Bernard Hopkins vs. Roy Jones Jr.

[jmt225]

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.

 

[Super Hans]

they both need to retire,jones while awesome in his day is just shot to bits,which is sad to see.bhop while i think could fight on at this level,should hang em up.he is calling out haye which isnt gonna happen as stated by adam booth(hayes trainer)the only option left then is chad dawson who simply doesnt draw enough to interest hopkins.there are simply no other options out there for him.

 

[INDYjon22]

I didn't actually see the fight but I read the score card and listened to the anchors on ESPN talking about it. I actually wanted to watch it and from everything I have heard I am happy i did not. Both men NEED to retire and that's the end of it. It always seems like these all time greats have a problem with retiring, maybe it is because of all the shots they take to the head, maybe it is because they want to prove something still. Either way this is how boxers get severely hurt.

I am with you that both men need to hang it up. I was a fan of Roy Jones Jr. when I started watching boxing and the last real fight I watched was Jones getting beat by Tarver. I followed his decline from there but never watched any of the fights. Honestly, I though he had retired until I saw this card. He is a great fighter and will be known as one but at this point he is only doing his legacy and his body harm.

The same goes for Bernard Hopkins but he has been able to handle his age and career better. However, he as well needs to retire before he gets really hurt. It is always a shame to see a fighter become a lesser fighter but at a point you don't want to see an old man get beat up and that's the point I am at with both Hopkins and Jones Jr.

 

[Via Armbar]

I was looking forward to the fight as soon as it was announced, but honesty I knew it would dissapoint. Both men are obviously some of the greatest boxers to ever live, but there comes a point in time in every atheletes professional careers where they need to say enough. Sad but true. Even more so was the actual fight. Boring from beginning to end with minimal action outside of the illegal blows. When you couple Hopkins awesome defense and Roy's hesitance to engage, there wasn't very much that could happen. Age has clearly caught up with both men, Jones even more so. It happens to the best eventually. I don't think it will tarnish either career though as long as people view the fight with retrospect.

 

[Buffalo Dave]

I seen the fight, thank god I didn't have to order the ppv instead found someone streaming it. I feel so sorry for anyone who had to pay for this fight. It wasn't just RJJ throwing illegal blows, B-Hop threw some of his own, he even landed a blatant low blow as the ref was switched sides so he couldn't see it, this was before Jones even started throwing his illegal punches.

What this fight showed us was that Jones should retire, he couldn't even mount an offensive attack and just gets backed into the ropes with ease. In the whole fight I think he landed maybe 5 good (clean) punches the whole fight, with his best being a body shot. I have to admit he did look in good shape and still can move around the ring good. I mean he can continue fighting guys like Omar Sheika if he wanted to but from what we seen over the past 5 years any of his fights vs. credible fighters don't go so well. As for B-Hop I think if we wanted to he can continue to keep fighting if we wants. He seems to have lost that KO power since not winning by one since he fought Oscar in 2004, but he shows we still can dominate a fight, I would say maybe 2 or 3 more fights for him tops or we are gonna definitley see him get KO'd sooner or later, but unlike RJJ he can still hang with the bigger contenders by not losing lopsided. The most intriguing fight I would want to see with him is a rematch with Calzaghe since that was a close loss for Hopkins, but since Calzaghe retired I doubt he would comeback for a rematch vs. Hopkins just because it doesn't scream dollar signs for the fighters or promoters.

As for tarnishing their careers with this fight, No I don't think it will. People will always talk on how bad of a fight it was, but both boxers have had great great careers, this fight is not gonna determine their HOF carrers by anyway, mainly because it was in twilight of it. Now if this was the rematch that was supposed to happen years ago and the fight played out just like it did, there might be something there that would've effected their careers. Remember not alot of people showed much intrest into the fight and Jones didnt even win his fight that that he was supposed to in order to face Hopkins, but Hopkins still wanted it anyways. That right there is what I think killed the build up for this fight.

Did anyones else think that after the fight a melee would break out? I thought there was gonna at least be something going on between the two of them, just for all the illegal shots and from the extra fighting after the 6th rd. I was really surprised on how they were professional at the end of it.