Wladimir Klitschko has questioned Roy Jones Jr 's "moral compass" whilst criticising him for his connection to Russia.
Former four-weight world champion Jones officially became a Russian citizen in 2015 after President Vladimir Putin accepted his request. The boxing legend told Putin he wanted to open a gym and start a business in Russia and that being a citizen of the country would make that easier.
Klitschko and brother Wladimir, who is the Mayor of Kyiv, have been voicing their support for Ukraine since Russia invaded the country earlier this year. Klitschko took aim at Jones' connection to Russia in a recent video and challenged the boxer to clarify "what side he is on".
"I am super happy to be able to address all of you tonight. Well, almost all of you. There is one person for whom I have a real question [for]. One person broke Ukrainian law by going to the occupied peninsula of Crimea through Russian territory," Klitschko said in a Twitter video.
"That person is Roy Jones. So Roy, whose side are you on? On the side of the aggressor, or on the side of the defender of its right to live. I respect you as a fighter, but I really question your moral compass.
Klitschko and brother Vitali admitted recently told The Mirror that Ukraine is still in a "fragile situation". Vitali insisted Putin must be "sick" after making the decision to invade Ukraine and "destroy the lives of millions of people".
Jones has previously defended the Russian president and praised him for his active lifestyle. The former champion insisted Putin is a "man of his word", telling the UFC Unfiltered podcast: "To me, he is a man’s man. He does things that men are really highly engaged in.
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"He’ll fish, he hunts, he boxes. He does taekwondo, Aikido — things that men love. That is just who he is and he is a man of his word. The problem people have with him is that if he says he is going to do something, there ain’t no question that he’s going to do it.
"I have nothing but love and respect for a person like that because that is the way life should be. That is what I like about Mr. Putin. If he says he is going to do something, he is going to do it. ‘Look, you want to be a Russian citizen? Bam. I can make that happen.’ It is just that simple.”
