Don't miss all the action this Saturday, April 3, when future Hall of Famers Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr. step in the ring to bring a close to their 17-year rivalry at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada and televised live on pay-per-view beginning at 9PM ET/6PM PT. What's at stake? How will the fight play out? Check out the FightHype Breakdown to see why you might not want to miss it!
WHAT DOES IT MEAN...
Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones are finally getting in the ring together this weekend; unfortunately, it is not a case of the wait being over for the fansÂ…it's a case of the wait being far too long, and no one really caring anymore.
In short, and it pains me to say this, the fight is meaningless.
For Hopkins, the fight is a lose–lose proposition. Sure, he will get paid, and will be doing so before Roy even sees a nickel, but from the perspective of the fight itself, Hopkins has to win, and even that won't be looked at as an accomplishment at this point. If Hopkins were to lose, Roy would never let him live it down. Even when they're in their 60's, which isn't that far off incidentally, and they're making appearances, Roy would remind him of it. If Hopkins wins, he was supposed to…if he blows Roy out, we've seen it before, so no one will get up and give him the kind of recognition he will expect. Hopkins says he wants David Haye next, but I am not so sure that fight happens. HBO would want him to fight Chad Dawson, but seeing how Bernard felt like they jobbed him against Jermain Taylor in what was more of a robbery of the torch than a passing of it, I doubt he will be up for the same type of scenario again.
Roy is potentially in a lose–lose situation as well, because if the fight doesn't sell well and he ends up losing the fight, he won't get paid for his troubles. Granted, after getting blitzed by Danny Green inside of a round, he didn't exactly have a slew of options, so he chose what he hoped would be the most high-profile matchup with the most potential upside. Sounds like a miscalculation. If we look at the fight, and only the fight, well, Roy is taking a chance that he is still able to stick it to Bernard in there. His style was always the type that would trouble Hopkins, so maybe he is on to something.
At the end of the night though, your guess is as good as mine as to who they each move on to fight. Personally, I think they should not fight anyone after this – ride off into the sunset and be done with it; give fans a chance to reminisce about their prime years and remember how great both fighters were. In an ideal world, Hopkins would have called it quits after his masterpiece against Kelly Pavlik and Jones would have called it a career after being destroyed by Joe Calzaghe, but it was not to be in either case.
WHEN THE BELL RINGS...
I guess we can all assume that Hopkins will start slow, trying to counter. Roy will sit on the outside looking to potshot and both men will take their time in there.
Early on, there won't be a whole lot of excitement or action to speak of, unless Jones decides to go for broke right off the bat in hopes of catching Hopkins cold. We know Ex is not the type to jump on his opponent right away anymore, especially at the age of 45Â…he would rather systematically disarm them.
As we approach the middle rounds, they both should start to loosen up a little. Roy will get some combos going, Bernard will counter and mug on the insideÂ…both men will showboat a little, but it won't be anything sustained or prolonged. Jones has no legs left whatsoever, and Hopkins knows this; he is going to look to wait out RJÂ…he just needs to make sure he doesn't give away too many rounds, and with this version of Jones, I don't think he will.
With that said, Hopkins is still 45 years old, and at some point in time, the well will be dry. Is this the night?
THE CALL...
I guess it wouldn't be all that shocking to see Jones eke out a decision by pot-shotting all night. Hopkins is not active in there, he is in his mid 40's, and Roy's style will always trouble the ExecutionerÂ…even this dulled version of it. But just because I wouldn't be shocked, doesn't mean that it's what I expect. Hopkins is going to try to get Roy out of there late, and while I am not really sure that he will, I guess I will lean toward RJJ's completely shot legs not allowing him to cross the finish line.
Give me Hopkins by TKO in the 10th. The most interesting thing about this fight is whether or not it surpasses 200,000 pay-per-view buysÂ…I am guessing that it doesn't.
BONUS PICK...
There sure is a lot made of David Haye at heavyweight, when he really has done absolutely nothing. He was dropped against Monte Barrett, even though the ref never called it, and he was fortunate to get a decision against Nikolai Valuev. In fact, Holyfield did it far more convincingly; he was just robbed.
John Ruiz will provide some sort of barometer for Haye at heavyweight, and even though Ruiz isn't loaded with physical ability or even youth at this point, I smell an upset. The Quietman will draw Haye into a battle of attrition and begin to wear on him. Don't get me wrong, Ruiz being dropped at some point would be far from a surprise, but he will get up. I will go out on a limb and follow the gut instinctÂ…let's call it Ruiz by a TKO in the 11th.