THE JOURNEYMANS JOURNEYMAN RALPH TIGER JONES

ralph tiger jones was what we used to call a blue coller fighter.nothing fantsy but he got the job done..a fighter today who reminds me of jones is glen johnson..guys who will fight you anytime anywhere and against anybody on a short notice.there tough durable hang in there and make you work your ass off..
jones in reality was the ultimate jouneyman..dont get me wrong tiger was noo stiff.he was a decent fighter to the point that for 5 or 6 years he bounched in and out of ring magzines rankings..he had muscles behind his neck that looked like a six pack of abbs.in 89 fights he was stoped only one..he always moved foward and had a determination about him..
if you wanted to keep your top figher active and no one wanted to fight you you called tiger..no problem where and when was always jones reply.
thats why you saw him on tv maybe 20 times.you had a fighter ready to make it and you wanted to test him..tiger jones was the man..his 52-32-5 record makes you think a stiff..think again.because your in for a fight and a workout.
jones was best known for solidly beating sugar ray robinson in rays first comback fight..
who called on tigers service..hall of famers laslo papp bo bo olsen ray robinson joey giardello 3 times kid gavin 3 times gene fullmer twice and thats just hall of famers..how about world champs like paul pender johnny saxton twice and johnny bratton twice..hey ralphs not done yet..how about long time top ten fantastic fighters like rocky castelanni twice charley humez twice joey giambra twice as well as other contenders like pete mueller boby dykes del flanagan chico vejar joe denucci 3 times rory calhoun twice and the great ko artist edwardo lausse..tigers still not done yet..add about a half dozen top prospects and its a miracle that jones was stoped only once..
this ralph tiger jones was not a great fighter.not a elite fighter.just one decent hard fighting upscale jouneyman..the best or one of the best ever at that level.i respect him greatly cause he had no excuses.he avoided noobody..yep anytime anywhere anybody..thats what the defintion of a real fighter is..tiger jones indeed was that....

I remember two things about Jones. He was built like a freaking bodybuilder. Hell he made Emile Griffith's physique look ordinary.

The second was just how badly he beat Robinson. It was just as one-sided a ten round fight as you will ever see. Robinson looked like his legs were gone and Jones rolled like a freight train going downhill.

very informative dmar. good job.

Here's Tiger Jones fighting contender Johnny Bratton.

guys heres a cute short story carmen basilio told me..a manager had a good prospect and called the syracuse promoter to see about a possible bout at the war memorial there..he said my boy needs a workout..the promoter said yes i can line up ralph tiger jones..the manager reply jones thats a fight.i said my boy needs a workout not a fight..
come to think of it anytime you talked to carmen you had a workout.hed jab you in the arm often in a friendly manner if he like you..what a loveable guy..

The late Bennie Briscoe may have fell in this category.

WinstonSmith wrote:The late Bennie Briscoe may have fell in this category.

Benny was MUCH better than a journeyman in my mind.

i agree.

Provodnikov should watch him. That's the exact style he should have.

i think that he is an example of a true journeyman. i dont think that they really exist nowadays. the only one that i can think of in recent memory is emanual augustus.

powerpuncher wrote:i think that he is an example of a true journeyman. i dont think that they really exist nowadays. the only one that i can think of in recent memory is emanual augustus.

I think Bika is and is the guy I thought of watching that clip.

Gumby wrote:

powerpuncher wrote:i think that he is an example of a true journeyman. i dont think that they really exist nowadays. the only one that i can think of in recent memory is emanual augustus.

I think Bika is and is the guy I thought of watching that clip.

i guess it depends on your definition. when i think of a journeyman, i think of someone who doesnt have a good record and has lost a bunch of good fighters and occasionally beaten a few. bika isnt a journeyman because he is probably a top 10 contender. i would say a journeyman is pretty far down on the rankings but always fights the best and occasionally wins once in a while.

marbleheadmaui wrote:

WinstonSmith wrote:The late Bennie Briscoe may have fell in this category.

Benny was MUCH better than a journeyman in my mind.

Bennie was one of my most admIred fighters of all-time,but he came up a tad short against the elite fighters.On second thought,he was a notch or two above journeyman.

Perosnally, I feel if "Carlos Monzon" had not been the MW champ, Bennie Briscoe's chances at being champion would've really improved. Unless I'm mistaken, I think he once fought Monzon to a 10 round draw. It was when he challenged Carlos for the title that he got in trouble. Monzon beat him from pillar to post. Out of nowhere, Bennie winded up and hit Monzon low. With Monzon squirming on the canvas, somebody yelled out, "Bennie, why'd ya do that?" Bennie replied, "Did you see the way that motherucker was kicking my ass?"

winston randy thats correct on bennie.in his era monzon hagler rodreigo valdez were the elite of the middles..bennie and a half dozen or better of the middles were all good high level guys and briscoe fit well in that mix.
comparing him to jones theres a great common ground between the 2 in these ways.1.both had the attitude of ill fight anyone anytime anywhere and they did.they feared no one2.both came to fight with a mental determination of lets get it on.3. both were agressive type guys.no dog in them whatsoever.
i respect greatly both fighters.both were my kind of fighters..if boxing today had all tiger jones or briscoe type of guys and no floyd haye type of guys why we would be in golden era number 3..

Dmar, I have to say this about "Bad Bennie." An "over the hill" Briscoe fought Marvin Hagler in his last fight. When I got a chance to look back at the fight, I was surprised to see that this was the only MW I ever saw Hagler fight who appeared stronger than he was. Bennie may've lost a 10 round unanimous decision in the bout promoted as "Battle of the Bald Heads", but considering the history of Hagler, I think Bennie made quite a statement.