(AllHipHop Features) Boxing and MMA have become fierce rivals in recent years and the combat sports don’t see any waning in the competition. Future boxing Hall of Famer Roy Jones Jr is set to fight this weekend in Wilmington, DE and he is not holding anything back. Jones, a Pensacola-bred, is fighting a man that specializes in bare-knuckle brawls. AllHipHop’s Chuck Creekmur talked to the 48-year old living legend about his views on Floyd Mayweather’s prospective fight with UFC’s Conor McGregor and the general state of boxing vs MMA.

AllHipHop.com: When you retire from the sport of boxing. How do you want to be remember?

Roy Jones Jr: I was a man off my word. When the opportunity came, I did exactly what I said I was gonna do. That’s the only reason I am fighting. Everybody says, “Ahhh, you should quit.” I told that man (Bobby Gunn) if the opportunity ever came up that we were gonna fight, we gonna fight.

AllHipHop.com: We mentioned Floyd Mayweather. It looks like they are going to make this fight with MMA fighter Conor McGregor. It is gonna be “a thing” for the people, but I think its going to be easy work for Floyd. Do you have any thoughts on that?

Roy Jones Jr: (Laughs) It is a big event. We must admit that. I’m not going to say its not a big event, but if people think Conor McGregor, (an MMA fighter) with no true boxing background is gonna beat Floyd Mayweather, they are out they’re minds. We’re going to watch it, because its an enormous event…not because Conor has a chance. They don’t call Floyd Mayweather one of the greatest fighters ever for nothing. People need to get that understood.

AllHipHop.com: You fought an MMA dude last year, I think.

Roy Jones Jr: I sure did.

AllHipHop.com: You lit him up.

Roy Jones Jr: What else did he expect? That’s what we do. If we go to MMA…if Floyd goes in there with Conor McGregor (and does) MMA, Conor McGregor is gonna beat the hell outta Floyd. That’s what Conor McGregor does. But if Colin gets in that ring, he’s got another thing coming. Its not gonna happen.

EXCLUSIVE: Fighter Roy Jones Jr. Is Back For Boxing, Bars And Brawls

AllHipHop.com: And boxing, lets be real, we don’t see the same star power as people like yourself. Floyd almost seems like the last of this breed. The personality aspect of it. Do you feel its the same? What can boxing do to come back in the eyes of the average consumer, not guys like us.

Roy Jones Jr: We are in the microwave era. When I say that, I mean we want everything to happen quick. If we don’t have quick and right away, we don’t want to take the time or put in the time. When I came up and when Floyd came up, if you had been boxing for a year, there was nobody, nowhere that thought anything of you. Nobody was gonna become a champion in boxing in a year. That was not gonna happen in our day and time. That’s how different the skill was. Nowadays, it don’t take but 2-3 fights (in boxing) and 1 fight in the UFC, and you can be world champion. Its like the microwave era, used to having things quick.

Now, somebody (MMA fighter) that wouldn’t have been nobody as a boxer, because it took too long for them to develop or learn the whole skill. But now you put a few skills together, you do some Jiujitsu or whatever, some wrestling, put all that together and you can be champion in a couple months. Its really not how we were raised. Its not happening just in boxing – all sports. Now you can play against one team all the way until the semi finals and you can (join other opposing team) the next year and everybody is OK with it. Back in the day, we would have never thought Magic Johnson would go play with Michael Jordan. We would have never thought Julius (Dr. J) Irving would go play with Magic Johnson. No! That was not gonna happen. We didn’t have to worry about that. That was not even a fear. Nowadays, that can happen and we might be ok with it. Not just boxing, all sports have been watered down.

AllHipHop.com: Right.

Roy Jones Jr: We live in it, but we don’t have to conform to it. I’m still me. I’m a fighter. I don’t got no fans. I fight for a living. I don’t care who it is. They want it, they can get it. That’s what Roy Jones knows. That’s all I’m gonna ever know. You want it? Come and get it. I got it for you.

AllHipHop.com: Aiiiiiight! We’ll be there for the fight, Roy. We appreciate you and love you, man and salute.

Roy Jones Jr: Thank you, appreciate it.

Roy Jones Jr meets Bobby Gunn in a clash for the WBF World Cruiserweight Championship.

Friday, February 17 at the Chase Center on the Riverfront, Wilmington, Delaware.

Get your tickets now at www.FirstStateFights.com