Former pound-for-pound king and current HBO Sports analyst Roy Jones Jr doesn't believe that Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao are too far past their primes for their long-awaited May 2 showdown, comparing the two to a pair of basketball's all time greats.
"I'm just so delighted that the fight has been made, that both guys have agreed," Jones said on HBO's Golovkin-Murray broadcast today. "To me, it's one of those things where, if you got Larry Bird in shape right now, and you got Michael Jordan in shape right now, you're still gonna get one hell of a quarter of basketball. We're not sure how long that quarter would last, but you're gonna get a hell of a quarter, because you've got two of the best."
Jones then referenced his own career, and one of his defining moments.
"I won the heavyweight championship of the world, something I never should've gotten my hands on, except by the grace of God, at the age of 36. 36 is not old in today's society, and neither is 38. So don't think Floyd is too old, and don't think Pacquiao is too old. Age is not gonna be an excuse here. It's all about who can come out, execute their game plan, and win the fight."
It is worth noting here that Jones was 34 when he beat John Ruiz for a piece of the heavyweight title in 2003, not 36, or else he was actually born in 1967 and not 1969. Let's go with that. I'm a Roy Jones Truther now.
Is Roy right that the fight is still legitimately great, or do you think that two of the three or four best boxers on the planet facing each other isn't good?