Roy Jones Jr. and Floyd Mayweather Jr’s Beef Explained originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Roy Jones Jr. are at odds and it’s come to a point where the latter has challenged the former to a fight–and he doesn’t care if it’s inside or outside of the ring. In case you haven’t seen the two all-time greats trading insults on social media, here’s a breakdown of what started their beef.
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Mayweather has always given Muhammad Ali his props, but he has fallen short of acknowledging him as the Greatest. That has ruffled the feathers of many all-time greats and Jones is no exception. Mayweather recently drew a comparison to Jones and Ali, saying they were the same fighters.
He pointed out their dependence on their legs for effective defense, and he said that when they lost their legs, they became vulnerable and took more damage. He made that reference and comparison to differentiate himself from the two legends. Jones responded saying that if you disrespect Ali, he can’t respect him. Jones also said that Mayweather is not the GOAT. He poked holes in Mayweather’s resume.
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Mayweather then responded to Jones’ comments with a savage video of him sitting in front of a massive TV screen, watching all of Jones’ KO losses–without saying a word or even showing his face.
Jones has responded angrily on several occasions, but he told Seconds Out’s Radio Raheem that he is ready and willing to fight Mayweather to settle the score.
According to Seconds Out, Jones expressed frustration not only with Mayweather’s refusal to acknowledge Ali, but also the disrespectful nature of posting a highlight reel of his worst losses. According to the channel’s interview, Jones said, “If you wanna go there, we can go there,” before making it clear he was open to fighting Mayweather in any format.
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Mayweather’s recent YouTube Shorts activity was cutting—relying on visuals to humiliate Jones rather than trading traditional verbal jabs.
Mayweather wasn’t wrong with his assessment of Jones and Ali–at least defensively. Both depended on their quickness, which allowed them to function effectively on defense due to their otherworldly reflexes and athleticism. However, as they aged, they were no long able to slip the punches they used to when they were in their prime.
Thus, they took more damage later in their careers. That said, Jones was right when he criticized Mayweather’s resume and pointed to it as a downside on his fellow icons list of accomplishments. In any case, it seems unlikely we’ll see the two men in the ring against each other. Jones is 56 and Mayweather is 48.
The latter still competes in exhibitions annually, but I’d be fairly surprised if this evolves into anything more than entertaining trash talk between two of the best fighters in boxing history.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 11, 2025, where it first appeared.