So now the stage is set for a fight between angry old men.
It seems to me that Jones has the tools to defeat Hopkins– maybe even by k.o. since he is stronger and has the speed and style, and power.
[Black Star Sports]
On Tuesday, February 9, 2010 four-time World Champ, Roy Jones, Jr., 54-6, 40 k.o.’s, jawed off with Bernard Hopkins, 50-5-1,32 k.o.’s, 2 time World Champ at their Press Conference “Debate”, at the Hard Rock Cafe in Manhattan, for their Saturday, April 3, 2010, “winner take all”, fight in Mandalay Bay Casino, Las Vegas.
Despite the fact that it had all the serious facade of a Presidential debate, it turned into the typical boxer’s conference with each participant insulting one another which in reality, was no different than the regular political debates with each candidate standing on their assigned podiums, hurling threats and insults at each other.
I soon became concerned with the strong feeling that Bernard Hopkins, known as “The Executioner”, was displaying–a revenge obsession that he has held for 17 years against Roy Jones because of a unanimous decision Jones won over him, which included a knockdown, as Jones retained his Middleweight Crown.
It seemed to me that Hopkins held a grudge all of those years against Jones despite having a Hall of Fame career defending his Middleweight Title 20 straight times, remaining undefeated for 12 years after the Jones loss, which included knocking out Felix “Tito” Trinidad for undisputed total posession of the Middleweight Crown and also winning the World Light Heavyweight Title from Antonio Tarver.
Hopkins surprisingly defeated Kelly Pavlik the undefeated World Middleweight Champ. No one –yours truly included– did not think he had a chance. The grudge perhaps stems from the fact that Roy Jones, Jr. during that time was labled the Pound- for- Pound King of the ring, not Bernard Hopkins. Is it jealousy? Who Knows?
Even though he made a promise to retire at 40 years of age, Hopkins extended the deadline to continue to pursue Jones, until he finally realized that quest now slated for April 3rd. During the debate with Jones he denied the obsession stating that this fight was just destiny decided by the fans. Hopkins said after beating Jones, he was looking forward to fighting, Chad Dawson, World Light Heavyweight Champ and Lucien Bute, Super Middleweight Champ, in that order.
Roy Jones said he could not understand Hopkins’ “stalking” him all of those years since he was so succressful in his own right. Jones’ own career has included winning the Heavyweight Title from John Ruiz.
In their upcoming fight, surprisingly, they are sharing parity but, with one strange agreement. If either fighter scores a knockout over his opponent, he will be paid 60% of the entire purse and the k.o. loser will only receive 40%. Because of his suspected obsession over Jones, it appears to me that pressure is on Hopkins.
So now the stage is set for a fight between angry old men.
It seems to me that although Jones appears to be the most vulnerable, due to his recent first round k.o. loss to Daniel Greene, and two previous losses to Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson, he has the tools to defeat Hopkins– maybe even by k.o. since he is stronger and has the speed and style, and power.
