Roy Jones Jr admitted he loved Ben Whittaker’s showboating but urged him to “tone it down a bit”.
“The Surgeon” is building a reputation as one of the most exciting stars in British boxing, going 7-0 with five victories by knockout.
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In addition to his explosive nature, the 26-year-old is one of the most entertaining stars to watch due to what has been labeled “showboating” – something that has divided opinion in the boxing world .
One man who knows exactly what it takes to put on a show is Roy Jones Jr, who racked up 66 victories during a decorated career that saw him rise from four-weight world champion to becoming a true legend of the sport .
Speaking about Whittaker on talkSPORT Drive, Jones Jr said: “I like what I see Ben Whittaker doing.
“He just needs to tone it down a little because sometimes you can make people hate you by being a little too showboating.
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“For me, I understood when to do it and when not to do it. I love it because it’s a beautiful thing to see because we don’t have entertainment in boxing anymore, so doing it is great – you just have to be careful because there’s a fine line between love and hate when it comes to showboating.
“But I like it because I like watching him do it. I love that he has the courage and the heart to go out there and even try – he doesn’t care who he fights, he’ll go out there and do it with anyone and it’s a beautiful thing.
“We need to calm down a little. I didn’t want to do it until I knew I had the guy beaten. Once I beat them, I could show the fans a little bit and get you out of here, but I’m not going to showboat in the first round or two because that might backfire on me.
“I’ll never do it if I don’t get you beaten.”
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“Either I’ll do it when I get you beaten, or if you’re a true top 10 player, then I’ll show it against you because that’s who I’m supposed to be able to do it against.
“So when I fought James Toney, I did it. For what? Because James Toney was, pound for pound, the best fighter in the world. If you want to tear someone apart, that’s who you’re going to attack.
“The first fight with Bernard Hopkins, I did very little showboating. For what? People didn’t really know Hopkins. They knew he was ranked number one, but he didn’t know that, so if I’m running against Hopkins who is a nobody, what does that prove?
“But if I show up against James Toney, the one they’re all afraid of, that’s when you do something.
“You have to know when to put it on and when not to put it on.”
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