Roy Jones Jr. has frequently been given the crown of the greatest boxer of all time by many. However, others would not agree with the title.
Jones Jr. has wins over the likes of James Toney, Bernard Hopkins, and Vinny Pazienza as he became a four-weight world champion in his career.
Excluding a bizarre disqualification loss for Jones Jr. against Montell Griffin in 1997, it wasn’t until his 51st fight that a fighter was truly able to get the better of the great.
Losing to Antonio Tarver via TKO in 2003, Jones Jr.’s record fell to 49-2 in a fight that was the second of three meetings. Despite Tarver and Jones Jr. having an intense rivalry, ‘The Magic Man’ does not feel his former foe belongs among boxing’s best ever names.
Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty ImagesAntonio Tarver excludes Roy Jones Jr. from boxing Mount Rushmore
Jones Jr. won the first of three meetings with Tarver, as he earned a majority decision win in 2003. However, second and third outings with Tarver would not end as well for Jones Jr.
A TKO and unanimous decision win for Tarver in 2003 and 2005 respectively would come either side of Jones Jr.’s loss to Glen Johnson. This string of results would leave the former world champion Jones Jr. with a record of 49-4.
Jones Jr. said he should have retired after his Tarver victory in a post-fighting career interview.
Despite spending so many rounds in the ring with Jones Jr., Tarver does not share the beliefs of others that his rival is one of the greatest of all time.
In a podcast with First Round TV, Tarver was asked to name his boxing Mount Rushmore, without mention of his former opponent.
Jones Jr. was however given the credit of being the best fighter Tarver had ever faced in his career earlier in the interview.
Floyd Mayweather included as Antonio Tarver names boxing Mount Rushmore
Former light heavyweight world champion Tarver included all-time greats Floyd Mayweather and Muhammad Ali in his Mount Rushmore listing, a pair that are a common choice for many boxing fans.
However, Tarver began his answer by saying Jack Johnson. The former heavyweight world champion retired in 1931, but is often still praised by modern boxers for his achievements in the sport.
Tarver also went on to say that he wanted to play the 68-11-10 boxer in a biopic of his life.
The fourth name on Tarver’s list was ‘Sugar Ray’. Although it is unclear whether he was referring to Sugar Ray Leonard or Robinson, Tarver followed up his point by talking about Marvin Hagler, meaning it was likely the former ‘Marvelous’ opponent.