Roy Jones Jr considers only one fighter better than him in his prime

A first Roy Jones Jr. is, for many, the greatest fighter of all time, but even the man himself has admitted to being second best behind an extraordinary individual.

Whether Jones reached his peak at super middleweight or light heavyweight is perhaps up for debate, but his performances in both divisions nonetheless cemented him as a pound-for-pound legend.

The American undoubtedly obtained his most notable victory at 168 pounds against James Toneywhile his explosiveness and athleticism were enough to win a unanimous decision in 1994.

Even before that, Jones had won the world middleweight title against Bernard Hopkins, edging him out by just one hand, before eventually campaigning at a more comfortable 175 pounds.

It was there that stunning victories over Antonio Tarver and Virgil Hill made him perhaps the greatest light heavyweight of all time, his incredible speed often resulting in a largely one-sided affair.

Still, Jones believes one man – and one man only – should be considered the most complete competitor at his peak.

By speaking with ATSCombatThe former multi-weight world champion was asked if Pernell Whitaker was a better fighter in his prime, to which he replied: “[It’s] close.”

Then, after dismissing Lennox Lewis and Oleksandr Usyk, Jones stepped in as soon as he heard the name “Muhammad Ali.”

“Now you can stop – this is the only place you can stop. The others are great, they’re great fighters, but [not better than him].

“In the ring, it’s still debatable, but [Ali’s] will always be the greatest to me, because he prepared the platform for me.

“Without this platform, I would never have been myself, so he will always be the GOAT in my eyes.”

Indeed, Ali is widely considered one of the greatest of all time, especially considering his landmark triumphs against heavyweights such as George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Ken Norton and Sonny Liston.