Legendary boxer Roy Jones Jr. has slammed the rise of influencer boxing, stating that the “circus” surrounding figures like Jake Paul has turned the sport into the WWE. Speaking to talkSPORT BET, Jones Jr. did not hold back on his criticism of the current state of the sport, where he feels “sideshows” have become the main attraction.
‘You’ve Turned Boxing Into The WWE’
Jones Jr. argued that the focus on celebrity and influencer bouts has damaged the sport, drawing a direct comparison to professional wrestling. “You’ve turned boxing into the WWE. Everything is a sideshow, and the sideshows are more important than the real shows.”
He continued by comparing influencer fighters to “mules” and traditional boxers to “thoroughbreds,” arguing that fans are settling for lesser-quality matchups because the sport’s biggest stars fail to fight each other.
“You’ve been seeing two mules racing rather than two thoroughbreds. You don’t get enough thoroughbreds racing each other anymore, and you get tired of that. So then you start saying, ‘I’ll watch two mules [on Netflix]’ because at least it’s a 50-50 fight.”
‘Thoroughbreds’ Not Fighting
Jones Jr. used the potential fight between Jake Paul and Ryan Garcia as an example of a 50-50 “mule” fight that generates interest, while the “thoroughbred” fights fail to materialize.
“For example, Jake can beat Ryan because of Ryan’s size, but if Ryan can catch him with a left hook, Ryan can also knock him out. So it’s a 50-50 fight. That’s why people would be interested in that fight. But why couldn’t we get fights like Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua? We aren’t getting it.”
He listed several other major fights that have been endlessly delayed, forcing fans to look elsewhere. “Look how long we’ve been waiting for Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder. We aren’t getting it. Look how long we’ve been waiting for Gervonta Davis vs. Shakur Stevenson. We aren’t getting it. Look how long we had to wait for Terrence Crawford vs. Errol Spence. We finally got it, but it took five years. That’s why these influencers now have gained more interest than the boxers because at least the influencers are giving you 50-50 fights.”
Jones Jr.’s comments on a potential Paul vs. Garcia fight are timely. Jake Paul is currently seeking a new opponent after his scheduled November 14 bout with Gervonta Davis was canceled earlier this month.
Ryan Garcia was reportedly offered the opportunity to replace Davis, but his promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, stated the fight would not happen, citing Garcia’s contract with DAZN conflicting with Paul’s Netflix deal. Garcia is now reportedly nearing a deal for a WBC welterweight title fight against Mario Barrios in early 2026.
