The long awaited rematch between Roy Jones Jr and Bernard Hopkins finally comes this Saturday on pay-per-view. The fight will take place at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, accompanied by an undercard featuring Rocky Juarez vs. Jason Litzau, Sergio Mora vs. Calvin Green, and Ismayl Sillakh vs. Daniel Judah. The action kicks off at 9pm ET. Inside Fights will have live coverage of the fights.
Roy Jones Jr vs. Bernard Hopkins II
Money Line: Hopkins -600; Jones Jr +400
Roy Jones Jr, 54-6 (40 KOs), was once the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world. Now 41, Jones Jr past his prime long ago but Bernard Hopkins won’t seem to let him walk away into the sunset until he is allowed to avenge his 1993 loss to Jones Jr. That point never became more evident than when the two were slated to meet after “tune-up” fights last December. Roy traveled all the way to Australia to be handed a first round TKO by Danny Green. The Jones-Hopkins fight seemed dead at that point and it should have been. But the Hopkins Hype Machine spewed out a plethora of excuses for his longtime rival in order to save the match, and in order for Hopkins to exact revenge. Jones Jr was coming off of impressive-enough wins over Jeff Lacy and Omar Sheika before the Danny Green loss confirmed that they were on borrowed time.
Bernard Hopkins, 50-5-1 (32 KOs), has proven that age is nothing but a number at 45-years-old. He still remains one of the best boxers in the world (currently ranked 3rd on the Inside Fights lb-for-lb list) and stays in great shape. Hopkins has been wise in scheduling the twilight of his boxing career, choosing to fight roughly once a year. His last fight was a near shutout over Enrique Ornelas in 2009, which followed a near shutout of Kelly Pavlik in 2008. Hopkins is the better fighter. Hopkins is the more relevant fighter. He has something to look forward to after the fight as he’s already called out the Haye-Ruiz winner. Hopkins is the hungrier fighter. He waited 17 years for this rematch. Makes you think he just wants it more than Roy, who never could seem to take his own fights seriously.
Staff Predictions
Corey: Well, we finally made it here, and it’s seven years too late. That can only play to Hopkins’ advantage, who has gone largely untouched by the hands of time, even at 45. Roy has not been so fortunate, losing five of his last ten, three by knockout, including his last fight against Danny Green. It’s Hopkins who has everything to lose here, as he is still relevant in the fighting game, and it’s his obsession with getting revenge that has made this fight a reality. Hopkins is better, he wants it more, and he’ll win the fight decisively as Roy dances, clowns and survives. Hopkins wins a near-shutout at 118-110.
Will: My only prediction is this – Everybody who watches this should be ashamed of themselves and will need to have a cold shower to get the stink off themselves. These two shouldn’t be encouraged let alone rewarded. Luckily Sky isn’t showing this so I won’t be tempted to watch. (Ed. note – perfect reason to follow the live coverage on Inside Fights!)
Trent: Bernard Hopkins’ mind works in crazy ways. Roy went on to superstardom after their ’93 bout while Bernard had to claw his way back into the scene. In some way, a 2010 win over Roy Jones Jr will undoubtedly prove that Hopkins has always been a better fighter than Roy, at least in his own mind. I look for Hopkins to come out and dominate Roy. He’s got a sickness and a knockout is his only cure. Jones Jr has been stopped three times, most recently by Danny Green. Hopkins is usually a slow starter but not on Saturday. Stamina has never been a strong point for Jones Jr and it only wanes with his age. Look for Roy to tire and Hopkins to put him away for good in the 9th.
Bryan: Bernard Hopkins is taking Roy Jones to school in this one. Roy will be old Roy for a few rounds, and then he will eat counter right hands the rest of the night. Bernard’s old school skill set ages better than Roy’s reflexive style, and it will show come Saturday. This one is gonna be painful to watch for all those Roy Jones fans still left, all two of you.
