Who saw the fight? It was a pitiful, pitiful sight, which is a shame because many, such as myself, consider these two two of the greatest boxers who've ever lived, and many such as myself has wanted to see this fight happen (again) for many, many years. Unfortunately, we had to wait until Hopkins was 45 and Roy Jones Jr. was 41 to get it, and what we got was an absolute travesty to the sport of boxing.
In a fight that consisted of countless illegal blows from Jones, and both fighters refusing to engage much throughout it (especially Jones), it was a complete borefest, with sadly enough the illegal blows bringing the only drama to the fight. Hopkins won the bout by unanimous decision, even though the very few times Jones Jr. got aggressive, he won the exchanges I thought, but that just wasn't enough to win rounds, as Hopkins as usual used his defensive tactics to control the fight and land decent enough blows.
Anyway, since I'm sure it's a universal opinion that this fight was terrible, there's really no need to go into much discussion about it. What I would like to ask is if this fight diminished either fighter's legacy at all? Hell, should either fighter really be considered an all time great to begin with? And what should both fighters do from this point on? Do you think they should retire, or do you believe either one has something left in the tank
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My opinion is that they really need to hang them up, and never fight again. The only proof I need to back that statement up is the fight that occurred on Saturday night. It was absolutely pathetic, and neither fighter even looks like a former shell of their former selves.
Bernard Hopkins, after the fight before passing out in the lockerroom, said that he wants to fight David Haye next. I really, really hope no promoter has the black heart to actually put that fight together. Hopkins would get KILLED, literally, and that's just not something I want to see (and this is coming from someone who used to hate Hopkins).
As far as Roy Jones Jr., he's one of my all time favorites, and it pains me to see him in there looking the way he does. He put up a solid performance against Joe Calzaghe, but that should have been his last fight. Hell, one could argue that the Glenn Johnson fight should have been his last (it really was the first Tarver fight where Jones' career started to go severely downhill). But, the guy, like so many before him, just cannot come to the realization that he's not what he once was. It's sad to witness. The Roy Jones Jr. that gets knocked out in the first round against an Australian no-name, and the Roy Jones Jr. who acts like he's scared to get hit against Bernard Hopkins is simply not the same Roy Jones Jr. who was able to get a 49-1 record, with that one loss being a BS Disqualification. I really wish he would face that fact.
Anyway, regardless of how terrible the fight was, it didn't diminish either in my mind. Whenever I think of Roy Jones Jr. I will always think of the flamboyant unbeatable showman who put on some of the greatest knockouts throughout the history of the sport. And Hopkins surely has to be considered one of the greatest defensive boxers of all time, and he's been able to use that style successfully for quite a long time against some very talented fighters. Both are undoubtedly two of the all time greats in my mind, and I don't think there's anything they can do from this point on that could make me change my opinion on that.