Hopkins on Jones

By Sam Gregory: Right after Bernard Hopkins ceiled his fiftieth career win in a less than stellar performance in route to a defeat over light heavyweight Enrique Ornelas on the Versus TV network Wednesday night, commentators were excited to show the boxing world what Hopkins had to say about Danny Green’s 122 second stoppage of Roy Jones Jr.

Hopkins’ answer to what he thought of the Danny Green-Roy Jones upset might have been surprising to the Versus commentators but I think a lot of boxing fans saw it coming. Hopkins gave Danny Green no credit for his brilliant performance.

Instead of crediting Green for what was a stellar ring performance Hopkins alluded to the fact that Jones wasn’t really knocked out, “There is a big difference between a knockout and a TKO” he said. Hopkins also hinted around that maybe the referee stopped the fight too soon. He also said Jones is such a legion that the referee should have let Jones end the fight on his terms.

I could go on to explain how historically many great fighters have lost fights the same way Jones lost to Danny Green. Jake LaMotta was never knocked down when he was battered by Sugar Ray Robinson; to his own admission Rocky Graziano was “Out on my feet” in his fight with Tony Zale. “The referee should have stopped the fight” he said, “I didn’t know where I was.” No I don’t think there was any shame in how the referee stopped the fight and Roy Jones didn’t seem to have a problem with it either.

The fact of the matter is Hopkins’ fight with Ornelas and Roy Jones’ fight with Danny Green were tune-up fights in preparation for the big Hopkins-Jones showdown. Trouble is Danny Green upset the apple cart when he destroyed Roy Jones Jr in 122 seconds into the fight.

Bernard Hopkins has no intension of stepping in the ring with the very quick, strong and tactical fighting Danny Green. I’m not saying Hopkins is afraid Green will destroy him, (I’ll bet the thought is in the back of his mind) the way he did Jones. But I am saying Bernard Hopkins has no doubt in his mind he can at least win a decision over Jones if not stop him, probably in the late rounds of the fight.

It’s in Hopkins’ best interest to build Roy Jones up as the great hall-of-fame fighter he once was. The better Jones looks now the better Hopkins looks when he wins. Or…if Hopkins should lose to Roy Jones Jr…again, he won’t look as bad as he might if Roy was looked at as a “Shot fighter”.

If Bernard Hopkins does fight Roy Jones Jr in 2010 it certainly won’t be the mega fight they’re hoping for; it’ll be dwarfed in comparison to the much more anticipated Pacquiao vs Mayweather fight.

Both Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr will be first round ballet Hall-of-Fame inductees. They need to be retired for five years before they can be inducted, at least for Roy Jones I hope he retires sooner than later so he doesn’t just wither away as some old shot fighter.

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