“Is Ali the same fighter [who got beaten] by a fighter with seven fights? Leon Spinks beat Muhammad Ali when he [had] only had seven fights… Roy Jones and Muhammad Ali [are] the same fighter, [their] defense is their legs… once their legs went away… then the rope-a-dope, right?” This is what started it all. Floyd Mayweather, who made a staggering $1.2 billion during his 21-year-long boxing career, truly believed this statement, made during a 2020 interview on Club Shay Shay. However, Roy Jones Jr. appears to be ready to show him the reality. However, Roy Jones Jr. has since taken great offense to that statement. For him, there’s more to boxing, and Muhammad Ali embodies it.

In a recent appearance on the ‘All the Smoke Fight’ podcast alongside Andre Ward, the boxing legend addressed the recent bubbling feud between him and Mayweather. He said, “I ain’t never had nothing against Floyd. I still don’t have [anything] against Floyd today.” While acknowledging Mayweather’s superior skills in the ring, Jones added, “Floyd said it [himself], Floyd chose currency over legacy,” a choice he respects because, in his words, “it’s the truth.” So, what exactly is the reason Roy Jones Jr. feels Floyd Mayweather is not one of the greats?

“[Mayweather] can’t disrespect Muhammad Ali and think I’m okay with that [because] Muhammad Ali is why I started boxing,” Jones Jr. revealed. The 56-year-old took Mayweather’s comments on Ali as a slight equal to disrespecting his own parents, adding, “Don’t tell me he ain’t the GOAT.” Ward quickly chimed in, disagreeing with Jones’ claim that Mayweather chose money over legacy. “I didn’t say I said that. I said Floyd said,” Jones Jr. clarified. When Ward pressed whether he truly believed it, a confident Jones Jr. confirmed he did.

Ward argued that Mayweather had faced many great boxers, but Jones Jr. shot back, “He fought a lot of great fighters. But which great fighter did he fight in their prime that was on his level?” He mentioned Canelo Alvarez but claimed Canelo hadn’t reached his prime when Mayweather defeated him. Canelo was only 23 at the time. So, Ward countered, “That’s relative though, [because] I mentioned Diego Corrales and you said no.”

“Corrales went to prison. He wasn’t in his prime…,” Jones Jr. argued. “No, Diego wasn’t dangerous like that. Diego was dangerous with the guy he had three fights with. They were evenly matched.” But Ward continued to press further. When the former champion brought up Genaro Hernandez, Jones seemed fed up, noting Hernandez was a good Mexican fighter but not on Mayweather’s level. “I like Genaro, but Genaro was actually at the end of his day, too, then.” Then Ward asked if Jones felt Mayweather had fought any good fighters in his career. 

“He fought some good people. I ain’t saying [he fought] nobody good. I’m saying [no one was] on his level…,” Jones Jr. explained. The Seoul Olympic silver medalist asked Andre Ward if Andre Berto was at his best when he fought Mayweather in 2015. Ward admitted, “Not at that time.” Ward then mentioned Ricky Hatton, pointing out that Mayweather defeated an undefeated Ricky Hatton, who was 43-0 at the time he fought the undefeated star. However, Jones claimed Manny Pacquiao had also done it, only after. When Ward highlighted that Mayweather defeated Hatton first, Jones Jr. said during the podcast, “It is a blueprint. You look at him, you know what he is. He’s simple.”

Clearly, Roy Jones Jr. isn’t a big fan of Floyd Mayweather, as he discredited Mayweather’s record—but what exactly started it all off?

What sparked the recent feud between Floyd Mayweather and Roy Jones Jr.?

Although Jones and Mayweather had feuded publicly in the past, their recent tussle began back in June. Roy Jones Jr. appeared on the ‘All the Smoke Fight’ podcast with Andre Ward, where he claimed that a prime Sugar Ray Leonard would’ve beaten Floyd Mayweather. “To me, people don’t give him enough credit. People always say, ‘Floyd would have beaten Sugar,’” Jones Jr. said. 

“No, baby, Floyd is not nearly as mean as Sugar was,” he added. Mayweather seemed to have been offended by this statement, as he shared a video on social media of himself watching Jones Jr. getting knocked out during his fights. This infuriated Jones Jr., who stated that he was ready to fight Mayweather in or out of the ring, intensifying their animosity.

Things had calmed down in the past couple of weeks, but it appears Roy Jones Jr. isn’t quite done poking the bear. Whether Mayweather shares another response is yet to be seen. What do you make of Jones Jr.’s claims?