BoxRec

clopixolacuphase wrote:

Deserter wrote:

clopixolacuphase wrote: He put Calzaghe down in the first, like Hop, but unlike Hop who got Calzaghe with a flash knockdown with a little push to help him over, Roy put Joe on his face. It's only because Calzaghe has freakish recovery powers that he got up at all!.

You should watch both knockdowns again - Hopkins' was a clean one that was beautifully timed, whereas the reason Jones knocked Joe down so heavily was because he actually connected with his forearm rather than his glove - in no way intentional but it was more akin to a forearm smash. It was absolutely clear on the replays that it was a freak accident rather than intentional delivery that led to Joe being stunned so heavily.

Yeah I know trust me I've watched 'em. I've watched the Hopkins fight in slo-mo for f***s sake, just to make sure to myself who really won there's so much debate (yawn) The Jones knockdown IS a forearm smash. But the reality is if he had knocked Joe out with that, then it would still have been a knockout and a win for Roy, but yeah, you're right. I told you I'd get hate for suggesting Roy Jones isn't as washed up as he seems- just throwing some thoughts out there. That's why it's a discussion, right? But we're not really talking about the Calzaghe fights, which will be tiresomely debated forever in slagging matches until everyone dies of boredom. I was just using a common opponent as a discussion point OK? I still want to see this fight.

Sure. No worries. I just felt it was important to give the context as left as it was it implied that Jones was more effective than Hopkins, whereas there was a clear element of luck involved

clopixolacuphase wrote:I have been reading from a few sources about a radio interview recently where Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones 'discussed' a rematch. Hopkins wanted a 60/40 split in his favour and Jones, surprisingly, suggesed a 60/40 split to the winner. Apparently Hopkins said he could make more money fighting Adamek or Dawson, but as we know these fights don't look like they're coming off. After being challenged on this by the radio host, Hopkins hung up.

That's how I heard it reported anyway.

If this is true (and I haven't heard the interview, so please feel free to set me straight) why on earth wouldn't Hop take the 60/40 to the winner option? Jones looked great against Lacy, but was annihilated by Joe Calzaghe, who struggled mightily to do anything with Hopkins. Plus Hopkins destroyed Kelly Pavlik in his last fight. Hopkins would be favourite by a long chalk, plus he called out Jones after the Pavlik fight anyway. It's not like Hopkins wouldn't want to avenge what he calls his only 'real' loss. I cannot for the life of me see why he wouldn't want to get this fight on, can you?

I would actually be interested in watching this fight, or at least seeing how it panned out. They're BOTH old, so no-one can accuse anybody of picking on a granddad, and both fighters were more entertaining in their last outings than a lot of current boxers who are fighting in thier primes, as sad as I am to say it. Get it on!

The speed of Jones would always be a major problem for Hopkins, and Hopkins isn't in a position to force a heavy pace on Jones to expose the chinks that exist in Jones armour. Thats why Hopkins doesn't want to know.

lurkyshaka wrote:

clopixolacuphase wrote:I have been reading from a few sources about a radio interview recently where Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones 'discussed' a rematch. Hopkins wanted a 60/40 split in his favour and Jones, surprisingly, suggesed a 60/40 split to the winner. Apparently Hopkins said he could make more money fighting Adamek or Dawson, but as we know these fights don't look like they're coming off. After being challenged on this by the radio host, Hopkins hung up.

That's how I heard it reported anyway.

If this is true (and I haven't heard the interview, so please feel free to set me straight) why on earth wouldn't Hop take the 60/40 to the winner option? Jones looked great against Lacy, but was annihilated by Joe Calzaghe, who struggled mightily to do anything with Hopkins. Plus Hopkins destroyed Kelly Pavlik in his last fight. Hopkins would be favourite by a long chalk, plus he called out Jones after the Pavlik fight anyway. It's not like Hopkins wouldn't want to avenge what he calls his only 'real' loss. I cannot for the life of me see why he wouldn't want to get this fight on, can you?

I would actually be interested in watching this fight, or at least seeing how it panned out. They're BOTH old, so no-one can accuse anybody of picking on a granddad, and both fighters were more entertaining in their last outings than a lot of current boxers who are fighting in thier primes, as sad as I am to say it. Get it on!

The speed of Jones would always be a major problem for Hopkins, and Hopkins isn't in a position to force a heavy pace on Jones to expose the chinks that exist in Jones armour. Thats why Hopkins doesn't want to know.

RJJ is shot to bits. He is restricted to facing E-Level opposition like Lacy

Hopkins aint going to give this guy a chance now just as RJJ did not Give Hopkins a chance when they were BOTH in their Primes.

Hopkins couldn't care less about winning or losing, he's after a final payday and/or a belt. imo

RJJ offers neither.

observer1 wrote:
RJJ is shot to bits. He is restricted to facing E-Level opposition like Lacy

Hopkins aint going to give this guy a chance now just as RJJ did not Give Hopkins a chance when they were BOTH in their Primes.

Hopkins couldn't care less about winning or losing, he's after a final payday and/or a belt. imo

RJJ offers neither.

Just checked the Ring website for the Klitschko-Arreola write up and found that Hopkins-Jones II is signed for 2010, provided Jones gets through Green and Hopkins beats a tune-up light heavyweight fighter (whoever that will be... Probably someone like Sakio Bika will move up, but I think Hopkins could push himself and fight someone like Jean Pascal).

Hopkins says he is motivated by the idea of avenging his only 'proper' loss. The split is 50-50, unless someone gets stopped, then it's 60-40 to the winner.

Hate to say I told you so obesrver1 but you do kind of p*ss me off with the way you talk in this forum so... Told you so.

Anyway, IF it happens, I'm going with Hopkins all the way. But let's see if Jones gets through Green first, which he might not.

clopixolacuphase wrote:

observer1 wrote:
RJJ is shot to bits. He is restricted to facing E-Level opposition like Lacy

Hopkins aint going to give this guy a chance now just as RJJ did not Give Hopkins a chance when they were BOTH in their Primes.

Hopkins couldn't care less about winning or losing, he's after a final payday and/or a belt. imo

RJJ offers neither.

Just checked the Ring website for the Klitschko-Arreola write up and found that Hopkins-Jones II is signed for 2010, provided Jones gets through Green and Hopkins beats a tune-up light heavyweight fighter (whoever that will be... Probably someone like Sakio Bika will move up, but I think Hopkins could push himself and fight someone like Jean Pascal).

Hopkins says he is motivated by the idea of avenging his only 'proper' loss. The split is 50-50, unless someone gets stopped, then it's 60-40 to the winner.

Hate to say I told you so obesrver1 but you do kind of p*ss me off with the way you talk in this forum so... Told you so.

Anyway, IF it happens, I'm going with Hopkins all the way. But let's see if Jones gets through Green first, which he might not.

What..?

Just because their going ahead with it does not chnge the fact it's pointless.

It's like Mayweather v Marquez. Ridiculous. That never changed just because they went ahead with it.

If this happened after the Hopkins-Pavlik bout, then fair enough. Hopkins is way way too old, and RJJ appears as if he is kidding himself.

clopixolacuphase wrote:

observer1 wrote:
RJJ is shot to bits. He is restricted to facing E-Level opposition like Lacy

Hopkins aint going to give this guy a chance now just as RJJ did not Give Hopkins a chance when they were BOTH in their Primes.

Hopkins couldn't care less about winning or losing, he's after a final payday and/or a belt. imo

RJJ offers neither.

Just checked the Ring website for the Klitschko-Arreola write up and found that Hopkins-Jones II is signed for 2010, provided Jones gets through Green and Hopkins beats a tune-up light heavyweight fighter (whoever that will be... Probably someone like Sakio Bika will move up, but I think Hopkins could push himself and fight someone like Jean Pascal).

Hopkins says he is motivated by the idea of avenging his only 'proper' loss. The split is 50-50, unless someone gets stopped, then it's 60-40 to the winner.

Hate to say I told you so obesrver1 but you do kind of p*ss me off with the way you talk in this forum so... Told you so.

Anyway, IF it happens, I'm going with Hopkins all the way. But let's see if Jones gets through Green first, which he might not.

Did it confirm Hopkins would be taking a tune up?

It doesn't seem like him.

Did it confirm Hopkins would be taking a tune up?

It doesn't seem like him.[/quote]

That's what it says. Here's the whole article:

When Bernard Hopkins fought Roy Jones Jr. in 1993, the young middleweight contender was known only to hardcore fans.

Casual fans watching Hopkins on HBO for the first time expected Jones, considered the sport's most talented prospect, to knock out the Philadelphia product as he had 20 of his first 21 opponents.

Jones won a unanimous 12-round decision but Hopkins forced the normally explosive 1988 Olympian to box cautiously and he won four rounds on all three official scorecards, serving notice that he might also be a fighter worth watching. They both were.

Over the next two decades, Jones and Hopkins proved to be among the best fighters of their generation. However, they took separate paths in forging their hall-of-fame legacies.

Jones, who won his first world title by beating Hopkins, won major belts at super middleweight, light heavyweight (where he unified titles) and heavyweight. Hopkins established himself as the most dominating middleweight of his era by unifying the major titles and making a record 20 defenses of one of his belts. He also won the light heavyweight title by beating Antonio Tarver, the first fighter to knockout Jones.

A rematch has been talked about many times over the years, but finally, 16 years after their first fight, Hopkins and Jones have agreed to a return match.

ESPN.com broke the news on Friday that the two signed to fight sometime in the first quarter of 2010. Hopkins confirmed it with RingTV.com later that evening.

"(Golden Boy Promotions CEO) Richard (Schaefer) confirmed it with me today," Hopkins said from his home in Delaware. "We had been going back and forth over the last 48 hours finalizing the agreement. I signed yesterday. Jones must have signed today."

The rematch, which will take place in the light heavyweight division, is contingent on Jones (54-5, 40 knockouts) winning a cruiserweight fight against Danny Green in Australia on Dec. 2 and Hopkins 49-5-1, 32( KOs) winning a light heavyweight tune-up bout in the first week of December.

"Richard is working on (the tune-up fight) right now," Hopkins said. "I'd rather go straight into the Jones rematch but he had already committed to the Danny Green fight, and I didn't want to be inactive since last October.

"I don't like tune-up fights. There's a lot of risk involved. I almost missed out on my fight with Oscar De La Hoya when he struggled with Felix Sturm in a fight that was supposed to build up our match."

The rematch with Jones wasn't discussed in earnest until Hopkins unified the major middleweight titles in 2001. Jones was the undisputed light heavyweight champ and considered by many to be the pound-for-pound best in the sport at the time. In September of that year, Hopkins solidified his claim as the middleweight king by knocking out then-undefeated and 3-to-1 favorite Felix Trinidad.

There was considerable fan support for the rematch in the early part of the decade, and talks made it to the negotiating table in 2002 and 2003, but the discussion never progressed because of the stubborn demand both fighters made to land the lion's share of a 60-40 split.

Now, with the decade almost over and both men in their 40s, the two finally agreed to a 50-50 split. However, there's a clause in the contract that states if a knockout occurs, the fighter who scored the stoppage will receive a 60-percent split.

"You better believe that's in the contract," Hopkins said. "Roy's been so loud about wanting 60 percent for all these years, let's see how bad he really wants it. I'm not a knockout artist but 60 percent is something to fight for. It's definitely extra motivation for me."

Hopkins said motivation was a key component in the rematch getting made. The 44-yer-old veteran had considered fights with crusierweight champ Tomasz Adamek and the winner of the Chad Dawson-Glen Johnson rematch for the light heavyweight title, but he says he was more motivated to fight Jones.

"In many ways it's a grudge match for me," said Hopkins. "I respect Roy as a fighter and what he's accomplished in the ring, but I don't like him as a person.

"He jerked me around for many years and used me, with the lure of making a rematch, just to get leverage in his negotiations for other fights. I once flew to Florida to try to get a deal done, man to man, but he didn't treat me like a man. Instead, he threw a lot of dirt in my face, and I haven't forgotten about it.

"That's going to get me through many long days of training with Naazim Richardson for this fight."

His personal dislike for Jones wasn't the only factor in pursuing a rematch. Hopkins said he was motivated by the opportunity to "erase" what he feels was the only decisive loss of his 20-year career.

Hopkins lost his pro debut by a four-round majority decision. He dropped two disputed decisions to Jermain Taylor in 2005. The first loss was a split decision that most of the ringside reporters scored for Hopkins. Taylor won the rematch by unanimous scores of 115-113. In his last loss, Hopkins dropped a split decision to Joe Calzaghe that some boxing writers thought he deserved to win.

"I'm at the crossroads of a two-decade-long journey," Hopkins said. "What better way to end my career than by beating the one man who can say he really beat me? To me, that would be a story book ending to my career.

"And if I can knock him out, and believe me I will go for it if it presents itself, that would one-up his decision over me. Getting 60 percent would be icing on the cake.

"Just so we're clear on this, it counts as a knockout if it's a TKO (technical stoppage), or if somebody from your corner throws in the towel, or if you can't finish the fight for any reason. If you quit, you're going to get 40 percent."

Hopkins said the fight will likely take place on the first Saturday in February, "before the NBA All-Star Game)." There is no site for the fight yet, but he said his preference in Atlantic City, N.J.

The rematch will be televised live on HBO Pay-Per-View. Hopkins said the idea for the knockout winner taking 60 percent came from the network's PPV guru, Mark Taffet.

Hopkins said his planned December tune-up fight could wind up as a small pay-per-view show, but he's hoping Schaefer can negotiate a deal with a basic cable network.

"I can't go on record yet, but I think Richard's going to get it done so that more fans can see the fight (on basic cable)," Hopkins said. "I'm willing to take a pay cut to make it happen. The fight is important for me to knock some rust off, but it can also serve as an infomercial for the rematch."

Hopkins wants the tune-up fight to take place in his native Philadelphia, where Golden Boy Promotions can load the undercard with local prospects such as Rock Allen, Danny Garcia and Karl Dargan.

Jones, 40, stopped former 168-pound titleholder Jeff Lacy after 10 one-sided rounds in his last bout, which took place last month.

Hopkins, 44, dominated middleweight champ Kelly Pavlik en route to a 12-round unanimous decision in a 170-pound non-title fight last October.