Roy Jones Jr. Breaks Down Why He Doesn’t Consider Floyd Mayweather Jr. A Top Boxer Of All Time?

Roy Jones Jr. does not consider Floyd Mayweather Jr a top-five boxer of all time and recently explained why. The 56-year-old combat great appeared on Ring Champs this week and was asked where Money Mayweather stood among the all-time greats, specifically whether he was top five or not. “No, not in my book,” Jones said. “Maybe top 10 in my book, but not top five.” The Pensacola, Fla. native clarified that he believes Mayweather is a highly capable and talented boxer, but there was one specific box that he did not check in his career. “Here’s what my problem is […] who did Floyd fight that was on his level when he fought them? Only [Canelo Alvarez], that’s it. Don’t give me that stuff about the other guy that was going to prison.” One of the hosts mentioned Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao, but Jones emphatically stated that Cotto was not up to par with Mayweather. He said that Cotto was “already done” and is only considered an all-time great among Puerto Rican boxers. As for PacMan, Jones felt like he wasn’t on Mayweather’s level because he had gotten knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez three years before he got into the ring with the Money Team leader. “If [he] had fought him four years [prior], it would have been something,” Jones Jr. exclaimed. “[He] waited until Marquez knocked him out, and then he fought him. If I wait until somebody beats James Toney before I fight him, do I get credit for being the greatest fighter of all-time, cause I beat James Toney? No, I don’t! So my point is, [Mayweather] didn’t do it the right way.” Jones Jr. also pointed out how Mayweather seemingly struggled against Oscar De La Hoya and Shane Mosley, who were well past their prime, which further raises questions about how he would have fared against talents on his level in their primes. Jones Jr. believed that Paul Williams and Amir Khan were two boxers whom Mayweather Jr. could have taken on during his run that would validate his status as one of the greatest of all time. Notably, he didn’t just spend this interview jaw-jacking about what Floyd didn’t do, but also suggested something he could do in the future to earn more of his respect.

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