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HOPKINS: JONES SHOULD RETIRE
By: Ian Axon
Bernard Hopkins was sitting ringside for the match between Joe Calzaghe and Roy Jones, Jr. at Madison Square Garden this past Saturday night. And when he looked at Jones before the fight started he saw a look on Jones' face that he could not figure out.
"I've never seen Roy look like that. He just didn't look healthy," Hopkins said. "I don't know if he wasn't feeling good, but he didn't look good. Physically he looked old. He face was shrunken. It looked like that against Trinidad. He just didn't look strong."
Twelve rounds later Jones looked worst than he ever has following a fight - even after he got knocked out cold by Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson. A bloody gash was over Jones' left eye and he didn't look anything like a man who once ruled the light heavyweight division for a decade and was once considered No. 1 pound-for-pound in boxing.
Jones had beaten Hopkins as a middleweight 15 years ago - a decision that hangs over Hopkins career to this day. Hopkins was sitting at ringside hoping that Jones would somehow be able to turn back the clock the way that Hopkins had three weeks ago when he battered Kelly Pavlik. Hoping that an upset victory by Jones would rekindle that interest from boxing fans for a rematch.
You can forget about that.
"I don't want to fight Roy, not after (Saturday) night," Hopkins said. "What's the point?"
The way that Calzaghe beat Jones demonstrated that the 39-year-old Jones can't really hang with anyone in the upper levels of the sport. His legs are gone and he doesn't have the speed and reflexes that he once used to compensate for the fact that he wasn't a technically sound boxer.
"The things that he was able to do because he was Superman he can't do them anymore,"Hopkins said.
"And those were the things that awed us with him - the fact that he didn't throw a jab and follow it and that he could throw that lead right from across the ring and land because he had such good reflexes -are the things that he can't do any more.
"Because he could do that and get away with it he never learned the basics. And when you get older and your legs go and you're not as fast as you once were that's what you go back to is the basics. He can't go back to it because he never learned the basics."
At first Hopkins did not want to say that Jones should retire: "I can't say it's over. That&'s up to Roy."
But after we had talked for a while and Hopkins talked about walking into Jones'dressing room after the fight and seeing Jones' son sobbing and seeing how dejected Jones was, he said it's time for Jones to call it quits.
"I just hope Roy doesn't hustle his name and let them pimp him out. This is a cruel business," Hopkins said. "I think Roy should just roll out. I don't think he has the physical and mental ability to fight at any weight class - middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight, heavyweight. I think it's a wrap."
Hopkins, 43, isn't thinking about hanging them up. His victory over Pavlik gave him new life and vibrancy in the game. Of course he was pushing for a rematch against Calzaghe. He lost a split decision to Calzaghe back in April. The split decision is enough for Hopkins to push the issue of the rematch.
"Joe has used all kinds of excuses for our fight, saying he wasn't at his best," Hopkins said. "Well let's see what he do to me if he's at his best. Let's see if he can beat me the way that he beat Roy."
Hopkins said he is not going to chase down Calzaghe the way that Jones did.
I've never showed up at anybody's press conference after a fight to ask them to fight me and I'm not going to start," he said.
"I don't need anything that bad. I heard Roy was sending him text messages, trying to get the fight. That was really out of character for Roy right there."
It was also uncharacteristic for Jones to take a beating like he did. But the old Roy Jones is gone. Now all we had is an old Roy Jones. And he is a shadow of the former boxer.
By: Ian Axon
Bernard Hopkins was sitting ringside for the match between Joe Calzaghe and Roy Jones, Jr. at Madison Square Garden this past Saturday night. And when he looked at Jones before the fight started he saw a look on Jones' face that he could not figure out.
"I've never seen Roy look like that. He just didn't look healthy," Hopkins said. "I don't know if he wasn't feeling good, but he didn't look good. Physically he looked old. He face was shrunken. It looked like that against Trinidad. He just didn't look strong."
Twelve rounds later Jones looked worst than he ever has following a fight - even after he got knocked out cold by Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson. A bloody gash was over Jones' left eye and he didn't look anything like a man who once ruled the light heavyweight division for a decade and was once considered No. 1 pound-for-pound in boxing.
Jones had beaten Hopkins as a middleweight 15 years ago - a decision that hangs over Hopkins career to this day. Hopkins was sitting at ringside hoping that Jones would somehow be able to turn back the clock the way that Hopkins had three weeks ago when he battered Kelly Pavlik. Hoping that an upset victory by Jones would rekindle that interest from boxing fans for a rematch.
You can forget about that.
"I don't want to fight Roy, not after (Saturday) night," Hopkins said. "What's the point?"
The way that Calzaghe beat Jones demonstrated that the 39-year-old Jones can't really hang with anyone in the upper levels of the sport. His legs are gone and he doesn't have the speed and reflexes that he once used to compensate for the fact that he wasn't a technically sound boxer.
"The things that he was able to do because he was Superman he can't do them anymore,"Hopkins said.
"And those were the things that awed us with him - the fact that he didn't throw a jab and follow it and that he could throw that lead right from across the ring and land because he had such good reflexes -are the things that he can't do any more.
"Because he could do that and get away with it he never learned the basics. And when you get older and your legs go and you're not as fast as you once were that's what you go back to is the basics. He can't go back to it because he never learned the basics."
At first Hopkins did not want to say that Jones should retire: "I can't say it's over. That&'s up to Roy."
But after we had talked for a while and Hopkins talked about walking into Jones'dressing room after the fight and seeing Jones' son sobbing and seeing how dejected Jones was, he said it's time for Jones to call it quits.
"I just hope Roy doesn't hustle his name and let them pimp him out. This is a cruel business," Hopkins said. "I think Roy should just roll out. I don't think he has the physical and mental ability to fight at any weight class - middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight, heavyweight. I think it's a wrap."
Hopkins, 43, isn't thinking about hanging them up. His victory over Pavlik gave him new life and vibrancy in the game. Of course he was pushing for a rematch against Calzaghe. He lost a split decision to Calzaghe back in April. The split decision is enough for Hopkins to push the issue of the rematch.
"Joe has used all kinds of excuses for our fight, saying he wasn't at his best," Hopkins said. "Well let's see what he do to me if he's at his best. Let's see if he can beat me the way that he beat Roy."
Hopkins said he is not going to chase down Calzaghe the way that Jones did.
I've never showed up at anybody's press conference after a fight to ask them to fight me and I'm not going to start," he said.
"I don't need anything that bad. I heard Roy was sending him text messages, trying to get the fight. That was really out of character for Roy right there."
It was also uncharacteristic for Jones to take a beating like he did. But the old Roy Jones is gone. Now all we had is an old Roy Jones. And he is a shadow of the former boxer.
