Four-division world champion Roy Jones Jr has revealed the toughest opponent of his decorated professional boxing career.
The Florida-native had an outstanding amateur tenure which culminated in him walking away from the 1988 Summer Olympic Games in Seoul with a light middleweight silver medal, though it was widely accepted that he should have received the gold.
Jones entered the paid ranks shortly after where he would go on to become a world champion across four weight classes, although the bulk of his success came during his campaigns at middleweight and super-middleweight.
Perhaps the most memorable victory of Jones’ professional career took place in March of 2003 when he made the jump up to heavyweight to dethrone countryman John Ruiz of the WBA world heavyweight title in Las Vegas.
Speaking to The Ring Magazine, Jones spoke fondly of former rival James Toney as he claims the former three-weight world champion was undoubtedly the toughest opponent of his professional career.
“James Toney probably had the best defence of all of them. You couldn’t hit him flush; he was so elusive, the hip movement and the shoulder roll made it very difficult to hit him with a clean shot.”
“He had all the tools, he was hard to hit, he could knock you out at any time. He would be right there in your face and you still couldn’t hit him flush.”
Jones locked horns with Toney in what was his first appearance at 168lbs in November of 1994, defeating his countryman via unanimous decision to capture the IBF world super-middleweight title at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
