When we fight fans think of an underrated great, or, perhaps, an underappreciated great, one or two light-heavyweight names crop up, or maybe more. For me, a certain “Ice” cold fighter, as in cold yet quite beautifully skilled, as well as willing to fight the cream and rise above, ranks highly here.
How many fighters can say today that they were the first to defeat Roy Jones Jr, that they were the first man to defeat James Toney twice, and that they faced Jones and Toney, twice each, inside a two-and-a-half year period?
Montell “Ice” Griffin is the man, and the man from Chicago is interested in seeing what happens tonight, when today’s best 175 pounders – Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev – go at it, for all the marbles.
Montell – who exited with a fine 50-8-1(30) record, his retirement coming in 2011 – is busy these days, with him training fighters, accepting awards, and other things, yet the former champ still kindly took some time out to comment on the big one that will go down in Riyadh just a few hours from now.
And “Ice” spoke about how he and former rival Jones Jr would have done against today’s 175 pound duo.
Q: Firstly, champ, what is your pick for the Beterbiev Vs. Bivol fight?
Montell Griffin: “To me, Bivol is the better boxer, and he is the younger boxer, that should be able to outbox Beterbiev. But for sure, Beterbiev will very much have a puncher’s chance, and for all 12 rounds.”
Q: It’s a great fight, today. But how would you have done with Bivol and/or Beterbiev? You of course defeated the best of the best in James Toney (twice) and Roy Jones………
M.G: “I’d have boxed them both. Against Beterbiev, I would move to my right, to stay away from his power. Against Bivol, I would have boxed, boxed, boxed to see which one of the two of us got hit the least.”
Q: You feel you would have won a decision over both Beterbiev and Bivol?
M.G: “I would try my best, no doubt. And to be honest, I just don’t see either of them being able to really hit me….they’re both big, but slow.”
Q: And Roy Jones, who you went 1-1 with, would he have beaten these two in your opinion?
M.G: “Roy Jones, before he went up to the heavyweight division, he would have been way too fast – he was really fast – for both of them.”
Interesting stuff from the former light-heavyweight king.
Agree or disagree: Griffin, and Jones Jr, would have had too much for both of today’s best at 175 pounds?
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