Roy Jones Jr is rightly considered to be an all-time boxing great, much like Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson.
The American was known for his athleticism and unorthodox style as well as great defence. He was a multi-weight champion who was crowned at middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight and he was the first former middleweight champion in 106 years to move up and win a strap in the banner division.
His most notable wins came over the likes of James Toney in 1994 in a masterclass performance to claim the IBF super middleweight title, and a year before he dominated Bernard Hopkins to win the IBF middleweight title, while he lost controversially to Montell Griffin in 1997 but avenged the defeat with a first-round knockout.
In a round of winner stays on with MailSport Boxing, Jones was asked to predict fantasy match-ups between fellow Hall of Famers. When asked who would come out on top between Tyson and Lewis had the pair fought in their primes, he backed ‘The Lion.’
“Lennox Lewis.”
Of course, Tyson and Lewis did fight towards the back end of their careers in June 2002. Lewis won by stoppage in the eighth round after a heated build-up that included a brawl at the press conference. The victory confirmed Lewis’ status as the best of the division at the time, as well as being one of the greatest ever.
Many feel that the bout could have played out differently had it taken place in Tyson’s fighting prime, largely to be considered around the late eighties before a stint behind bars and various issues outside of the ring began to affect his performances. Lewis though says he beats every version of ‘Iron’ Mike that ever existed.
The Brit retired in 2003 with a record of 41 wins, 2 losses, and 1 draw having beaten every man he faced, while Tyson returned to the ring in November 2024 and took a points loss to Jake Paul, a man less than half his age.
