By Niko Tricarico: Every fighter for every fight seems to claim that they are in the best shape of their careers. Every hanger on, every minion and sycophantic handler boasts the supernatural conditioning and superiority of their boxer and the imminent destruction of their opponent. By the time the prefight commentary is over I expect to see both haloed fighters fly into the ring on feathered wings laying to waste any and everything that challenges their divinity. The fight begins and then someone gets knocked out because in boxing your best is sometimes just not good enough.

Fighters lose. That’s part of what they do. Great fighters often lose to each other and often times in great fights. Louis and Schmelling. Ali and Frazier. Leonard and Duran. Holyfield and Bowe. Pacquiao and Morales. Hell, even Apollo and Rocky lost to each other. The fact is that an undefeated record usually illustrates nothing more than a fighter’s lack of quality opposition. There is always someone out there who can give even the most skilled boxer a beating. The best (pound for pound) fighter who ever lived is not and never will be Floyd Mayweather, Joe Calzaghe or Rocky Marciano, but instead Sugar Ray Robinson who had 19 loses. Fighters lose. And in no other sport does redemption taste as sweet as it does in boxing.

On Saturday night Bernard Hopkins will attempt to avenge his most embittered lose to what seems like a broken down Roy Jones Jr. They last met in 1993 and if revenge is a dish best served cold then 17 years is certainly enough time to have cooled, not only the meal, but also public interest. No one seems to care. But they should, because Hopkins at age 45 is a genuine freak of nature and interest in this fight can be garnered, if for no other reason, than to see an ageless boxing wonder exhibit his skills on a level he should not be able to perform at. He is a testament to hard work, diligence and conviction outside of the ring as much as fighters like Ricky Hatton, Riddick Bowe and De La Hoya were not.

Hopkins, like Floyd Mayweather Jr. is a gym rat. Neither is ever out of shape and maintaining that constant level of fitness and a respect for the craft is what has allowed Hopkins to achieve such a high level of success over such a long period of time. But Jones is a work horse as well. However, (and perhaps it has something to do with his weight fluctuation) his performance is more indicative of the natural progression of most other fighters. As he got older, he started losing…and losing badly.

In his prime Jones relied mainly on his athleticism in the ring. Straight right hands, quick lefts, blinding uppercuts and lightening fast reflexes were the mainstays of his victories. What Jones never had to rely on (which is something Max Kellerman has pointed out) are technical skills. He was able to use his outstanding natural abilities to dominate opponents. Someone like Hopkins, who doesn’t have the same gifts that Jones does, did just the opposite. He developed his craft to such an extent that he now can rely upon those technical skills to carry him through and win fights, where Jones, as his reflexes and speed have slowed with age, can not.

Against elite fighters in recent years, it is Hopkins who has faired better, easily handling Kelly Pavlik in a lopsided unanimous decision victory. Jones, on the other hand, has suffered embarrassing point loses to Calzaghe and knockout loses to lower caliber fighters, like Danny Green. Given Hopkins’ style though, Jones will probably fair better against him than he would against a fast pace, volume puncher like Calzaghe. Hopkins is patient and deliberate; an intellectual pugilist of the highest order. To listen to Naseem Richardson and Bernard Hopkins discuss strategy in the corner between rounds is like listening to college professors discussing the philosophical theories of Kant and Nietzsche. They are as well versed in the art of boxing as Einstein was in physics or Tarantino in cinematic history.

Fighters lose. And in the grand scheme of things Bernard Hopkins will probably get his revenge. To write Jones off completely would be ill-advised, but he has shown little in recent years to suggest he can emerge victorious on Saturday night. Fighters lose. And if Bernard Hopkins can put on the same type of awe inspiring performance that he did against Kelly Pavlik then come April 3rd, two great fighters will once again have lost to each other.