Roy Jones Jnr open to Jake Paul fight: ‘I’d beat him, I’m sure, but you have to be on A-game’

Roy Jones Jnr was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2022, but at the age of 55, the former pound-for-pound king is still considering unretiring for the right fights and opportunities if they present themselves.

In April 2023, Jones fought in a professional boxing match for the first time since 2018 against Anthony Pettis and suffered a majority decision defeat to the MMA fighter making his pro boxing debut. In 2020, “Captain Hook” engaged in a lucrative exhibition against Mike Tyson. 

Jones was ringside working as a commentator for Tyson’s pro return against Jake Paul last month. 

Although Jones was not satisfied with the main event, the 1990s Fighter of the Decade winner believes he’s the guy who can pump the brakes on the locomotive that is Paul. 

“The fight really did not live up to the hype,” Jones told BoxingScene while discussing the December 12 show in which he’ll serve as a commentator while cornering five of his fighters on a card he’s promoting at the Legends Casino Hotel at Toppenish, Washington on BLK Prime PPV ($12.99).

“You have a 58-year-old man against a 27-year-old man. We expected more because Mike was a former great and still is a great. Jake is just a guy learning the game. We expected more fireworks from Mike, and Jake, really. To be honest, you got your money’s worth in the two fights before that in Mario Barrios vs. Abel Ramos and Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano. To me, you didn’t get cheated out of anything. 

“I haven’t had any conversations about fighting Jake Paul. I am not really a full-fledged heavyweight, but I weigh probably what he weighs right now. It wouldn’t be hard to match his weight, I guess. They do catch weights, so I’m sure we could figure out the right weight. We can make it happen. The only thing different though is he will probably have to take me out because I’m coming to knock him out. I’m going to get him, or he’s going to get me.

“It would be very difficult to pick him apart because he is so powerful and big. He has power and is a dangerous puncher. I would beat him, I’m sure, but you would have to be on your A-game all night, especially at my age.”

The four-division champion Jones has a record of 66 wins (47 KOs) and 10 losses. Paul has 11 wins (7 KOs) and one loss over his four-year pro career. 

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter whose work has appeared on ESPN, Fox Sports, USA Today, The Guardian, Newsweek, Men’s Health, NFL.com, Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Ring Magazine and more. He has been writing for BoxingScene since 2018. Manouk is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.