“Floyd Mayweather was TBE at making money, but look at his highlights and look at mine.” That’s what Roy Jones Jr. said about Floyd Mayweather way back in 2018. Could he have known that seven years later, a single podcast appearance and a casual comparison to Sugar Ray Leonard would spark a full-blown feud? Unlikely. Yet here we are—and now, Mayweather’s longtime rival, Manny Pacquiao, has entered the conversation.
After retiring from boxing in 2018, ‘Superman’ Jones Jr. returned to the ring for a bout against Anthony Pettis in 2023. Since then, he’s remained active in the boxing world, frequently appearing on podcasts. During one such appearance on the All the Smoke Fight podcast, Jones Jr. stirred controversy by downplaying Mayweather’s abilities while praising Leonard, placing the iconic welterweight above the sport’s richest star. So, what exactly did he say?
“To me, people don’t give him enough credit. People always say, ‘Well, Floyd would have beaten Sugar.’ No baby, Floyd is not nearly as mean as Sugar was,” he said during the podcast. “How? How you gonna keep him off him? Sugar is a dog. People don’t understand. Just because his name’s Sugar don’t mean nothing! Sugar is a dog, people don’t give him enough credit for that.” As you might have guessed, this didn’t sit well with Floyd Mayweather, who hung up his gloves in 2017 after defeating Conor McGregor. And he did what many fans would imagine him doing!
NBA, Basketball Herren, USA Finals-Denver Nuggets at Miami Heat Jun 7, 2023 Miami, Florida, USA Floyd Mayweather Jr. attends game three of the 2023 NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets at Kaseya Center. Miami Kaseya Center Florida USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xKylexTeradax 20230607_jcd_st3_0014
He shared a handful of clips a few days ago, where ‘Money’ can be seen watching Roy Jones Jr. getting knocked out by the likes of Antonio Tarver, Glen Johnson, Danny Green, and Enzo Maccarinelli. The subtle dig had created quite the commotion among fans, but boxing’s only eight-division champion, Manny Pacquiao, isn’t a big fan, as he issued a blunt message for the four-division champion.
“I don’t like to [compare]… what we have done,” Pacquiao said when asked about his thoughts on Jones’ comparison of Mayweather and Ray Leonard in an interview with Fight Hype. “As long as we accomplish something that inspires the boxing fans all over the world, and you’re the contributor [to the] boxing industry like all of us.” Disagreeing with Jones Jr.’s actions, ‘Pac-Man’ clarified that he wouldn’t want his accomplishments to be compared to someone else’s. “I don’t like that,” he concluded.
Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather’s 2015 clash remains the highest-grossing pay-per-view boxing event in history. Although Pacquiao—who is set to return to the ring at age 46 against WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios on July 19—lost that bout, he appeared to take Roy Jones Jr.’s recent comments about Mayweather as a sign of disrespect. Regardless, Jones Jr. hasn’t backed down and seems to have fired back at Mayweather since.
Roy Jones Jr. issues a warning to Floyd Mayweather after a message from Manny Pacquiao
The 56-year-old Pensacola native insisted he meant no disrespect to Floyd Mayweather with his comparison to Sugar Ray Leonard, framing his comments as nothing more than personal opinion—something he believes he’s entitled to. Still, Jones Jr. made it clear he’s not afraid to face any fallout that might come from speaking his mind.
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Roy Jones jr. (li.) gegen David Telesco (beide USA) – PUBLICATION ONLY FOR GERMAN, SWISS, AUSTRIAN AND HUNGARIAN MEDIA (Icon6510875); Vdig, quer WBC, WBA, IBF Weltmeisterschaft 2000, Boxsport, Profiboxen, Halbschwergewicht New York Boxen WM Herren Einzel Gruppenbild Aktion Personen
“I know we play games, and people have issues and people have opinions. It’s cool too,” Jones Jr. said in a video he shared on his Instagram account. “I got opinions and I’m allowed to say my opinions or speak my opinions,” he added. He then followed up with a message for Mayweather, stating, “If somebody was trying to send me a subliminal message, it worked because if you want to prove that you’re better than me, I’m always ready to go.”
It’s unlikely that these two boxing legends would take their issues to the ring, given their massive weight difference. But you never know, especially thanks to the trend of veterans returning to the ring. Who do you think is in the wrong?
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