While hailing the skillsets of Oleksandr Usyk and Sugar Ray Leonard, Tony Bellew has suggested that neither fighter can compare to one of their fellow all-time greats.
When considering the most complete fighters in history, Usyk and Leonard certainly deserve a mention based on their signature performances and achievements.
Usyk, after all, became a two-division undisputed champion while cementing himself as the greatest heavyweight of his era by defeating Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
As for Leonard, his victories over Roberto Duran, Tommy Hearns and Marvin Hagler – his fellow Four Kings – offer sufficient evidence to place him on any all-time pound-for-pound list.
That said, former cruiserweight champion Bellew believes that a prime Roy Jones Jr trumps any fighter for skill and athleticism.
The American claimed his IBF middleweight title by defeating the great Bernard Hopkins in 1993, before securing further wins over the likes of James Toney and Mike McCallum.
Jones then moved up to heavyweight after becoming a three-division world champion, dethroning John Ruiz for the WBA crown in 2003.
Based on this portion of his career, Bellew has told Playbook Boxing that he believes Jones is the most complete fighter of all time.
“The only one, I believe, who’s ever completed every task and been brilliant in all parts of his game was a prime Roy Jones Jr.
“I think Oleksandr Usyk pushes him very close; I think the likes of Sugar Ray Leonard push him very close. But there’s little attributes that they fall [short] on.
“Roy Jones Jr – I’ve never seen [no one] like [him]. If Roy Jones Jr walked away after defeating John Ruiz, nobody would even question what I’m saying.
“I’ve only ever seen one fighter drop [back] down [in weight] and be right and healthy, and that was Floyd Mayweather.”
After defeating Ruiz, Jones moved back down to 175lbs and edged a majority decision against Antonio Tarver, before suffering a second-round stoppage defeat in their immediate rematch.
