Join us right here for live coverage of tonight’s rematch between Roy Jones Jr and Bernard Hopkins. The live play-by-play will start at 9pm ET with an undercard featuring Daniel Judah vs Ismayl Sillakh, Sergio Mora vs Calvin Green, and Rocky Juarez vs Jason Litzau.
Refresh this post throughout the night for the latest results.
Live from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, NV. Our commentators are Joe Tessitore, Doug Fischer, and Sugar Ray Leonard.
Ismayl Sillakh vs. Daniel Judah
Referee: Vic Drakulich
Round 1
Sillakh uses his jab to keep Judah away. He’s moving well around the ring and not letting Judah get in. Sillakh is putting his punches together very well. Beautiful three punch combo lands for Sillakh. A clash of heads opens up a cut over the right eye of Sillakh. Looks minor. 10-9 Sillakh
Round 2
Judah down early. A left to the body landed but the rest looked to be blocked. Still, Judah went down. He’s up by 6. Sillakh swarms and Judah goes down awkwardly again. He’s up by 8 but the ref calls the fight.
Ismayl Sillakh by TKO at 0:49 of R2
With an early stoppage in the first fight, we go to pre-recorded coverage of an undercard fight: Frankie Gomez vs. Clayvonne Howard.
Gomez, a decorated amateur, wins his debut fight by 3rd round TKO.
Sergio Mora vs. Calvin Green
Referee: Russell Mora
Round 1
Green is aggressive to start. He lands a flush left to Mora that slows him down and backs him up against the ropes. Mora responds with good body shots. Mora is cut between his eyebrow and bridge of his nose ruled from a punch. Green 10-9
Round 2
Green backs Mora into the corner and counters as Green keeps his head down and swings. Mora throws a lot of short uppercuts. Mora turns the momentum around and puts Green’s back against the corner. Mora throwing quick punches, many of them to the body. These two are standing in front of each other and slugging it out in an exciting round. Mora 10-9
Round 3
Green moves into a clinch to start the round. Mora separates and lands a great overhand right. Green forces Mora to the ropes again. Green is throwing a lot of punches with enough landing to make this fight competitive. Mora closes the round with some crisp counters to win the round. Mora 10-9
Round 4
Mora is starting to box a lot more. He lands a lunging jab and goes to work with Green on the ropes. Mora unloads on Green and a stronger puncher would have finished it. Mora tires and both men seem spent in the 4th. They are like two 160-pound blobs of jello. Mora 10-9
Round 5
Green is certainly game but Mora is the more skilled boxer and it is starting to show now. Green’s aggression and will were enough early but no longer. Mora with a a strong combo and it even looks like he’s hit his comfort zone now. Mora 10-9
Round 6
Green has slowed and Mora is taking advantage. Mora flurries again to end the round but doesn’t finish. A lot of heart from Green here. Mora 10-9
Round 7
Green is still trying to push the pace and it says a lot to his heart. Mora is still having his way with him. A left sneaks through Green’s guard followed by a right. Another right from Mora causes Green to turtle a bit and the ref steps in and stops it.
Sergio Mora by TKO at 1:50 of R7
More replay of the untelevised undercard as Ray Narh scores a 2nd round TKO of Angel Hernandez.
Rocky Juarez vs. Jason Litzau
Referee: Jay Nady
Round 1
Juarez is slow to start and Litzau is using his jab. Litzau finishes an uneventful first round with enough of a flurry to steal the round. 10-9 Litzau
Round 2
Juarez is trying harder to close the distance. He is actually jabbing his way in and landing solid shots. Juarez 10-9
Round 3
Juarez is chasing while Litzau is using his jab. More of a technical fight than I was hoping for. Litzau’s range is causing problems for Juarez. He is landing great counters and stiff jabs. Litzau 10-9
Round 4
Litzau is fighting with confidence. More jabs from Jason. Juarez is getting battered with hooks as he tries to come in. Litzau 10-9
Round 5
They move into a clinch and Juarez lands a good counter. Juarez backs Litzau into the corner and lands some good punches. This is a slower round than the previous four and really a slower and duller fight than was expected. Juarez did enough to win. Juarez 10-9
Round 6
Litzau is fighting with great determination in the biggest fight of his career. He seems to want it more than Juarez. Juarez being the smaller guy, he needs to get inside and show some action. Litzau 10-9
Round 7
Juarez works the body. Litzau pawing with the jab. Juarez back with an overhand right and the action has picked up in the fight. Litzau has a cut underneath his left eye from a clash of heads. Juarez comes in and works the body more as he seems to be getting a rhythm. Juarez 10-9
Fight is stopped due to the cut and we go to the scorecards:
Inside Fights has it scored 67-66 Litzau
The official scorecard has it 68-65, 67-66, 67-66 all for Jason Litzau
Jason Litzau by a technical unanimous decision
The stoppage seemed more strategic from Litzau’s side than anything. The eye was a problem but nothing he couldn’t work through. The corner made sure to ask the ref if the cut was from a punch or a headbutt before deciding if Litzau could continue. They figured Litzau was ahead on the cards and this was a good opportunity to win the fight.
Roy Jones Jr comes out to rap music. Bernard Hopkins comes out with some crooner doing a B-Hop inspired remix of “My Way” by Frank Sinatra.
Roy Jones Jr vs. Bernard Hopkins
Referee: Tony Weeks
Round 1
30 seconds in and it already gets dirty. They clinch and throw at the back of each other’s heads. Hopkins to the body. Not much happening. Jones misses some body shots. Tessitore calls it “cautious and tactical.” That is announcer-speak for boring. Hopkins 10-9
Round 2
Jones is moving around but Hopkins is proving to be a hard target to hit. Hopkins with a body-head combo. A body head banger, if you will. Hopkins ducks an overhand right and there is more dirty fighting inside a clinch. Roy drops his hands and shuffles while Hopkins lets him do it. Jones is backed up by a right from Hopkins but he clinches to survive the round. Hopkins 10-9
Round 3
Jones dodges a combo from Hopkins. Left on the belt line from Hopkins. This is a brutal round to watch. Hopkins is in control and Jones is cut. He’s fighting more cautiously than before…when he was fighting cautiously. Hopkins 10-9
Round 4
More clinching and referee involvement. Tony Weeks is putting his hands on Hopkins more than Jones is. They are in yet another clinch and Roy lands a short, no-look uppercut. Hopkins is dictating the pace and Jones is letting him do it. Hopkins 10-9
Round 5
In another clinch, and Roy lands a nice right hook. Then he smiles about it. Hopkins gets aggressive and pours it on Roy’s body. Back to the clinch and Hopkins lands a low blow undetected by the ref. Right to the sack. Vintage B-Hop. Hopkins 10-9
Round 6
Hopkins gets into the showboating now with a windup. Jones taunts Hopkins and asks for a punch from Hopkins. B-Hop obliges and we finally get some action. Great back and forth as both guys finally deliver on the personal animosity. Jones hits Hopkins in the back of the head during a clinch and Hopkins goes down. Someone give him an Oscar. Big delay but no point deducted. Hopkins charges after the restart and they fight for a good ten seconds after the bell. Corners come into the ring. Just crazy. Hopkins 10-9
Round 7
The punch was incidental from Roy and B-Hop has already gone low on Roy twice, but Hopkins is crazy enough to convince himself that Roy is fighting dirty right now. A lot of feinting and posturing this round. Hopkins has his right cocked and Roy has his left hand low but Hopkins isn’t throwing it. Hopkins seems to be looking for a kill shot. Hopkins is more aggressive now than usual. Hopkins 10-9
Round 8
Into a clinch and Hopkins works the body, which in his brain ranges from the abdomen to the knees. The crowd is booing, as they have been since the first round. Hopkins with a right that doesn’t quite land flush but backs Jones up against he ropes. Jones is moving and defending but not throwing punches. Into a clinch and Jones hits Hopkins behind the head again and here we go again. Hopkins goes down to a knee and milks it again. No points but a warning. It’s really a good job from Weeks because Hopkins is just trying to get points deducted, not genuinely reacting. Plus, Hopkins hit Jones illegally but as usual, the ref didn’t see it. Hopkins 10-9
Round 9
Jones just isn’t throwing enough to factor into the scorecards. He needs a knockout. Jones lands a nice right but Hopkins immediately counters with a flurry of about six clean punches. Any time Hopkins gets hit he responds with aggression. Hopkins 10-9
Round 10
In a clinch, Roy lands a borderline low blow and DOWN GOES HOPKINS! Ref rules it an accidental low blow but Hopkins is acting like he’s been castrated. Hopkins has landed at least two shots lower than that one on Roy and he’s completely acting here; trying to get a point deducted. Roy is just not retaliating in any way other than feints. Hopkins 10-9
Round 11
Hopkins hits Jones with what is ruled an accidental headbutt. Jones is cut over his left eye. More booing. Jones takes hardly no time to recover and the fight is restarted without much of a rest period. Unlike Hopkins, however, Jones doesn’t respond with any vigor upon the restart. Hopkins 10-9
Round 12
Hopkins is fighting like he has this fight in the bag, and he does. Jones isn’t throwing at all. Hopkins is steady and plodding. Jones is inactive and oblivious. Hopkins 10-9
To the cards:
117-110, 117-110, 118-109 for Bernard Hopkins
Bernard Hopkins by unanimous decision
Hopkins is in the ring being interviewed by Doug Fischer. He says he’s seeing spots and toughing it out in order to do this interview. Give me a break. If he were Bobby Heenan we would be wearing a neck brace for two years. Hopkins calls out David Haye and wants to be heavyweight champ.
Roy Jones is being interviewed and says he feels great. He wanted the knockout for the 60-40 split. Jones is non-committal to the retirement question and gives the standard “I’ll talk with my team” response.
Thank you for joining us tonight for live coverage of Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr. This concludes our recap.
