The war of words between Roy Jones Jr. and Floyd Mayweather has shown no signs of slowing down over the summer, as the legends clearly don’t like each other.
However, Mayweather’s uncle Jeff tried to calm things down after Jones accused the undefeated legend of lacking respect for the greats who came before him.
Speaking to Ring Champs, Jones criticized Mayweather for comments he made about Muhammad Ali, questioning Floyd’s respect for boxing’s pioneers.
Roy Jones on Floyd Mayweather
“One thing I don’t like is that he does not respect elders. You talk about Muhammad Ali getting beaten by an 8-0 fighter (Spinks). That 8-0 fighter was an Olympian, who was a monster.
“If you had a monster like that in your weight class, you wouldn’t fight him at that time. You understand where I am coming from?
“So that being said, you are disrespecting the greatest fighter of all time, and if you’re disrespecting him, you will disrespect anybody. So you have no respect.
“Well, when you see me, you are going to have some respect, because if I want to get it, we can get it. I am going to earn my respect.”
Despite his hard-hitting words, Jones insisted that his stance is not personal.
“I never do [say disrespectful things]. I am not the disrespectful type of guy; that’s not who I am. The reason I am not disrespectful is that when I say something, I am ready to die for it.
“So if I say this, I am going to die for this. Do you understand me?”
Jones even compared his position to debates over basketball greats, saying opinions are part of sporting discourse but that he stands firmly behind his views.
“I don’t think LeBron (James) is not a great player, if not one of the greatest players of all time. But if you ask me my opinion, which I am entitled to, do you think LeBron or Mike (Michael Jordan)? I am going to say Mike, because I saw what Mike went through.
“That’s just my opinion, but I will fight about my opinions. So if you have a problem with my opinions, whatever, call my house, it ain’t changed.”
Jeff Mayweather plays peacemaker
While the comments from Jones sparked speculation about a possible clash, Jeff Mayweather dismissed the idea that things need to turn physical.
On The Mayweather Channel, Jeff cooled talk of a fight between the two legends.
“Why do they need to fight? He said something to you, like you said something to him. It doesn’t mean they need to fight. They both did the same thing to each other.”
For now, it seems the heated exchange remains a battle of words, not fists, though with boxing’s history of grudges turning into ring spectacles or exhibitions, the door may never be fully closed.
About the Author
Phil Jay is a veteran boxing journalist with over 15 years of experience covering the global fight scene. As Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News since 2010, Jay has interviewed dozens of world champions and reported ringside on boxing’s biggest nights. [View all articles by Phil Jay] and learn more about his work in combat sports journalism.