Roy Jones Jr. Blasts Floyd Mayweather Jr. Again

The most unexpected storyline in boxing this year has been the heated back-and-forth between Hall of Famers Floyd Mayweather and Roy Jones Jr. The verbal sparring began when Jones told The Ring that a prime Sugar Ray Leonard would have beaten Mayweather and further criticized Mayweather for not naming Muhammad Ali as the greatest of all time.

Mayweather responded with a social media video showing clips of Jones’ knockout losses. That prompted Jones to fire back, calling the move “low class” and challenging Mayweather to settle things in the ring.

“If you are going to get mad about it, come see me. You think you can whoop me still? I never said no. Let’s go. I fight, I don’t do all that cherry picking,” Jones said.

Jones’ Resume Critique

The former four-division champion questioned the strength of Mayweather’s record, pointing to what he sees as a lack of prime, elite-level opponents.

“What top Black fighter did Floyd ever face and beat handily in their prime? Not one,” Jones argued. “He struggled with an old Oscar De La Hoya… Canelo was young, and he fought Manny Pacquiao after he was knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez. He didn’t fight Terence Crawford.”

In contrast, Jones praised Manny Pacquiao for fighting “everyone who was at his level,” suggesting Pacquiao’s career was richer in competitive legacy, even if Mayweather earned more money.

“In my humble opinion… Pacquiao had a better career than Mayweather had. He didn’t make the money Mayweather made, but he fought the fights that were supposed to be fought, when it was time to fight them.”

Legacy vs. Currency

Jones recalled a past conversation in Dubai where Mayweather told him he “chose currency over legacy,” and said that coupled with Mayweather’s dismissal of Ali as the GOAT changed how he viewed him.

“You made more money than anyone else, and that’s what you think makes you the GOAT in boxing? No it does not. Face the facts, brother.”

The feud has quickly evolved from a debate over all-time greats to a personal challenge between two of boxing’s biggest names one still undefeated in the record books, the other unafraid to call him out.