In an exclusive interview four-weight world champion Roy Jones Jr reveals:
- He would come out of retirement to fight Andrew Tate and break the bank
- A fight with Tommy Fury, who has called out Mike Tyson, is another potential fight if he returns to the ring and only Turki Al Alshikh could afford to put the fight on
- He believes Jake Paul will beat Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, Oleksandr Usyk beats Daniel Dubois and should then retire, and Tyson Fury should return for one final fight against Anthony Joshua
Only Andre Ward of the current fighters would trouble me - if I came out of retirement then I am aiming for a Cruiserweight world title
I don’t have anybody in particular, but I would definitely, if I came out of retirement, be looking for a Cruiserweight belt because I didn’t gain one while I was fighting, I’ddefinitely be aiming at that - or to build up to that. Fight a couple of opponents, get back used to being in the ring.
If my body held up and got in good shape, I wouldn't have many problems. Today, the main thing is strength and conditioning, you need to last 12 rounds. The skill part is a walk in the park for me.
Nobody has a style that would trouble me. The only style that might have done is Andre Ward, he fights at a different distance and has an unusual style. He is a very good athlete, made a lot of good adjustments in his career so he would have been the hardest to fight. The only other fighter that might have given me a problem until I figured him out would have been Usyk.
The fact he is not a power puncher, he keeps it mixed in the middle, you make it difficult for guys to catch you because you are never over extending to land a big shot. He knows how to keep pressure at 60 per cent, not turned up all the time, he can turn it up when necessary and that is the smartest fighter you will find, he is the smartest at this time. Tank [Davis] can do it a little bit too, he goes up and down. Terrence Crawford can do it well, Canelo too, but Usyk is the best at it right now.
I’d like to fight Andrew Tate if I came out of retirement - it would make a big splash
There are a lot of guys people would love to see me fight. Andrew Tate, he’s very controversial, he knows his boxing stuff a little, he's been watching me a long time, he says some very good things and sometimes not, but I like his guts, that he is not afraid to express himself. That makes a boxer, someone not afraid to express themselves. I’d like to fight him, he has one of the bigger platforms and would make the biggest splash.
I don’t think Jake Paul is on PEDs
I wouldn’t put the man on PEDs, you can’treally tell or say unless you have people testing, you don’t know. In today’s society and today’s time, more people simply care about the buck, not how they get there, so if they can get the buck it doesn't matter to them. There are a lot of people failing the PED test that shouldn’t be failing them.
Chavez Jr vs Paul is not under the radar - but people love to see either bad losses or big money fights
It’s not under the radar for two reasons. They know that he [Jake] beat Anderson Silva, and Anderson beat Chavez. So if he beat Chavez and Jake beat him, why should we think Jake won’t beat Chavez? Styles make fights.
People love bad losses or big money. Money is one thing, bad losing and a guy getting upset is another - people want to see that.
It’sintriguing, because we never know which Julio Chavez Jr will show up. If he comes to fight he could make it interesting but recently, we haven’t seen him come to fight. Last time we saw it was maybe when he fought Andy Lee but since then, we haven't seen him truly ready, I don't know if he takes it seriously any more. I think this is just a money grab for him, but if he came out and tried, he is capable of beating anybody. He was a pretty good boxer, he can upset anybody, if he comes out and tries, but he has done nothing lately to make the American public think that he is going to come out and try.
I think Jake stops him in the fifth or the sixth round.
Tommy Fury has called out Mike Tyson but if he wanted a bigger splash, he should fight me instead
He’s callingout Mike Tyson, Jake [Paul] just had a pretty easy night with him, so people might think he [Fury] would have an easy night with [Mike] Tyson. But, if you wanted to make a big splash, you could have come and seen Roy. That would have been a good fight. But if he wants Mike, he wants Mike.
It’s been rumbling on, I have always been interested in it, it is definitely a fight I would take for sure. If the money was right, but I can't make them decide they want to fight Roy Jones Jr.
The last time we saw [Mike] Tyson he had some difficulties as he wasn’thimself, we haven't seen Roy Jones not be himself.
It would attract global attraction. If I came back it would be like when George Foreman and Muhammad Ali came back, because of who they were in their primes. Because of who I was in my prime it would attract global attention. People understand and hear that name, they get excited because they know of the name and what it brought to them, even if they saw a small glimpse of that and didn’t get injured, they would be happy.
I am a good friend of their family, I have no hatred towards them, but it would be exciting. I know he [Tommy] is looking for a big name and I am a big name, I did a lot for Tyson a few years back that if he got in shape he would beat everybody in the heavyweight decision and he did just that. Maybe some gratitude to come back, hey Roy, letsmake a big fight with Tommy.
John Fury would definitely allow Tommy to fight me - only Turki could afford to make it happen tough
Of course he would, John is a fighter himself, he wanted to fight Mike Tyson, you think he wouldn’t let his son fight me? Him and Mike can be the co-main event. We are all fighters at heart forever, I love them all as they are all good people and all fighters at heart.
Me and Tommy Fury as the main event, that would be a card. Only Turki could afford that one.
I told Tyson Fury at his lowest ebb to get in shape and dedicate yourself - and it worked
People told me what he was going through and I just told him to get in shape and dedicate yourself, none of these heavyweights can beat you. Usyk wasn’t a heavyweight at that time, none of the other guys could beat him, if you just got back in shape and dedicated yourself.
He did exactly that and had a six or seven year run. If he still loves it, because they are all fighters, if I were him I would only have one more fight, and only AJ [Anthony Joshua] in the UK.
It would be the biggest fight in the UK and people would finally get to see who is the best, they can finally answer that question they have been asking for years. Now, they are both at a point where they both have nothing to lose, if either of them really wanted to fight then they should fight each other.
If you want to fight, that is, don’tcome in out of shape and not take it seriously. Boxing is not a sport to play around with but if you do want one more fight, make it Anthony Joshua and call it a day.
Why would Usyk give his promoter a million every time he fights if he can deal directly with Turki
If you’re dealing directly with Turki, then why pay the promoter? Sometimes fighters feel like enough is enough, I don’t need you any more, why would I pay you another million dollars. He doesn’t need to.
It would be a loyalty thing maybe but it all depends on how their relationship was during the prime of his career. Could you have given him a break but you didn’t? Could you have given something better forhim but you didn't? Because if that was the case then he might say, first chance I get I am getting away from him and he has got away.
Usyk should retire if he beats Daniel Dubois - he has nothing else to prove
He has nothing else to prove if he does. What does he prove dropping down to cruiserweight? Nothing else.
MMA won’t damage his legacy, it has nothing to do with boxing. [Floyd] Mayweather's win over Conor McGregor didn’t affect his MMA career. I’d love to see him [Usyk] in the MMA cage, why not? I’d love to see how far he could go.
Dana White’s purse cap in boxing is a bad idea
Why would you put a cap on a fighter who never had a purse cap before? You can't go to the boxing world and say come and fight with me under a cap, who wants that? It’s not how boxing works at all.
White is a cool dude and I would have worked with him early in my career - with a few changes
I don’t really know. He is a cool dude, I have always liked how he has done things. Boxing is going to be a little difficult as it is not used to having a cap. If he came in and didn’t have a cap on the purse, he would have a great chance because of how he runs the UFC, outside of the money, ispretty good. The fighters might not think they get what they deserve but he makes the best fight the best, that's why they have surpassed boxing somewhat because UFC fans get to see the fights they want.
If we changed some things around then I would have worked with him, but we would have to change some things around, if we didn’t have a cap, yes I would have worked with him early in my career.
Paddy Pimblett would be earning between two and five million dollars a fight in boxing
He’d be earning between 2 and 5 million a fight in boxing if he moves the needle like he does, but with the UFC cap that doesn’t happen.
Jon Jones should be remembered as the GOAT of the UFC - you do need an edge as a fighter and that’s why he sometimes gets in trouble
He should be remembered as the GOAT, nobody beat him. Anybody that came to him, he took them out. I have shared the stage with Jon, he is one of the best people you would want to meet. He always had a formula for anything that was put up against him.
You do need to have an edge and I wish people would understand that. In today’s society, we are all human beings who can communicate, talk, why would a guy have the authority to just arrest you for no reason? He can take you to jail and just say he was being disrespectful to you - what about him being disrespectful to you? They don't put you in jail for that. A cop can be disrespectful to you and if you say something right back, he will put you in jail. It’s crazy, why does nobody talk about that side of it?
I have a lot of support for Jon. Keep your head up, get a good lawyer, but you always have to prepare for this because you know how it goes in this country. It’s sometimes best not to fight it on the spot,you’re going to lose every time. After the fact, now go and do something about it.
Jon is a very smart dude - he can be a good boxer too and break the bank if he got the technique right
I don’t know but the bad part about it is Jon can go and do other things and make money now, he can go box Jake Paul and break the bank. It is a viableoption, who wouldn't want to see him fight somebody? He is a very smart dude, who wouldn't want to see him box somebody?
He’s got good footwork so he will be good, you know he can fight, he’s undefeated, if he can learn the technique then he will make way more money.
We’re good friends but if it's going to break the bank then I’m sure he would be like Roy, let'sgo and make this money.
I don’t know if it is good or bad that Malik Scott has split with Deontay Wilder
I don't know how they worked together so it is hard to say if it is a good or a bad thing. For me, life is different, it is a tough thing to see and if a coach can figure out how to beat you then how can he better you? [Wilder beat Scott]
Wilder should fight Francis Ngannou if he wins this weekend
Ngannou - he doesn't have as much experience in boxing. He could also call him out but Wilder vs Jon Jones wouldn’t be bad either, you know? I’ve been matchmaking for years behind the scenes, nobody believes in what I say! If they listened to me then we would be a whole lot further off in the game than we are right now, they just don’t listen to me. Then let Roy Jones Jr train Jon Jones, you hear that? I’d love to work with him, who can do it like the Joneses?
Conor McGregor has a huge persona - he is always going to be on the bad end of the deal in public
Conor is the kind of guy that people will always challenge him because he carries a huge persona, he knows he has to keep more people around him and his persona is fighting. When guys get drunk, they want to go over and see what he is talking about and Conor is always going to be on the bad end of the deal. I don’t know if he is on the way to coming back or not but sometimes, bad news is good news because when your name gets hot, that is the time to react. These social media guys are different, they can makehimself in prime position to make a big splash.
It’s ridiculous that Chris Eubank Jr could be fined for using a sauna ahead of his fight with Connor Benn
What does a Sauna do and what sauna isn't available to anybody? Benn could have use done, who are, come on. it is not a PED, anybody can go and get in one. I used one, you can go use one. If I am using drugs that I don't know about and I don't know, that’s different, that’s cheating. But a sauna? They have been doing that for decades. It’s ridiculous.
If Manny Pacquiao can still take a punch then he will beat Barrios
Hopefully we get the good version but we don't know. It wont be about what he can give but it will be about what he can take because if he can take it, he should beat [Mario] Barrios but if he can’t Barrios will beat him.
AJ should retire unless he fights Tyson Fury
Carl [Froch] is a smart guy, AJ has made enough money that he doesn’t need to keep fighting. I would agree with him unless he fought Tyson Fury.
Ryan Garcia on Donald Trump - everyone is entitled to their opinion
No I don't, but that’s on them. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and he is entitled to speak.
Daniel Dubois got beaten by Usyk with a jab last time - he doesn’t win this time either
No. I think he did well with Usyk the first time, butthen got stopped with a jab. If a man can stop you with a jab, do you know how humiliating that is? It would be a miracle to me if he beat Usyk.
