The ongoing beef between Floyd Mayweather and Roy Jones Jr. has become a thing of its own. What began as a simple opinion from Jones on Andre Ward’s show, where he stated that a prime Sugar Ray Leonard would beat Mayweather if they had ever fought, has now escalated to a full-on verbal sparring. In response to Jones’ comments, Mayweather mocked him openly by replaying some of Jones’ most notable knockout losses, and him sitting in front of the TV enjoying them in leisure. The open disrespect rubbed the boxing legend the wrong way. Calling out the undefeated star, the 56-year-old suggested they settle the matter in an actual fight rather than the taunts online. Since then, it’s been radio silence.

Yesterday, in an exclusive interview with The Ring, Roy Jones Jr clarified that he does not view it as personal hostility. “It’s not really no beef. It’s like I don’t have beef with Floyd,” he said, making it clear his comments were not rooted in malice. Despite this, on his earlier remarks about a fantasy matchup between Floyd and Sugar Ray, he still stood firm. “Do I think Floyd beat Sugar Ray? Hell no. I bet my whole life today that he won’t beat a prime Sugar Ray Leonard. I am sorry, but like I tell people, it’s just a fact,” he stated. Jones’ strong conviction reflects his belief that Leonard’s style, skill, and resume would have given him the edge over Mayweather.

Roy Jones Jr. then shifted his focus to Floyd Mayweather’s career record. “What top black fighter did Floyd Mayweather even face and beat, handling, in their prime when he was in his prime? Not one,” he claimed, questioning the validity of his 50-0 record. He also pointed to Mayweather’s 2007 fight with Oscar De La Hoya as an example, stating, “Then you fought a De La Hoya when he was older, and you struggled with him.”

Then, bringing Floyd Mayweather Sr. into the discussion, the 1988 Seoul Olympic Silver medalist declared, “Your daddy say you lost. You understand me? So it is like, man, I am entitled to my own opinion… You gonna get mad about that, then come see me. I mean, you think you can whoop me still? I ain’t said no. Let’s go. So it’s just like if you gonna get mad about my opinion, come on.” By invoking Mayweather Sr., Jones was pointing out that even Floyd’s own father had admitted that De La Hoya had won the fight. Jones’ message was clear—if Mayweather Jr. takes issue with his opinion, the two can settle it directly, either through conversation or in the ring.

Further, explaining why he has no problem with the idea of fighting Floyd Mayweather, the 1990s Boxing Writers Association of America Fighter of the Decade recipient said, “I fight for a living. I don’t do all the cherry picking when I fight. So if it is beef, you want to make it beef, come on.”

So while he seems ready to settle things in the ring, Mayweather has yet to offer his own response. Interestingly, Jones is not alone in this stance as another former world champion and Roy Jones Jr’s former rival also shares his opinion about ‘Money’ Mayweather’s career.

James Toney clowns Floyd Mayweather with ‘prime’ reminder

In an interview last month with Fight Hype, James Toney weighed in on the Roy Jones Jr. and Floyd Mayweather feud, stating, “I saw it, I saw it. I don’t know how it happened but if Floyd fights him, Floyd’s 0 is gonna go.” The 56-year-old, who suffered his first career loss to Roy Jones Jr. in November 1994, was later asked who he believed was the better fighter in their respective primes.

Without hesitation, Toney delivered a sharp reminder aimed at embarrassing Mayweather: “Roy Jones. The reason why is because Roy fought everyone in their prime. Floyd fought everyone after their prime.” While it’s true that Mayweather was actually older than most of his opponents, aside from Shane Mosley and Oscar De La Hoya, when he fought them, Toney argues that this fact doesn’t change his point. And in his view, Mayweather strategically avoided facing many opponents when they were at their absolute best.

With that in mind, the big question is: Would Floyd Mayweather come out of retirement after eight years? And is he brave enough to risk his unblemished 50-0 record? What do you think?