Roy Jones Jr, 51, admitted that he and Mike Tyson, 54, are well past their primes but insisted they would have beaten Anthony Joshua and Fury in their primes as skill level was deeper at that time than most of these guys now.
The boxing legends are preparing for a sensational return to the ring for an eight-round exhibition fight on September 12 in California.
Jones Jr is largely considered one of the most complete fighters in history, having won world titles in four divisions while Tyson is regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight champions to lace up a pair of gloves.
Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of their exhibition bout, Jones Jr said: “Not right now [we wouldn’t beat them]; it would be hard for us to last twelve rounds with any of those guys,” he told Sky Sports.
“They are skilled fighters, not bad boxers. They are not as skilled as we were but they are in their primes, and we are not, in our primes? We would probably have beaten them. You can never say, but I think we would probably have beaten them.”
“Our skill level was deeper, at that time, than it is now. In our prime, we would have come out on top against most of those guys. But you never know because it never happened so you can’t discredit those guys. They are good fighters, well-respected fighters, and my hat is off to them because they are at the top.”
Former world heavyweight champion Tyson has been flirting with a comeback for several months and confirmed last week that he will be fighting Jones Jr and it has been revealed that there will be no ringside judges for the fight and that the referee will be allowed to stop the fight if either man is hurt or cut.
Reports have also suggested that fans in America will have to fork out $49.99 (£39) to watch the blockbuster exhibition fight on pay-per-view.
