Roy Jones Jr. When asked about the toughest batter he has ever faced, his answer was quite surprising.

The Hall of Famer made his mark at middleweight, super middleweight and light heavyweight Dethroning WBA heavyweight champion John Ruiz 2003.

Despite weighing in at only 193 pounds, Jones, who was severely undersized, dominated the fight from start to finish and earned a unanimous decision victory.

Based on size alone, many would doubt that Ruiz is the most powerful fighter Jones has ever faced, with 30 of his 44 professional victories coming from distance.

Additionally, Antonio Tarver is also a slugger, having fought three times alongside the four-division 175-pound world champion.

Although their first meeting in 2003 ended in a majority decision loss, Tarver got his revenge with a second-round victory the following year.

“Magic” then ended their trilogy with a unanimous decision win in 2005, but Jones recalls facing his toughest opponent nearly a decade ago.

talk with ring magazine In the “Best I’ve Ever Met” feature, Jones named Merqui Sosa, whom he defeated in the second round in 1996as the most powerful warrior he has ever faced.

“Merky Souza is a very strong guy. You can’t push him back; he doesn’t give anything up in the ring. I have to get him out of there early. He’s very strong and isn’t going anywhere.

“Merquet’s shot missed me and nearly buckled my knee. If the ball had hit the ground, it would have been a different story.”

“I was like, ‘Wow, this guy is trying to kill (me)!’ and I went to him and ended the fight. Tarver had good punching power, but he didn’t punch any harder than Melky Sosa.”

Prior to his fight with Jones, Sosa lost a split decision to James Toney after being knocked down early and docked a point for a low blow.

Although the Dominican fighter never became a world champion, he still finished his career with an impressive record of 34-9-2 (27 KOs).