Roy Jones Jr reveals the biggest regret of his career, how Jake Paul is 'paving the way' for influencer boxing and why Canelo Alvarez would have been no match for him

As Canelo Alvarez geared up for his latest headline appearance under the bright lights of Las Vegas last month, a fellow fighting immortal lurked just around the corner.

The great Roy Jones Jr is no stranger to weeks like these. He has been there, seen it, done it when it comes to starring as the main attraction in Sin City. Few are capable of boasting as much.

Yet even with Canelo reigning supreme as super-middleweight king and the inarguable face of the sport, Jones still argued his case in typical poetic fashion when asked how a hypothetical meeting between them would have played out.

'When you listen to people talk about Roy Jones Jr, they say Roy Jones Jr was a "mythical" fighter in his prime,' the 55-year-old told DailyMail.com in Las Vegas before Canelo's victory over Edgar Belanga.

'A mythical fighter is something that you can only think of. You can't even describe it.

'You've never heard anybody say Canelo's a mythical fighter, because you can describe everything he does and what he is.

'When you see a guy that's indescribable, how you gonna beat him?'

Jones, a four-division king still fondly remembered as one of the greatest to ever climb through the ropes, has enough respect for Alvarez but a whole lot more belief in himself.

'I'm not saying [Canelo] is not a great fighter, he is a great fighter,' he added about the Mexican. 'But I was different.'

While many will argue that he went on far too long, one accusation that can't be lobbied at Jones is that he avoided any opposition throughout a 76-fight career which spanned more than three decades.

There were some painful losses along the way, particularly as the sharp reflexes and genius movement that had once propelled him to the top began to fade, yet the man from Pensacola, Florida never ducked a challenge. The same cannot be said right now for Canelo as he continues to price himself out of an eagerly-demanded all-Mexican battle with the devastating David Benavidez Jr. 

'If you feel like you ain't got nothing to prove, why you gonna fight this hungry lion?' Jones said about Canelo's refusal to fight Benavidez, who has claimed 24 of his 29 straight wins via knockout.

'I did because I was crazy. But I was different, you understand? I had to do it because I couldn't sleep if I knew there was anybody out there close to my weight who thought they could beat me. I needed to see it.

'That's just me though, not everybody's like that. If he feels like he's done enough and he's taken enough challenges, he doesn't have to take every challenge that they bring to him now. 

'But to keep us interested you do have to take challenges.'

Jones, on the contrary, was perhaps guilty of taking too many challenges as his legendary powers slowly started to evaporate. 

It took the Olympic silver medalist a staggering 51 fights to finally taste defeat, excluding the disqualification loss in his 35th contest for landing an illegal blow on Montell Griffin.

Antonio Tarver was the man who inflicted Jones' first true humbling, avenging a previous points defeat by knocking his bitter nemesis out cold with an explosive left hook in the second round of their Vegas rematch. From there, the once formidable Roy Jones Jr lost six of his next 11 bouts, including another at the hands of Tarver.  

His fall from grace followed a historic run to the very pinnacle of the sport: the world heavyweight championship. After starting his professional career at 154 pounds, a fighter of Jones' physical stature climbing all the way to the top of boxing's blue-riband division is still unheard of to this day. It may never be repeated.

Yet after becoming heavyweight champion, the grueling effects of dropping back down to 175 pounds for a rematch with Tarver took its toll on the pound-for-pound great.

'I probably should have won that first fight with Tarver and stopped,' he admitted when asked about his biggest regrets.

'I still today would be no question the greatest fighter ever, which I still am, but people wouldn't even think about it because they already know. Nobody's ever done what I did - still to this day.'

Turning down further challenges, though, was simply not in his makeup. 'But me being me, I don't run from nothing,' Jones continued. 'And that didn't start as I got older, I was like that my whole life. So when you get older your body starts failing you, but your heart still tells you you don't run from nothing.

'Most people would run away from that because they don't wanna face losing or whatever may happen. But me, I wasn't that guy. I'll take the good with the bad. 

'God was so good to me that if I had to have a few bad days, they can't weigh up to the good days.'

At the peak of his powers, Jones was more than justified to consider himself a mythical talent. He sits firmly at the top table in any conversation surrounding all-time boxing greats, having maximized his breathtaking talent and charisma while sweeping up the historic achievements to go with it.

The second half of his storied career is not as cheery a tale after he opted to fight on well beyond his peak until the age of 39. And just 18 months ago, a 54-year-old Jones returned for another sanctioned professional contest against Anthony Pettis, almost 20 years his junior, which he lost via majority decision.

In many ways it has been an unnecessarily sad decline for one of boxing's juggernauts, yet the man himself is more focused on the highs which preceded the lows.

'I did so much good in the sport, I've still probably got the best highlights on YouTube right now,' Jones insisted.

'Nobody ever stopped someone by beating them in their shoulder. I stopped a guy in the 11th round by destroying his shoulder.

'Nobody ever knocked someone out with their hands behind their back. Nobody started boxing professional at 154 pounds and became heavyweight champion of the world. The list goes on.

'So it's like, they can talk it... but who did it?'

Two years after what appeared his final professional outing in 2018, Jones laced up the gloves once again for an exhibition with heavyweight legend Mike Tyson, which fortunately proved a tame affair as the two faded forces showed their age in a glorified sparring match.

Tyson, who is even older than his fellow great at 58, is set to return for another exhibition in November, albeit a much more dangerous one against YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, 27.

The rise of influencer boxing is a serious point of contention as Paul and his fellow online personalities continue to infiltrate the sweet science. Many believe it is a circus act making a mockery of the sport, while others are simply thankful for the greater exposure it brings. So where does Roy stand on the debate?

'It's not necessarily a good thing because the sport is getting watered down,' he explained. 'People are starting to think that they're something special.

'But I like Jake Paul and I like what he's doing because he's showing you how if you can box at all and get a social-media presence, then you can make money. He's doing something to pave the way.'

While he may have struggled to walk away from the sport in his heyday, three months before his 56th birthday Jones has better ideas than to get involved in influencer boxing.

'Just be cool, eat, get fat, and be happy.'

Jones was speaking to DailyMail.com ahead of the launch of Steel City Interactive's Undisputed - the first boxing video game since 2014.

The brand-new authentic boxing simulator contains a huge roster of boxing talent, both past and present, including Canelo and Tyson Fury.

Undisputed is launching on October 11 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. Play three days early with the Digital Deluxe Edition.