Roy Jones Jr has named a fellow Hall of Famer whose speed would have posed major problems if they ever collided in the ring.
The American possessed extraordinary speed himself, particularly during his dominant surge between middle and light-heavyweight, where his only defeat came against Montell Griffin in 1997.
Even then, Jones was merely disqualified for hitting Griffin while he was down on one knee, and ultimately won their rematch by first-round stoppage later that year.
Irrespective of that blemish, the pound-for-pound legend was almost untouchable throughout his prime years, but nonetheless admits that fellow icon Sugar Ray Leonard would have been a difficult match-up.
While Jones was arguably most effective between 168 and 175lbs, Leonard claimed two of his most significant victories – against Tommy Hearns and Roberto Duran – at 147lbs.
He then stepped up to middleweight and, most notably, edged a razor-thin split decision against Marvin Hagler, before rematching Hearns at a catchweight of 164lbs in 1989.
By this point, Leonard was past his best and yet, even at middleweight, ‘Sugar Ray’ would have been considered a fierce opponent for Jones.
In a social media clip reposted by BeeBoxing, Jones explains that Leonard’s speed and spite would have caused him issues.
“I never really wanted to fight [Leonard]. I knew that, [against] a fast fighter like him, the jab is your problem – you can’t [keep] the jab in his face.
“If you let him move around and do what he [wants to] do, he’s going to beat you, because he’s very explosive and he’s very mean.”
In the end, Leonard finally retired after losing to Hector Camacho in 1997, yet it must be said that both he and Jones were shadows of their former selves by the time they hung up the gloves.
