When it comes to knowledge of the game and position, few know boxing like Roy Jones Jr. Roy has not only won titles in 4 divisions, but he has also reigned as the best p4p fighter in the world for a number of years near his prime. In the third and final part of my interview with Roy Jones Jr, I get his views on boxing?s current #1 fighter, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and his upcoming bout with Marcos Maidana. Roy breaks down the fight and picks who he thinks will end up winning ?The Moment.? Roy also shares his views on the bout that takes place next month between Sergio Martinez and Miguel Cotto and if he thinks Mayweather Jr. would have interest in fighting the winner. Here is what Roy Jones Jr. had to say.
Jenna J: Floyd Mayweather Jr. will be back in the ring soon. How do you expect the fight with Marcos Maidana to go, and do you think the buzz for this fight is different to the other ones because people aren?t giving Maidana any chance at all?
Roy Jones Jr: They?re smart that they don?t give him no chance at all. When you bring a good offence against a good defense, what usually prevails? If you looked at the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos last Super Bowl ? the Denver Broncos were an exceptional offence, the Seattle Seahawks were an exceptional defense, who blew who out?
The exceptional defense is gonna win almost every time, so you?ve got Marcos Maidana who has no defense but an exceptional offence and you got Floyd Mayweather who has a good offence and an exceptional defense, who you thinks gonna win? (laughs)
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Jenna J: Roy, you were the best pound for pound fighter in the world. What is it like to be in that position, how do you feel when do you run out of opponents, how do you deal with that?
Roy Jones Jr: Well, for me it was a little bit different because, for Floyd, he?s a better defensive fighter and I would say I was a better offensive fighter. I had a great defense as well but my key was offence, I wanna put twenty five punches on you. Floyd?s key is defense, he wants to pot shot you but he wants to make you miss twenty five punches.
I don?t know how he views it, his mind is probably more defensive minded than mine was. My mindset was, I don?t care who you was, where you was coming from, what weight you was, if you thought you had a chance, call my house, you know how I do it, you know what I mean?
I was offensive minded, Floyd is a little bit more defensive minded, he takes his time. He fights who he wants to fight when he gets ready and that?s how he chose to do it but like I said, he?s a little bit more defensive minded than I, so I ain?t saying that he felt like I felt.
I felt that if they stand within a weight class or two around me ? and sometime even three weight classes ? if I need to see you to prove that I was the best in the world, then you better get your door ready and unlock your door because here I come!
Jenna J: Roy, seeing as you brought that up, do you think that Floyd will avoid those sorts of challenges because he?s more defensive, he won?t go up in weight and fight Sergio Martinez? and the Golovkin?s of the world?
Roy Jones Jr: No, I don?t think he?d do that because he?s defensive minded and like I said, he?s got his mind on retiring undefeated, so for him he don?t wanna take too many chances.
He fought a smart fight against the up and coming Canelo Alvarez and that?s probably about the biggest test he wants to take, and I understand that because he?s defensive minded, he ain?t got that aggression to take you apart and say he gonna whoop just anybody he?s just saying that he?s gonna end up undefeated, which he probably will do.
I look at my mindset, like I said, you see our styles of boxing, and our styles have a lot to do with our mindset. My mindset was, I?m gonna kick your ass, I don?t care who you was. His mindset is, he?s the best fighter in the world and he?s the richest, he got more money than anybody ? and he do ? and that?s just his mindset. He?s allowed to have his mindset just like I?m allowed to have mine. (laughs)
Jenna J: Roy, back to you as an analyst. There?s an interesting fight that is gonna be on HBO between Sergio Martinez and Miguel Cotto, who?s coming up in weight. I?m just curious what your early thoughts are on that fight?
Roy Jones Jr: I like the fight. The only thing that worries me and the concern I have is ? which Sergio Martinez will show up? Will he be capable and able to defend himself, will his legs hold up, will his body fall apart? I mean what?s gonna happen to Sergio Martinez? Is he gonna be one hundred percent, is he gonna be sixty percent, is he gonna be eighty percent? That all dictates the fight.
If he?s ninety percent he beat Miguel Cotto because he?s too big, and he?s not big for a middleweight but he?s bigger than Miguel Cotto. Cotto has some good junior middleweight fights but Martinez also has some good middleweight fights.
With that being said, I?d say Martinez is probably the better boxer and Cotto is the better brawler. If Cotto can turn it to a braw, the he definitely has a chance of knocking Martinez out. Cotto has the power to go out and fight the fight that Timothy Bradley wanted to fight against Pacquiao, and I feel that?s the only way Cotto can win it because I don?t see him out boxing Sergio Martinez.
Jenna J: If Cotto somehow gets by Sergio Martinez do you think that puts him in the Mayweather sweepstakes, having that middleweight title and being that the first fight was competitive?
Roy Jones Jr: It does and I?m sure Floyd would take that because he?s already won him. That would be a reason for Floyd to go to middleweight and I?m sure Floyd would jump on that right away.
I?m sure the second fight would be a little bit more competitive than the first because when Freddie Roach went with Cotto and made him more aggressive ? which is what his style is best at ? I think it would make it an interesting fight and I think that?s the best thing that could happen for Cotto.
Jenna J: Final question Roy. You have many, many fans that still follow you, any message you want to pass along them?
Roy Jones Jr: Yeah, keep God first in everything you do, never let nobody tell you what you can?t do. Never lose hope, never lose faith in God.
