By Mark Vester

In a recent interview with Robert Cassidy of New York Newsday , former four-division champ Roy Jones Jr. spoke about Floyd Mayweather Jr., his bout with Oscar De La Hoya, and the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Jones admits that Mayweather is the top pound-for-pound fighter in the sport, but saw his bout with De Le Hoya as nothing more than average.

"It was okay. It was an average fight. It wasn't the major fight that we expected it to be. But he (Mayweather) did his job. They expected that explosion and that explosion never happened. I didn't go to the fight, I didn't watch the fight because I knew what was going to happen. I was expecting what happened to happen. You can never tell. Whoever thought the first Arturo Gatti-Micky Ward fight was going to turn out to be what it was," Jones said.

In the last year, many boxers have bashed the UFC and mixed martial arts in general.

Not Jones.

He appears to be a big fan of the UFC and feels that boxing should take some notes on what the UFC is doing in terms of how the fighters are matched - with the best fighting the best on a regular basis.

"I watch it all the time. They have the best fighters fighting the best fighters and that's what boxing needs. You never can tell what will happen in a fight. Look at the last [Chuck] Liddell fight. Bam, 10 seconds it was over. They got that explosion they were waiting for. Boxing didn't get the same explosion out of Mayweather-De La Hoya," Jones said. 

"UFC is a great thing, but boxing has to get on it's a game. UFC is the best fighting the best and that what boxing has to do. If you are an ultimate fighter, you are going to fight someone who is going to fight. In UFC, if you lose to a good fighter, you lost, you still know you are good fighter, and you come back the next day and fight again. In boxing, if you lose and that's it. You are done.I lose a few fights they want to tell me I'm washed up and I don't have it no more."

Jones was realistic when asked about his chances in a UFC ring. He knows that he is vulnerable on the ground and possesses a clear advantage if the fight stays on top.

"Now, I can't get on the ground and start wresting because I know nothing about that. But if I hit him before he gets to the ground, he's not going to get up and have the chance to wrestle," Jones said.

Send News Tips and Comments To Mark Vester @ boxingscene@hotmail.com