his lethal rights. Result: Bob Foster wins by KO in the last quarter of the fight.