A beef between active fighters is common, and to a great extent, accepted. It often helps hype a bout. But a feud between retired legends? That’s harder to justify. Then again, things change when the names involved are as big as Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Roy Jones Jr. Their ongoing tension has been grabbing headlines in recent weeks. Two of boxing’s modern-era greats are trading jabs outside the ring. The back-and-forth has gained serious traction and shows no signs of slowing.

It’s become a battle of legacies. Jones Jr. questioned Mayweather’s carefully protected record. In response, Mayweather fired back, highlighting some of the more humiliating defeats Jones suffered during his career. Now, a new twist has made the Mayweather-Jones Jr. saga even more intriguing. In a subtle but pointed swipe, Roy Jones Jr. raised fresh questions about Mayweather’s undefeated record. Perhaps more significantly, touching on an angle that, until now, had gone largely undiscussed.

A Box Nation reporter recently broached the touchy subject with Roy Jones Jr. during a wide-ranging discussion on boxing. “What is going on with Floyd Mayweather?” they asked. Jones Jr.’s response was immediate: “I don’t know what’s going on with him.” But he didn’t stop there. Instead, he posed a question of his own: “Who did he (Floyd) beat that was Black in his prime, that was in their prime, that was on his level? Nobody.”

He elaborated further: “When you mention great fighters, right, 90% of your great fighters are Black, the ones from the past. Now, with the Eastern Bloc coming on, like, they’re all going to be some great ones coming on…as you see, these guys are going to be great; they’re going to start eclipsing and be coming up there too, but right now if you had to name five of the best fighters of all time, four of them are going to be Black.”

Jones Jr. pointed to Sugar Ray Leonard as a standout example, praising his victories over prime versions of Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns, and Roberto Durán. “No matter what color they were, he beat all of them at their prime,” the legend said. He acknowledged Mayweather’s greatness. Still, Jones made it clear he wouldn’t place him above fighters like Leonard, Hearns, and Hagler. They have already proven themselves at the highest level.

Later, Jones Jr. explained that the beef reportedly began when he claimed that Sugar Ray Leonard would have beaten Floyd Mayweather with ease.

When legends disagree: Floyd Mayweather vs. Roy Jones Jr.

In a conversation with Andre Ward on All The Smoke, Jones Jr. emphasized that Leonard was simply on a different level. “Floyd is not nearly as mean as Sugar,” he said, adding, “I like Floyd, and Floyd’s cool, but it’s like Floyd didn’t fight that close to Sugar… Sugar kind of did what he wanted to do with Floyd. And it’s like it’s going to be hard for me to see how they’re going to take it and beat Sugar. I mean, they’d have to do something different.”

Tensions had already been simmering. Jones Jr. had earlier criticized Mayweather for not showing enough respect to Muhammad Ali. In response, Mayweather posted a diss video showing clips of Jones Jr. being knocked out in various fights.

Now, wherever Roy Jones Jr. goes, he’s swarmed with questions about Mayweather. Perhaps that’s expected. Two legends, whose legacies are otherwise undisputed, are airing their differences so publicly. With fans following the saga closely, all eyes are now on the Mayweather camp for a potential response.

The wait-and-watch game continues.

Do you think it’s time for Floyd Mayweather and Roy Jones Jr. to bury the hatchet and move on?