“To me, people don’t give him enough credit. People always say, ‘Well, Floyd would have beaten ‘Sugar.’ No baby. Floyd is not as nearly as mean as Sugar was… Sugar is a dog. People don’t understand. Just because his name’s Sugar don’t mean nothing! Sugar is a dog.” This is what started it off. Roy Jones Jr. said it, firmly putting Sugar Ray Leonard well above Floyd Mayweather during a chat on the All The Smoke Fight podcast with Andre Ward.
This jab was the latest in a feud that’s been simmering for years. Roy Jones Jr., the four-division champion who terrorized multiple weight classes in the ’90s, has never been shy about downplaying Mayweather’s standing. Even now, at 56, Jones Jr’s stance hasn’t softened. Regardless, that one remark found its target. Floyd Mayweather, true to form, didn’t fire back with words. Instead, the 50–0 legend hopped on Instagram, sharing clips of himself watching Jones Jr.’s knockout defeats to Antonio Tarver, Glen Johnson, and others—a petty, but unmistakably Floyd-style response that quickly went viral. If you thought that was it, you’re wrong. Roy Jones Jr. quickly ran red hot. The 56-year-old released his own “public service announcement,” calmly stating, “I got opinions and I’m allowed to speak them… If you want to prove that you’re better than me, I’m always ready to go.”
Amidst this ongoing feud, the Seoul Olympics silver medalist appeared on the Ring Champs podcast. Here, as expected, the question emerged: If not Floyd Mayweather, then who is the GOAT according to Roy Jones Jr.? If you know Roy, you know there’s only one name—Muhammad Ali. “He’s going to be the greatest forever in my life. Because if it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be here boxing myself. He(Ali) gonna always be the greatest to me.”
For the sport’s only male boxer to hold middleweight and heavyweight titles, there is no one who can surpass Muhammad Ali’s greatness, not even himself. “Ya, I might do something better but I have a foundation that I learned from him… He’s still gonna be number one in my book. If you ask me who the greatest fighter of all time is, it’s going to be Muhammad Ali, without a question,” he asserted emphatically.
According to a recent feature compiled by EssentiallySports (sourced from expert opinions, fan polls, and historical analysis), certain fighters carved out legacies not just through belts but through the way they fought. Their styles became signatures—imitated, studied, and revered for decades.
With that in mind, here’s a look at five fighters whose unique fighting styles didn’t just win fights but rewrote the sport’s language.
5 boxers whose unique fighting styles changed boxing forever
Muhammad Ali – The Greatest’s unorthodox mastery
Ali defied everything heavyweight boxing stood for. With balletic footwork, stinging jabs, and his famous “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” swagger, he turned fights into theater. Outmaneuvering Sonny Liston and outlasting George Foreman, he proved grace and grit could coexist at the top.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. – The defensive genius
Mayweather didn’t just avoid punches; he made opponents doubt reality. His shoulder-roll defense and sniper-like counters built a 50–0 record, while his mastery of pace and angles left rivals frustrated and fans divided—but always in awe.
Sugar Ray Leonard – Speed, power & flash
Leonard blended Ali’s elegance with his own flair. Lightning-fast hands, dazzling footwork, and a knack for late-round rallies made him the star of the “Four Kings” era. Against Hearns, Hagler, and Durán, Leonard didn’t just win—he stole the show.
Roberto Durán – The ultimate pressure fighter
Nicknamed “Hands of Stone,” Durán thrived on chaos. He suffocated opponents with savage body shots, relentless volume, and an iron chin, piling up 103 wins while making survival feel like victory for his rivals.
Pernell Whitaker – The slickest defensive wizard
Whitaker was boxing’s phantom. With head movement so fluid it felt supernatural, Sweet Pea slipped, slid, and countered his way into legend. Even champions looked helpless chasing him, and his style remains a blueprint for defensive mastery.
Though Roy Jones Jr. should be up there on the list, the fact that he isn’t should not be concerning, as there are ample lists where Roy finds himself on top. As for whether Floyd Mayweather is better than Roy Jones Jr.? Well, leave it up to you. What do you think?
The post Amid Feud With Floyd Mayweather, Roy Jones Jr. Reveals His Pick for the Greatest of All Time appeared first on EssentiallySports.